Few months back, we sold out our most popular original design outdoor cushion covers... Nara (Turquoise), Adalie (Orange) and Abagail (Yellow) to name them. We were in a rush to re-stock. My manufacturer was messaging me to remind me just that. However, I put the new order on hold and dived in to something that I didn't quite anticipate.
I started to really research the outdoor fabrics quality standards and what the customer can expect. It was a deep ocean to dive in to... it took me a few months to emerge out of it with a lot of knowledge I didn't have before. Which I will share here with you. I hope it would help you a little in your search.
First we will look at available performance standards of outdoor fabrics. Then we will look at different uses of outdoor cushions / fabric made-ups tying in recommendations based on available outdoor fabric performance standards discussed.
Performance Standards of Outdoor Fabrics
We will look at four requirements here: 1) Mould/mildew resistance 2) Fade resistance 3) Water-repellent / waterproof 4) Abrasion Resistance/Softness
1) Mould/mildew resistance
- Mould/mildew resistance treatments during manufacturing works on the fabrics fibers to significantly delay mould/mildew appearing.
- Waterproof fabrics are more mould/mildew resistant. Because moisture is needed for mould/mildew growth - directly through rain or through humidity in the air.
- Breath-ability of the fabric makes it more mould/mildew resistant. Because water dries up quick without getting trapped in fabric.
- Dirt stuck between fabric fibers promotes mould/mildew growth. Culprit 1: Loosely woven fabrics with space between fibers (eg. hold fabric to sky and you can see through). Culprit 2: Fabrics with an uneven surface (certain textured weaves). This is why Oxford weave is popular among durable outdoor fabrics. It is a tight weave with minimal space between fibers. Oxford weave fabrics have a smooth flat surface. So, dirt "rolls off", so to speak.
- Synthetic fabrics such as Polyester/Acrylic takes much longer to disintegrate compared to natural fabrics such as cotton/linen. However, cotton is environmentally friendly and can be used outdoors successfully - they MUST be "laminated" with a PU coating on top so that dirt/moisture can't touch the fabric.
2) Fade resistance
- Yarn dyed fabrics are more fade resistant. This means the fabric is woven with dyed yarn as opposed to a design being printed on a non-dyed fabric. Drawback - only stripes or solid colours and some basic patterns can be woven with coloured yarns.
- Focusing on printed fabrics with designs, fade-resistance treatments and the quality/strength of dye used dictate the fade resistance standards. Manufacturers charge based on the level of performance required.
3) Water-repellent / waterproof
- Warning: Some of the leading outdoor fabrics are only slightly water-repellent, not waterproof.
- Teflon treatment - Very much waterproof and durable but expensive & not good to human skin.
- Lotus effect - this method copies the lotus leaf in nature where water beads and rolls off. A special surface applied on to the fabric does exactly that.
- Lotus effect waterproof fabrics should only be washed with cold water and should not be ironed, should not be tumble dried. Direct heat from hot water/iron/tumble dryer weakens the waterproof 'strength'.
- For the various methods of waterproofing there are levels of performance which can be requested from the manufacturer.
- A PU coating over/under the fabric stops water permeating through to the cushion insert. This is durable and completely waterproof. Again, needs protecting against direct heat as mentioned above. To sustain cotton outdoors, a PU coating over the fabric is needed.
- A PVC coating (under the fabric) also waterproofs a fabric. However, PVC coatings get destroyed faster in the outdoors and when being washed.
4) Abrasion Resistance/Softness - Fabric thickness and the strength is also important for outdoor handling.
- For outdoor soft furnishing such as cushion covers and the like - medium thick (600 density / 220 gsm) fabric with Oxford weave, I believe is a good thickness/strength that can withstand outdoor handing. It is important to expect softness - as they are used for soft-furnishings.
- In contrast outdoor fabrics for tents/canopies/umbrellas need to have higher density (thicker and stronger) and they can be rough to the touch.
The market has many varieties of outdoor cushion covers / fabric made-ups to offer. So does manufacturers. I chose my manufacturer offer as wisely and as informed as I could... so I urge you to do the same when you make your choice.
My recommendations... I base these on the above information found about the available outdoor fabric performance standards and most importantly, on the usage of your outdoor cushions.
Usage and Recommendations
Over the years of taking outdoor cushions to many households worldwide, these are a number of common uses I have come across through my customers.
- Most common in my experience - Outdoor cushions placed outdoors under a roof/shade. Eg. In the patio, under an umbrella, in a gazebo, under a sunshade, in a tent. When it rains the cushions get drizzle/some rain on them. Recommendation: Lotus Effect Waterproof Polyester Oxford fabric with high fade resistance and high mould/mildew resistance treatment - Medium thick - soft-touch. (This is my pick for our new outdoor cushions). Laminated Cotton (Cotton with a PU coating on top) with mold/mildew treatment & fade resistance. (These are the outdoor fabrics we used so far). The benefit over polyester option is that cotton is environmentally friendly and some customers prefer the ease of just wiping off dirt from the PU coating on top. However, the PU coating feels a little rubbery to touch.
- Rare but happens - Cushions are left outdoors without any shade open to all weather. Cushions get rained on & are open to direct sun. Recommendation: Most durable would be yarn dyed Acrylic fabrics with strong mould/mildew resistance, powerful waterproofing and high fade-resistance. Acrylic fabrics come as solid colours or striped patterns (as explained above). Higher cost. Our outdoor range has survived these conditions with many customers, but not always (depending on weather conditions etc). So, please test first or be prepared to replace with time.
- Cushions are taken out only when in use. Recommendation: All of the above and possibly outdoor fabrics with lesser performance.
- Cushions used in the sun-room/conservatory. Covered from all outdoor elements except for the sun. Recommendation: All of the above and possibly outdoor fabrics with lesser performance.
With the above information, I chose our new outdoor fabrics to be - Lotus Effect Waterproof Polyester Oxford fabric with high fade resistance and high mould/mildew resistance treatment. Medium thick 220gsm/600d fabric is used. The fabric is soft to the touch as it will be mostly used for outdoor cushion covers and other outdoor soft furnishing.