How To Replace Patio Cushions On The Cheap

Do you have an old patio cushion that needs to be replaced but doesn’t have a huge budget? Read on and I’ll show you how I update my patio cushion covers on a budget.

We moved to our home in 2012 and one of the first things we purchased was patio furniture. It was the end of summer so the pickings were slim. We ended up going with a set from Sears.

With 8 years of the elements, the fabric on some of our cushions started deteriorating.

Outdoor Cushions — Before (These are the cushions that came with the furniture).

I found a deal at Big Lots and jumped at the brown cushions. By the time I got home and put them on I was second-guessing the color. I told hubby about the gray and shortly later returned with my new gray cushions. I was surprised to see in the sunlight that they had a blue hue. Back to Big Lots—again!—for the brown.

Hubby calls me the Queen of Returns. You can see the title is not misplaced.

After 2 days I found the foam to be a subpar poly fiberfill that pancaked when you sat on it. Not very comfortable. I returned the cushions firmly cementing my title! After a recent trip to Big Lots, Hubby says he thinks he saw a picture of me posted at their customer service desk, LOL.

Lesson learned.

I searched endlessly for good, reasonably-priced cushions both in-store and online. I didn’t want to spend $200+ on something that’d last only a couple of years.

My mother-in-law offered to make us new cushions but I didn’t want a DIY look. Also, I wasn’t sure about the cost of outdoor fabric. I learned once you factor in time sometimes commercial goods offer a better value over DIY. I didn’t want to chance any headaches for her or me.

After countless hours, I finally pulled the trigger.

Full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

I ordered outdoor cushion covers from Amazon (link here). Our cushions were better made than most of what I found. Manufacturers aren’t offering the same quality they did only 8 years ago. With our cushion foam being in good shape and still not sagging, it seemed the best value.

The covers come in different colors and sizes. I bought four 22″ x 20″ and four 24″ x 24″ covers in timeless taupe. Our bottom cushions were 26″ x 24″ but I somehow squeezed them in. Whoo-hoo!

So for half the price, I got the look of new. And best of all, by keeping what we had I ended up with better quality than if I’d bought new.

There ya go.

If you want results you won’t second guess, stop yourself from the impetuous purchase. There will always be deals, but not everything that looks like a value actually is. Satisfaction may mean taking the time to compare what you’re paying to what you get. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for—so be willing to pay a bit more for better quality.