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How to fit garden chair cushions

Updated: 22 October 2026

The parcel is flatter than the photo, the old pad you measured was already crushed, and a wet Sunday is a bad moment to discover the care line says spot clean only. This is how to fit garden chair cushions on a chair you already own: measure the frame, wait out the expansion time printed on the listing, tie what the listing gave you, and store the pad only when the core is dry. The rows themselves are on the [garden chair cushions comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chair-cushions). Products Compared used the amazon.co.uk care lines and UK storage guidance on 21 October 2026. We did not time a vacuum bag with a stopwatch of our own. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The parcel is flatter than the photo, the old pad you measured was already crushed, and a wet Sunday is a bad moment to discover the care line says spot clean only.

Our top picks

PrimePatio PrimePatio grey seat pads

Best overall

PrimePatio PrimePatio grey seat pads
7.5/10about £28.04
View offer
PrimePatio PrimePatio blue print seat pads

Best value

PrimePatio PrimePatio blue print seat pads
7.3/10about £21.44
View offer
PrimePatio PrimePatio green backrest cushion

Rank 3

PrimePatio PrimePatio green backrest cushion
6.8/10about £26.39
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure the frame in centimetres
  2. 2.Open a vacuum-packed pad and wait
  3. 3.Ties, zips, and the care line you were given
  4. 4.Dry it before you bag it

Measure the frame in centimetres

Measure the chair, not the cushion you are replacing. Old foam compresses, so a tired pad under-reads the seat. Use a metal tape. Width is between the arms, depth is back to the post. If the pad turns up the back, add seat depth to back height. A 50 cm seat and a 70 cm back is 120 cm, which is why a 120 × 50 cm listing is a high-back length and a 45 cm square is not. Which thickness and which ties to buy is on the garden chair cushions buying guide. Write centimetres. The widesmile set prints 55 × 55 cm and 55 inches. That clash is a reason to pause the order. A stated 7 cm pad raises you, and a thick pad can leave the arm feeling low. A 50 cm pad on a 45 cm seat overhangs and tips when you stand.

Open a vacuum-packed pad and wait

Several listings tell you the cushion is vacuum packed and to allow 48–72 hours. That line is on the green and blue PrimePatio backrests, the navy low-back, and the black 120 cm high-back. The EDIMENS bullet says to slap the pad lightly and hang it in the sun. Follow the sentence on the listing you bought. Creases on day one are what compression does. One green-cushion reviewer said the pad expanded sooner. One high-back reviewer said creases lasted about two weeks. If the pad is still flat after 72 hours where the bullet promised that window, that is a quality question. Section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a 30-day short-term right to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality or not as described. It is not a reason to cut the cover. One navy review says a zip would not undo. Do not slit the cover. A 7 cm claim is the recovered height, not the height in the courier bag.
PrimePatio PrimePatio grey seat pads

Testsieger

PrimePatio PrimePatio grey seat pads
7.5/10about £28.04
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Ties, zips, and the care line you were given

Where ties are stated, use them. On the grey and dark grey PrimePatio pairs the bullet says two adjustable ties on each side. Pass them under the seat frame or around the back posts and knot them so the pad cannot walk forward. The Oxford four-pack states two fixing straps per cushion. The EDIMENS cushion states ties for the back and an elastic strap at the rear. The blue printed 50 cm pair does not state ties. Do not invent a tie the listing never supplied. The blue printed pair says machine wash. The grey pair, the dark grey pair, and the green backrest print both hand wash only and machine wash. If both are on the page, follow the label in the parcel. Navy and the 120 cm high-back say spot clean only. The Oxford four-pack says wipe clean. A zip that is stated, as on the green cushion, is for removing the cover on the terms of that care line. A zip mentioned only in a review is not a feature you can rely on.

Dry it before you bag it

British winter storage fails when the cover feels dry and the core does not. The core must be bone dry. A cool centre means moisture is still in the foam, and a sealed plastic bag is the wrong container. If the centre is cool against the back of your hand after a day indoors, it is not ready. Leave it on its edge in a dry room. A furniture cover over the chairs is not a dry core. Pads left under a cover can still hold rain that got in at the seams. Bring them off, dry them, then store them in a breathable bag. These extracts do not say they use open-cell foam. Shredded foam can still hold water once the cloth has let a shower through. What waterproof is allowed to mean is on waterproof or water-resistant garden cushions. If the foam smells, crumbles, or stays damp in the middle, the insert is finished.

Common questions

Do I measure the cushion I am throwing away?
No. Measure the frame. Old foam is compressed, so it under-reads width and depth. Use a metal tape between the arms and from the front edge to the back post. For a one-piece high back, add seat depth to back height. A crushed 45 cm pad is not proof the chair is 45 cm.
Where do the ties go?
Under the seat frame or around the back posts, using the ties the listing states. The grey and dark grey pairs say two ties on each side. The Oxford pack says two straps each. The EDIMENS cushion adds a rear elastic strap. If your listing does not mention ties, do not expect them in the bag.
Why is the new pad flat and creased?
Because it was vacuum packed. The green, blue, navy, and 120 cm PrimePatio bullets say to allow 48–72 hours. The EDIMENS bullet says to slap it and hang it in the sun. Creases can ease in that window. Foam that is still flat after the stated time is a quality question, not a longer wait you have to invent.
Machine wash or spot clean?
Read the line on your listing. The blue printed pair says machine wash. Navy and the high-back say spot clean only. Some PrimePatio pages print hand wash only and machine wash together, so use the label in the parcel if the page contradicts itself. Do not machine wash a spot-clean pad because another colour has a zip.
Can I leave the pads on the chairs under a cover all winter?
A cover does not dry the foam. If rain has reached the pad, take it off, dry the core until the centre is no longer cool, and store it in a breathable bag. Sealed plastic is the condition storage guides warn against. A cool centre means moisture is still inside.
The zip will not open. What then?
Stop. One navy review describes a zip that would not undo, so the vacuum-packed pad could not expand. Do not cut the cover. Keep the packaging and use the seller or Amazon route. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a 30-day short-term right to reject goods that are not as described. Cutting the cloth makes that conversation harder.

Related pages

Garden chair cushions with a backrest

Best garden chair cushions

Garden chair cushions

Garden chair cushions buying guide: size, ties, foam

Waterproof or water-resistant garden chair cushions

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set on 21 October 2026. There is no laboratory test.

  1. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, fire safety amendment regulations 2025 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Trading Standards furniture and furnishings guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk Garden Chair Cushions best sellers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. OPSS survey in the domestic upholstery fire consultation (retrieved 22 October 2026)