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How to fit a garden furniture cover so it stays and sheds rain

Updated: 22 October 2026

The cover arrives folded, the patio is still damp, and the chairs are out from Sunday. How to fit a garden furniture cover is a tape measure and a hem, not a tool kit. Too much spare cloth sails. Too little splits on a sharp rattan corner. A flat top holds a pond. This page is the method after you have chosen a size. The rows are on the [garden furniture cover comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-furniture-cover). Peter F. read the listings captured on 19 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The cover arrives folded, the patio is still damp, and the chairs are out from Sunday. How to fit a garden furniture cover is a tape measure and a hem, not a tool kit. Too much spare cloth sails.

Our top picks

BEEWAY BEEWAY 200 × 160 × 73 cm

Best overall

BEEWAY BEEWAY 200 × 160 × 73 cm
7.6/10about £15.19
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Aoretic Aoretic 180 × 120 × 74 cm

Best value

Aoretic Aoretic 180 × 120 × 74 cm
7.4/10about £6.79
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RICHIE RICHIE 170 × 95 × 71 cm

Rank 3

RICHIE RICHIE 170 × 95 × 71 cm
5.2/10about £19.98
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On this page
  1. 1.Measure length, width and height in the stored layout
  2. 2.Read both size lines before you pull
  3. 3.Fasten the hem and raise the middle
  4. 4.When the cover will not stay

Measure length, width and height in the stored layout

Push the chairs in the way you will leave them. A cover sized to the open Sunday layout is the wrong length once the chairs go under the table. Pennells takes the widest points in the stored place. Rūma allows a couple of centimetres, not a large skirt. Product choice before this tape is the garden furniture cover buying guide. Length includes the outer backs. Width includes the side chairs. Height is the tallest back, not the tabletop. The large BEEWAY prints 102 cm and the 200 cm BEEWAY prints about 73 cm. Platinum says more than about 15 cm of spare on one side is usually too much. That figure is the retailer's rule of thumb. Do not stretch a small cover over the seams.

Read both size lines before you pull

Several listings disagree by about a centimetre. RICHIE's 170 cm cover says 170 × 95 × 71 cm in the title and 95 × 170 × 70 cm in the row. BEEWAY's 200 cm cover says 73 cm and 74 cm. The 125 cm BEEWAY says 73 cm and 72 cm. The green Funshot says 70 cm and 71 cm. The 242 cm BEEWAY has no second size line. Do not average the heights. If the shorter line is below the chair back, choose another size. If the back is 75 cm, neither 71 cm nor 74 cm is a comfortable fit. Aoretic reviews include a torn thin cover, and PATIO PLUS reviews include a rip after a few months, which is the risk of a tight pull over a sharp corner.
BEEWAY BEEWAY 200 × 160 × 73 cm

Testsieger

BEEWAY BEEWAY 200 × 160 × 73 cm
7.6/10about £15.19
View offer

Fasten the hem and raise the middle

No listing here asks for tools. Fasten what the page named and pull the hem in. A trailing hem trips you and scoops wind. BEEWAY uses side buckles, bottom buckles and a drawstring. PATIO PLUS uses four click buckles and a drawstring. Aoretic and AWNIC use hook-and-loop. RICHIE's 170 cm cover is a drawstring and Velcro, and a storm removed a cover taped at the corners. Rain on a flat lid pools. BEEWAY and both Funshot rounds say to put something tall in the middle. That object is not in the box, and Bosmere's water-shedding pole is sold separately. Empty standing water after heavy rain.

When the cover will not stay

Spare cloth of more than about 15 cm on one side makes a sail. SIRUITON's 250 cm square suits a corner set near that size and is very big on a smaller set. A closer size is the fix, named on the best garden furniture cover page. On the green Funshot, a review says the drawstring broke on first use and the cover lifted. BEEWAY and PATIO PLUS still have buckles if the cord fails. Do not drill a rented balcony to peg a sheet down. If the frame or the glass is broken, that is a furniture repair. BS EN 581 is about the seating and tables, not this sheet.

Common questions

Where do I put the tape on a dining set?
With the chairs pushed in, measure the length across the outer backs, the width across the sides, and the height to the top of the tallest back. Measure the set where it will spend the week, not the open layout you use for a meal. Compare those three figures with the cover before you order.
How much bigger than the furniture should the cover be?
A little larger than the furniture, not smaller, and not a loose tent. Rūma suggests a couple of centimetres of allowance. Platinum’s measuring page says more than about 15 cm of spare on one side is usually too much because it flaps. That 15 cm line is the retailer’s rule of thumb.
What if the title and the dimensions row disagree?
Read both, and do not average them. In this set the clashes are about 1 cm of height on the 170 cm RICHIE, the 200 cm and 125 cm BEEWAY covers, and the green Funshot round. If your chair back only fits one of the two lines, treat the shorter line as the risk and pick another size.
How do I stop the cover blowing off?
Pull the hem in and use every fastening the listing gave you: drawstring, click buckles, hook-and-loop, or snaps. Keep spare cloth small. Reviews on the 170 cm RICHIE include a taped cover that still left in a storm, so tabs alone are a weak plan on an exposed patio. Do not drill the balcony to add fixings.
How do I stop rain sitting on the top?
Raise the centre so the lid is not a bowl. Several sellers in this set say to put a tall object in the middle. That object is not supplied, and Bosmere’s water-shedding pole is a separate product. Tip standing water off after heavy rain. If the furniture is wet and the lid is not holding a pond, look at condensation instead.

Related pages

Condensation under a furniture cover

Garden furniture cover

420D vs 600D garden furniture cover: yarn, not water

Best garden furniture cover for the shape you have

Garden furniture cover buying guide: size and shape

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines captured on 19 October 2026. There is no laboratory test.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 581-1:2017 outdoor furniture safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 581-2:2026 seating tests (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. ASA CAP Code 3.7, objective claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. RHS, maintaining garden seats and tables (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Harbour Lifestyle, furniture cover care (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BBC Gardeners' World, outdoor furniture covers (retrieved 19 October 2026)