How to choose the right cover for garden furniture

We sell a heap of covers for garden furniture, around 450 different styles and sizes, most of which have been cleverly shaped to give an excellent fit, made for a very specific model. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy one of them for your garden dining set, lounge set or whatever else. Here’s how to pick the right cover for your garden furniture.

Which cover for garden furniture? First, measure it!

Our furniture cover product pages showcase the detailed measurements you need. Take the LIFE cover above, made to fit the brand’s popular Fitz Roy Chaise. If you have a garden chaise of your own but it isn’t by LIFE, cover like this might fit anyway. You won’t know ’til you measure.

Following the logic from the image above, which is really handy, carefully measure your furniture to see if this cover fits. If it’s too large or small there’s probably one that will fit a bit better – the LIFE collection of garden furniture covers is huge, including all sorts of shapes and sizes, so it’s worth a try.

Too small or too large?

Obviously a too-small cover won’t do a proper job of keeping garden furniture dry and clean. The furniture should be 100% covered up, with no bits showing that could get wet and dirty. Because most of them come with straps, Velcro, and other fittings to keep them safely in place, a cover that’s slightly larger than the furniture itself could still work perfectly well. It’ll certainly be better than leaving your dining set, lounger or whatever to get wet and mucky when you’re not outdoors – which means you have to clean it every time you want to use it.

The cover above is made to fit a specific Enders patio heater model, but it might also fit your own patio heater well. Give it a measure and see.

Some covers are rigid, forming a rugged protective box over the furniture. Others are soft, but have the same excellent protective effect. Because they’re generally black you get a smart look that doesn’t clash with the rest of the garden or cause an eyesore.

The smart drum-shaped cover above fits the Pacific Lifestyle fire table really well, but it’s also good for a small circular garden table. Measure first and see if it’ll do the job.

Buy a brand that offers covers as standard

If you’ve bought some Pacific Lifestyle garden furniture, or something from Lifestyle or LIFE, it’s likely there’s a special cover made to fit, available separately. Some other brands come with covers for every design, and sometimes the cover is included in the price. Check the product description carefully before you buy.

What not to use!

We’ve seen some horrors! Some people protect their garden furniture with tarpaulins or sheets of plastic, which look awful and easily blow off. You can’t really relax when you’re always having to keep an eye on your garden furniture in case it blows away or comes loose, flapping around and leaving the furniture unprotected.

The fabric used to make these covers is specially created for the job. It’s water resistant and doesn’t allow condensation to build up. It helps stop mould and mildew building up. But the best thing is the maintenance, which is cut right back. Your garden furniture is clean, dry and ready for action whenever you are, with no messing around.

Some furniture covers even come with a storage bag of their own so when you’re not using it, it’ll pack up small and neat for easy storage. In a conservation-conscious world where we’re keener than ever to keep our possessions in good condition for longer, a proper cover is the best possible choice.

Types of garden furniture cover

Whatever you’ve bought, there’s probably a protective cover for it:

• BBQ covers
• Patio heater covers
• Covers for garden chairs
• Coffee tables
• Dining tables and dining sets
• Loungers
• Swing chairs
• Bistro sets
• Day beds
• Garden benches
• Parasols