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Buying Guides

Welcome to the CushionsAndUmbrellas.com Purchasing Guide. We have put together these helpful hints and guides in order to help you make the best informed decisions about your patio furniture cushions and patio umbrellas.

Printed Polyester Fabrics

We carry a great selection of premium poly-print fabrics for our outdoor cushions.  These fabrics have excellent color and are outdoor UV rated.  They are specially treated for mold and mildew resistant, and can be easily cleaned using a mild soap and water, and have a soft hand texture; they feel like garment clothe. Some [...]

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Polyester and Spun Polyester

People get the wrong idea about Polyester all of the time.  Polyester fabric is soft and rich in color, and is awesome for outdoor umbrellas.    They are treated for soil and mildew resistance, and are naturally sun resistant.  Polyester fabrics are great seasonal fabrics that are easy to take care of and clean.  We feature [...]

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Premium Olefin Fabrics

Olefin is an economical alternative to solution dyed acrylics.  They are durable and long lasting, and specifically designed for outdoor use.  Sometimes called polyolefin, they are light in weight, and offer good sun shade and UV protection. Olefin fabrics are featured in our Patio Umbrella Sale items. Taking care of olefin fabrics is relatively easy: [...]

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Outdura Fabrics

Outdura solution dyed acrylic fabrics are a great alternative to Sunbrella.  Produced by Shuford Mills in North Carolina, they feature all of the great performance features that 100% solution dyed acrylics are famous for. CushionsAndUmbrellas.com is proud to feature Outdura fabrics on our special Quick-Ship 9′ Patio Umbrella Soft hand (soft to the touch) Mold [...]

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Sunbrella Fabrics

Sunbrella fabrics are pretty much the industry standard outdoor fabric.  Made by Glen Raven Mills, it consists of 100 % solution dyed acrylics.  Most fabrics are made from essentially colorless fibers, then dyed.  With solution dyed acrylic fabrics, the fibers are dyed before they are processed into yarn.  This means that sun or even bleach [...]

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Cleaning your Sunbrella umbrella or cushion.

It’s important to keep your Sunbrella fabrics clean and dirt free.  Sunbrella fabrics are highly mildew resistant, however, dirt and mud are not.  Most times, when you see mildew on an umbrella made with Sunbrella fabrics, it’s because dirt and mud where allowed to get on the umbrella canopy, embedding into the fabric.   As mud [...]

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Wind Vents:Why are they important and how to pick the right one?

A wind vent is a flap in the fabric of canopy, or top, of a patio umbrella, that allows for wind and heat to escape the top of the umbrella. There are two main reasons why this is important: Stability and Comfort. So why are there different types of Wind Vents? Why would one type of Wind Vent be different than another? Let’s go over the differences.

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It’s the Tilt Functions that Define an Umbrella.

The principal of umbrella tilting is pretty basic: You do something at the crank or under the canopy, and the umbrella tilts. However, to arm you with the right knowledge of the definitive feature of any patio umbrella, let’s break down the different tilting functions into their pro’s and con’s so you can make an informed and satisfying choice.

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Patio Umbrella Buying Guide

If you’re not sure what type of patio umbrella fits your needs, these tips can help. Always remember, you’re the best judge of what outdoor umbrella you want, but we’ve put together some basic guidelines so that you feel confident in your purchase. Our umbrellas are designed to shade different types of areas. For each [...]

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Care and Maintenance of your Outdoor Fabrics.

With proper care and maintenance, your patio umbrella or patio cushion will give you year after year of lush color and service. Here are a few tips that should keep your fabrics looking great. Never leave your outdoor cushions or patio umbrella out when expecting excessive rain. Although our fabrics are meant to stand up [...]

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Determining your patio cushion measurements

We’ve put together a few tips that we hope will come in handy when you’re looking for the perfect patio cushions for your furniture. Whether you’re looking for replacement cushions, or new patio cushions, following these steps will help you get the right outdoor cushion the first time. Measuring your patio furniture: First off, let’s [...]

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