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The main purpose of dining room cushions on the seats as well as on the chair back is to make it comfortable for people sitting on them.

They also help in protecting the dining chairs from any leaks or spills. Dining room cushions can also be used to enhance the attractiveness of the dining set and the dining area. For this purpose consumers are now being spoiled with a huge variety of dining chair cushions to choose from. You can choose from a vast array of colors that includes white, natural, green, red, blue, black, brown and many more.

Therefore they not only perform a useful function but also serve an aesthetic purpose as a decorative item. They add to the warmth and comfort of the dining chairs.

Where Are Dining Chair Cushions Used?

These are used in any kind of chairs that needs to be made comfortable for the individual sitting on the chair. You can have dining chair cushions, kitchen chair cushions, rocker cushions, outdoor cushions or bench cushions. Cushions make it easier for the people to do their work. Cushions allow people to sit or work longer hours on a chair. Without cushions you may not last even fifteen minutes on a cushionless chair.

Of all the types of cushions it is the dining chair cushions that are most treasured. That is because guests invited for meals get to have a first experience of the cushions. The comfort and beauty of the cushion can make or break a dinner party. It wouldn’t be pleasant to see guests shifting uncomfortably on badly made cushions or on chairs without cushions. The dining chair cushions are, therefore, given the utmost attention by home owners.

Dining Chair Cushion Fabrics

People try to have their dining chair cushions made from the best material possible. At the same time care must be taken to see that the fabric goes with veneer or color of the dining table and the chair. Designers are now coming out with exotic eye catching cushion styles. These included tufted cushions, cushions with braids and hand hooked cushions

The fabrics usually preferred for these extra comfortable cushions are cotton, nylon, acrylic and soft corduroy made from polyester. The cotton flannel cloth provides absorbency, the polyester gives the cushion its durability, while the nylon on the undersurface make the cushion non slip. The non slip property of nylon is important in preventing the cushion from moving around on the seat. They keep the cushion firmly in place.

There are some cushions which do away with the nylon like slip resistant fabric on the underside. Instead, long threads, called pad ties are provided. These pad ties are tied to the chair and keep the cushion in place.

Commonly, dining room chair cushions are classified as cotton, leather and polyester. Each of them comes in an amazing variety of colors and designs. Of these cotton cushions are most popular because of their soft feel and ease of use in everyday living. The leather cushions are used for leather couches. The polyester chair cushions are the toughest, last a long time, do not fade easily but get dirty fast.

Fillers For Cushions

Earlier cotton was the most common filler material. It has now been replaced in a major way by foam that comes in many qualities.

Foam: Foam cushions are available in soft, medium or firm qualities. Today foam cushions are used widely as regular and also replacement cushions. They are also foam fillers available custom made to various sizes and used in practically all kinds of furniture. Manufacturers highly recommend high density foam that is most durable. For most uses rectangular foam shapes with rounded edges are advised. Foam, however is unable to retain its shape after some time. It breaks down, forms lumps and as a consequence loses its softness. Depending on the quality you will get cheap or expensive foam fillers.

Memory foam: A new type of foam called memory foam has hit the market but is yet to prove itself popular. The technical name of memory foam is visco-elastic polyurethane foam. There are two types of memory foams; high density and low density foam. The memory foam is better able to adapt to the shape of the body and is more comfortable. It was very expensive till recently but has now become cheaper and is being used in mattresses and cushions.

Polyester fiber: The other filler material, not so popular as foam, are very fine polyester fiber. Cushions with modern shapes and styles are using these fillers. Hollow fibers are also used with them. This makes the filler very soft, allowing the filler to retain the shape of the cushions for a long time. It is better than foam in retaining its shape.

The other material that sometimes replaces cotton and wool as a filler material is polywool.

Cushion Styles

Style of the cushion depends a lot on the seat for which it is meant. If the seat is square then a square cushion will be needed for the chair. Similarly a round style cushion would be used on a round chair pad or stool seat. Watch out for deterioration of the cushions when the foam filler starts breaking down. When you are looking for replacement cushions, buy ones with polyester filler. They will last much longer.

Cushion Slip Covers

Like any other item cushions can give you long service if you take proper care of them. You can either have slipcovers that cover the entire chair or slipcovers that cover only the cushions like a pillow cover. These slip covers can be easily made at home at rock bottom cost.

You needn’t buy fabrics for them from the market. Old discarded fabrics will do the job just as well. An old matching floral skirt can be used to cover the pillow by zipping the sides and tying up the excess on the underside with a pin. A pillow case can be used as a slipcover. Here also the excess fabric on the underside can be gathered and pinned.

An old table cloth would be ideal fabric for producing a slipcover for the dining chair

Tips on Cushion Upkeep And Cleaning

Cushions, new or replacement, must be kept as far as possible in spanking new condition to make them last longer. You can of course use slip covers. But another way of protecting your cushions from soiling is by using upholstery protectors. It makes washing the stains easier. Following are some tips to keep your cushions in a good condition

1. Keep the chairs in a ventilated area to avoid coming in contact with fumes.
2. Spray some upholstery protector on a small area of the cushion. Wait for fifteen minutes. If there are no harmful reactions then spray the entire cushion. To protect the wooden portions from any damage, cover them with towels
3. The upholstery protector must be sprayed from a distance of 8 inches and the application must be light. Wait a day for the cushion to dry before using it.
4. Once the first application of spray is dry, repeat the procedure for a second coat of the spray.
5. Wash stains as they happen with mild soap and water and then apply the upholstery protector.

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