The Best Fasteners for Custom Outdoor Furniture Covers
Creative Covers Inc – Outdoor Furniture Cover Fastener Guide
When it comes to protecting your patio furniture, even a premium cover can fail its job if it isn't fastened properly. The number one threat to any outdoor cover isn't rain or UV exposure. It's wind.
Wind gets underneath the cover, lifts the skirt, and sends the cover across your yard in seconds. The right fasteners keep your cover secured in conditions you face, whether it's a calm suburban backyard or a windy rooftop patio.
While no fasteners are a guarantee, our years of experience have developed a great lineup of fastening options fitted for all weather conditions.
How to Choose the Right Fastener
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How windy is your area? A backyard patio has different needs than a rooftop deck or lakefront property. The windier your location, the more robust and secure your fasteners need to be.
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Does your furniture have exposed legs? Some fasteners wrap around furniture legs. If your furniture is flush to the ground, you'll need to look at alternatives like belt loop buckle straps or sand bag weights.
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What shape is your furniture? Standard rectangular or square furniture pieces work with nearly every fastening option. L-shaped sectionals, u-shaped sectionals, and other irregular shaped items have limitations when fastening.
Fastening Options
External Velcro straps are added to all corners of the covers and are a standard fastener for nearly all covers. It is a great option for reliable fastening that allows you to collect excess fabric and get a snug fit. With how easy it is to use, it makes this a great option when frequently putting on and taking off your covers.
For low to mild wind, this option is usually enough to keep the covers secure.
Internal straps are a great option to pair with external Velcro straps. These internal straps wrap around the legs of the item, providing a very secure solution to fastening. The one limitation with this option is you must have access to the legs of the item. If a piece sits flush to the ground, these straps won't work.
The standard version of this fastener uses Velcro straps. These straps are very minimal but provide excellent and easy fastening. A more secure version of this fastener uses buckles instead of Velcro. These buckles are extremely secure, and the only way your cover is flying off is if the buckles tear away from the fabric.
Belt loop buckle straps are one of the most secure fasteners we offer. Belt loops are sewn around the skirt of the cover and a buckle strap is provided along with the cover. This buckle strap wraps around the entire cover, through the belt loops, and allows you to fasten the cover up against the item. While this option works for many items, irregular shapes like l-shaped or u-shaped sectional covers can't use this option most of the time. For instances like this, sand weight bags are usually the next option to look at.
This fastener is standard on all custom table and chair covers because these larger covers are very prone to picking up wind due to their large surface area. By using this fastener, it keeps the cover up against the furniture and helps prevent the cover from blowing off.
Sand bag weights are a great option when other fasteners aren't available or when you want some extra security. Each bag has a Velcro opening for you to fill with any heavy material like sand, rocks, or small metal weights. There is a buckle strap that is connected to the bag, and the opposite end of the buckle is sewn onto the skirt of the cover. They are very easy to attach by simply clipping them in.
These are popular for L-shaped sectional covers, where they are placed on the inside corner and other sections prone to getting lifted from the wind. When belt loop buckle straps aren't a possible option, sand bag weights are a strong alternative.
Shockcord drawstring is an elastic band sewn into the hem of the cover. When the cover is placed over the furniture, the shockcord allows it to wrap underneath the item.
This works great in all wind conditions, working better on some items than others.
Still not sure?
Choosing the right fastener is part of what makes a custom cover worth it. If you have a challenging environment, unique furniture, or you're just not sure where to start, give us a call or request a quote and we'll figure it out together.