How do our custom Sunbrella cushions stack up to those bought from Frontgate?
It’s one of our most frequently asked questions, so we decided to order one of our own in order to dissect it and come up with a conclusion.
For starters, Frontgate has only a limited amount of SKU's to choose from, whereas, Patio Lane has one of the largest collection of Sunbrella fabrics to choose from anywhere.
Secondly, once we ordered the Frontgate cushion, we kept getting email notifications that our order was being postponed and in reality, it took us over 8 weeks to receive the cushion.
Who makes the cushion at Frontgate? This remains to be determined and while we have the sneaking suspicion that they have multiple suppliers across the country, this begs the question: How consistent is the quality and who is actually producing the cushion and are they being made in the U.S.A.?
We know for a fact that our cushions are made in the U.S.A. because each one is hand crafted, right in our Clearwater, Florida manufacturing facility. Our sew team is meticulous with quality and each and every custom order goes through a series of quality checks to make sure you’re receiving the best possible cushion available.
What about the QUALITY? We opened up our cushion and the one from Frontgate and took some pictures so that you can see the difference for yourself.
First of all, you’ll see that our cushion is sturdy and doesn’t sag. Have you ever sat on a cushion only to feel the seat through it? The sagginess you see in the Frontgate cushion was caused by us sitting on it a few times. Can you imagine how worse it would get after a few weeks of use? This STURDINESS of a cushion depends on both the quality of the foam that is being used as well as the cushions themselves. We use dry fast foam that has an open cell membrane which is mildew resistant.
In this particular example, we chose a Sunbrella RAIN fabric that comes with a waterproof coating on the underside and — when manufactured correctly — is designed to be a waterproof cushion. While Frontgate offered this version of Sunbrella, again, we can’t be sure who is manufacturing the cushion and IF they are actually certified, having gone through the necessary training to make RAIN cushions. We do know that we completed training in 2016 and that there are special processes and techniques that should have been used in creating this cushion, that Frontgate or whatever supplier they used did not perform correctly. While we can see that they did use a secondary mesh flap that is absolutely necessary to keep moisture out and allow air to escape, we also see that they included a welt, which is an absolute no-no, as it invites moisture to penetrate the RAIN fabric.
So now to the TEST: We left the Frontgate RAIN cushion outside (remember we are in Florida) and guess what? It rained and it got wet. It was not waterproof as advertised and moisture invites mildew!
CONCLUSION: The Frontgate cushion was not waterproof as advertised and a few days after it dried out, what was left was MILDEW spots on the inside. So, this got us thinking: Are other people having this same experience? A simple search of Frontgate reviews led us to multiple people complaining about the quality of their Sunbrella cushions. Take a look:
Before you spend $60 on a custom Sunbrella cushion, do your research to find out exactly what you’re getting and if you can actually speak to the people who are going to make it for you.
Patio Lane has been in the fabric and shade business for over 30 years. We are an official Sunbrella partner and we are confident that we are the best choice if you’re looking for QUALITY outdoor custom cushions.
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