How to Protect Teak Outdoor Furniture — Case Study

Phil had bought two covers from us before, both for simpler shapes than this one. This time it was a curved teak bench with arms. He placed the order through the website, left a note asking John to check which fabric he had last time, and emailed four photos of the bench so we could see what we were designing for.

Phil's “unusual shape” is commonly known as a banana bench. It curves in plan, so the back is longer than the front. The seat is a crescent. The back and the arms are one continuous rail: it sweeps up from the arm at one end, round the back, and down to the arm at the other, so nothing on it is flat or square. A cover cut as a box would rest on the top of the back and sag everywhere else. Rain collects in the sag instead of running off, and the loose edges let wind drive more of it underneath.

Trapped water does more harm than rain that runs off. Teak copes with rain. What it does not cope with is what rain leaves behind: algae on the top rail, bird droppings baked into the slats, a seat that never dries before the next shower.

At the time Phil got in touch, our order form asked for four measurements on a bench. A curved one like his needed a fifth: the outside arc, the length of the back measured along the curve from arm to arm. Width and depth alone would give us a rectangle. John sent Phil an annotated photo showing where to run the tape.

The first time we make a shape, we design it once and then add it to the configurator, so the next customer with the same bench does not have to explain it. Curved benches are now one of the shapes you can pick on our custom outdoor bench cover page, and orders like Phil's are why.

Phil replied the same afternoon.

That last sentence matters. Measurements should be the size of the item itself, with no allowance added. We add 25 mm on top as standard.

The same day, John designed the cover and sent it over: a 3D view with every measurement marked on it, including the arc, and the hem shown separately.

The design is shown with a drawstring in the hem, which is the standard option we fit if the customer does not specify otherwise.

Before Phil had a chance to reply, John caught something and followed up the next day.

Phil got back later that day.

Four eyelets, one at each leg, an error caught and corrected at no extra cost. Without a visual design to reference, none of that conversation happens: the cover is cut to whatever the order form said, and the first anyone sees of it is the day it arrives.

Every custom cover we make goes through the same design stage. You get scaled diagrams before anything is cut, and nothing goes to the factory until you have approved them. It is the free design service, and it is the reason we can offer our First Time Fit Guarantee.

John took the drawstring off, added the four eyelets at the legs, and sent the design back within the hour.

Phil came back quickly with the go-ahead.

With that, the order was scheduled for production, with delivery quoted at 15 to 20 days.

The cover arrived at the start of August. It went straight over the bench, arms and all, and the four eyelets lined up with the legs.

It is NylonSafe® in black: our 420D nylon with a canvas feel, waterproof and UV-stabilised. The seams are HydroLok® — stitched and then sealed internally so water cannot get through the seam lines.

Phil's answer was a cover, and one made to this bench and no other: over the arms, round the curve, tight to the back, and no loose fabric anywhere for water to sit in.

That only works if the cover follows the shape, which is why a bench like this one starts with a design rather than a size. Get your custom garden bench cover.