Does Sunbrella fade? What the 5-year warranty actually covers
Short answer: not in any way you will see for years. Longer answer: here is what is guaranteed, what is not, and what we add on top.
Why it does not fade
The colour is inside the fibre, not on it. UV light attacks the surface of any fibre, but on solution-dyed acrylic there is identical pigment all the way through, so the colour you see does not change. A printed polyester cushion next to it loses its colour from the surface down and looks washed out within a season. The full explanation is in why solution-dyed acrylic does not fade.
What the Sunbrella warranty covers
- Duration: 5 years from purchase for furniture fabrics (the collections we use).
- Covers: the fabric becoming unserviceable through loss of colour or strength from normal exposure to sun, weather and mildew.
- Remedy: replacement fabric. Labour and the cushion itself are not part of the manufacturer warranty.
What it excludes
- Normal soiling, stains and dirt. Those are cleaning, not fading.
- Damage from undiluted bleach, solvents, pressure washers or abrasion.
- Stitching, zips and filling. Those are the cushion maker's responsibility.
- Commercial use on some grades.
We cover the stitching and the zip on every cushion. If the fabric is inside its warranty and the seam fails, you deal with us, not with the mill.
What "fade" usually turns out to be
Most "my Sunbrella cushion has faded" cases we see are one of three things: a film of pollen or dust that washes off; algae on the shaded side that comes off with 1:9 bleach; or a chalky residue from a sun cream or a cleaning product. A proper wash restores the colour in all three cases. See how to clean outdoor cushions.
How to claim
Email us a photo of the cushion and your order number. We check the fabric batch, and if it is a fabric fault we handle the claim with Sunbrella and replace the cover. Our own terms are on the warranty page.
Keeping it that way
Nothing special is needed. Wash with mild detergent, no softener, store dry in winter if you can. Colours that are hard in any fabric, such as bright red and deep navy, are the ones where the difference from printed fabric is most obvious after two summers. Compare the fabrics in Sunbrella vs olefin vs polyester.
158 Sunbrella® colours in 45×45, filling included, shipped next working day. Browse the collection or ask about made to measure.
