How to Choose Deckchair Fabrics and Replacement Canvas That Fits Your Chair

Choose replacement deckchair fabric by matching the canvas to your chair type first, then the stripe to how much sun the chair will see. The Stripes Company sells tailor-cut replacement canvas for deckchairs and directors chairs, plus striped fabrics by the metre if you plan to sew your own. Order free swatches (up to 8, postage only, refundable from your first order) before committing to a colourway, and measure your frame before you buy.

Start with the chair, not the stripe

Deckchair canvas is cut to fit a frame, so the chair type decides what you can buy.

• Deckchairs and directors chairs: the site lists replacement canvas described as tailor-cut for a perfect fit, so the practical route is to identify your frame and buy the matching canvas rather than adapting a general fabric.
• Directors chair loose covers and seat pads: sold as a bundle (listed at £99.17), which suits chairs where the seat pad and back cover wear out together.
• Sew-it-yourself projects: striped fabrics are sold by the metre for curtains, upholstery and soft furnishings, so you can cut your own canvas if you are confident with seams, hems and tension.

If you are unsure which category your chair falls into, measure the frame before browsing: the width between the side rails, the length of the fabric run from top rail to seat rail, and how the canvas attaches (sleeve, tacked, or slung over rails). Those three numbers tell you whether a pre-cut canvas will fit or whether you need fabric by the metre.

What makes a fabric suitable for a deckchair

A deckchair canvas lives outdoors, gets sat on, and fades in sun. The site describes its striped fabrics as 100% cotton, which is comfortable and breathable but not the same as a coated outdoor canvas. Treat that as a starting point for your decision:

• Sun exposure: a chair that stays on a balcony or in a garden all summer will fade faster than one folded away after use. Strong, saturated stripes show fading more than pale ones, so if the chair lives outside, favour a colourway you can live with as it softens.
• Load and movement: canvas takes body weight and flexes every time someone sits down. Seams and attachment points are where failures start, which is why a tailor-cut canvas sized to the frame is lower-risk than stretching a piece cut for something else.
• Rain and storage: cotton canvas that stays wet will mark and weaken. Plan to dry the chair open after rain and store it folded when not in use.
• Indoor use: if the chair is mostly decorative or used indoors, the cotton stripes are a good match and the fading question matters much less.

Choosing the stripe

The Stripes Company is a stripe specialist, and the range runs from classic 1cm stripes to bolder colourways. Two practical rules:

1. Match scale to the chair. A narrow 1cm stripe reads as a fine line across a wide deckchair back; a bold block stripe makes the chair a focal point. Look at the fabric at the distance you will actually see it — across a garden, not held at arm's length.
2. Check the colour in person. Screens shift colour, and outdoor light changes it again. The free swatch service (up to 8 swatches, postage only, refundable from your first order) is the cheapest way to avoid a colour that clashes with your cushions, tablecloth or paintwork.

If you are coordinating with other items, the site also sells striped cushions, tablecloths, napkins and throws in matching colourways, which makes it easier to build a set rather than guess at a match.

Fabric by the metre vs. pre-cut replacement canvas

If your frame is a standard type, the pre-cut canvas removes the measuring and sewing steps. If the frame is old, homemade or an unusual size, buy fabric by the metre and treat the old canvas as your pattern.

Before you order

• Confirm the fit. Compare your frame measurements with the canvas you are buying; a tailor-cut canvas only helps if the chair matches.
• Use the swatches. Order them early — postage is the only cost and it is refunded against your first order.
• Check current offers at checkout. The site advertises seasonal discounts (for example, 20% off sitewide and 10% off curtains and blinds in an autumn promotion, applied at checkout with stated end dates). Discounts change, so confirm what applies on the day you order rather than assuming a past offer still runs.
• Read the delivery and returns terms for made-to-measure or cut items before buying, since cut fabric is often treated differently from stock products.

A quick decision path

• Standard deckchair or directors chair, want it done this weekend → buy the pre-cut replacement canvas in a swatch-confirmed stripe.
• Unusual frame or a chair you are rebuilding → buy striped fabric by the metre and cut to your old canvas.
• Chair lives outdoors year-round → pick a colourway that ages gracefully and plan to dry and store it.
• Matching a garden or room scheme → order swatches alongside the cushions or table linen you are coordinating with.

The single step that prevents most mistakes is the free swatch order: it settles colour before you commit, and the postage comes back on your first purchase.