Garden Furniture Covers by Set Size: Matching Our Round, Oval and Rectangle Covers to Your Table

Buying a cover by its name is where most fitting problems start. “Rectangle 8 seater” tells you roughly what it’s for, but eight-seat tables come in very different sizes, and the same table takes up a different amount of space depending on whether its leaves are in or out and how far the chairs tuck under it.

So this guide works the other way round. It starts from our own tables and sets, uses the measurements on each product page, and shows which of our covers fits each one and how much room it leaves. If your set came from us, you should be able to find it below. If it didn’t, there’s a section near the end on measuring your own.

What every cover in our teak range has in common

We sell seven covers for teak sets, in three shapes. Before getting into sizes, here’s what they share, according to their product pages:

• Fabric:heavy-duty Oxford fabric with a waterproof coating or backing.
• Sun:a UV-resistant finish to slow fading.
• Fixing:adjustable drawstrings at the hem and tie-down straps to hold the cover in place in the wind.
• Air:built-in vents to let damp air out and cut down condensation.
• Support:a spacer or support pole that lifts the centre of the cover so rain runs off instead of pooling on top.
• Storage:each one folds into a carry bag.
• Height:

Because the features are the same across the range, choosing a cover is purely a question of shape and size. Here are the seven:

There are also two covers made for our rattan sets, which we cover separately below.

How to read the matches below

For each set, we’ve taken the cover size and the table size and worked out how much cover is left over past the edge of the table. We call that the spare. It’s the room the cover has for the chairs pushed in around the table.

Take the 150cm round table under the 265cm round cover. The cover is 115cm wider than the table, so it reaches 57.5cm past the table edge all round. That 57.5cm has to take the backs of the chairs once they’re pushed in.

Our teak stacking chairs are 63cm deep, but part of each chair goes under the table when it’s pushed in. How much depends on the table and how far the chair slides under. So for any match below, push one chair in fully and measure from the table edge to the back of the chair. If that’s less than the spare, the cover will go over the set with the chairs in place.

Round sets

Teak Round Table 150cm with 6 Stacking Chairs Cover: Round 6 seater, 265cm. Spare: 57.5cm all round. This is the natural pairing. If you find the chair backs stick out further than 57.5cm when pushed in, the Round 8 seater at 300cm gives 75cm all round, for £5 more.

Majestic 10-Seater Round Table and Chairs Cover: Round 8 seater 3m, 300cm. Spare: 60cm all round. Despite its name, the 3m round cover is the one for this 180cm ten-seater. It’s our largest round cover, so there’s no step up if the chairs don’t fit under it. Ten chairs round a 180cm table is a lot of chair backs. If they stick out further than 60cm when pushed in, cover the table with the chairs in place and stack the rest. Our stacking chairs stack in fours.

Small round tables and bistro sets Cover: Round 4 seater, 210cm. Its product page says it’s sized for round tables with up to four chairs, bistro sets and circular arrangements up to 210cm across.

Rectangular sets

Most of our rectangular tables extend, so the matches below give two figures where it matters: one with the table closed and one with it open.

Teak Outdoor Extending Table 160cm to 230cm (120cm wide) Cover: Rectangle 6 seater, 270cm by 200cm, with the table closed. Spare: 55cm at each end and 40cm along each side. Open to 230cm, the spare at the ends drops to 20cm, which won’t take chairs. Close the table before covering it.

Teak Extending Table with 8 Stacking Chairs (170cm to 240cm, 120cm wide) Cover: Rectangle 8 seater, 340cm by 220cm. Spare closed: 85cm at each end and 50cm along each side. Spare open: 50cm at each end and 50cm along each side. This cover takes the table open or closed. If you’d rather close the table and stack four of the chairs, the Rectangle 6 seater fits the closed table with 50cm at each end and 40cm along each side.

Our 200cm to 300cm extending tables (110cm wide) That’s the table in the 10-seater, 12-seater, 14-seater, Lumina 16-seater and Large Teak Garden Dining Set. Closed: Rectangle 8 seater, 340cm by 220cm. Spare: 70cm at each end and 55cm along each side. Open: Rectangle 10 seater, 400cm by 200cm. Spare: 50cm at each end and 45cm along each side. Closed under the 8-seater cover is the better fit. You get more spare all round, and you’ll be covering the table with eight chairs pushed in rather than ten or more. The rest stack beside it.

Oval sets

8 Seater Oval Extending Teak Garden Dining Set (180cm to 240cm, 110cm wide) Cover: Oval 8 seater, 300cm by 240cm. Spare closed: 60cm at each end and 65cm along each side. Spare open: 30cm at each end and 65cm along each side. Close the table first. At 240cm the ends only have 30cm of spare, which won’t take a chair.

Why not a rectangular cover on an oval table? You can, and it will keep the rain off. But the corners of the cover sit over nothing and flap in the wind. A shaped cover sits closer to the furniture, and the drawstring at the hem can pull it in evenly all the way round.

Rattan sets

Our rattan sets have their own covers, because the chairs are larger and shaped differently from teak stacking chairs. Our post on why one cover doesn’t fit both teak and rattan sets goes into the reasons.

Rattan Round Garden Table Set Cover: Deluxe Round Furniture Cover for a 6-seater rattan set, £129. It’s made from heavy-duty polypropylene, rated UV resistant, snow and frost proof, and comes with a storage bag. Its page doesn’t list its measurements, so if you’re buying it for a set that didn’t come from us, ask us for the size first.

Premium Oval Dining Sets, grey and cream (220cm by 140cm table) Cover: Rattan Garden Furniture Cover, 280cm by 210cm by 90cm, £129. It’s designed for this 8-seater oval set. On paper that’s 30cm of spare at each end and 35cm along each side.

The Rattan Firepit Set has the same 150cm round table as the standard round set, but larger chairs: 60cm by 76cm by 101cm, against 60cm by 62cm by 88cm. Neither cover page mentions the firepit set, so check with us before ordering a cover for it.

Every match on one page

Close the leaves before the cover goes on

Almost every match above works better with the table closed. There are three reasons.

A smaller cover fits. A closed 200cm table takes the Rectangle 8 seater at £130 instead of the Rectangle 10 seater at £150, and gets more spare all round.

Fewer chairs to cover. A closed table takes fewer chairs round it. Our stacking chairs stack in fours, so the chairs that aren’t round the table can be stacked beside it or put away.

Less to catch the wind. A long cover over a table at full length is a big area of fabric. A smaller cover pulled tight over a closed table has less to lift in a gale.

Sets with benches

The 14-seater comes with two 155cm benches and the Lumina 16-seater with four. Benches are 60cm deep and don’t stack.

With the table closed at 200cm, there’s room for one bench along each long side. A 155cm bench pushed in sits within the 200cm length of the table, so it doesn’t add to the length. Whether it fits within the Rectangle 8 seater’s 55cm of spare along each side depends on how far the bench slides under the table, so check that by pushing one in and measuring from the table edge.

The Lumina’s other two benches won’t fit under the cover with the closed table. Store them separately, or stand them on end against a wall under a cover of their own.

Why an 88cm cover won’t reach the ground

All our teak covers are 88cm tall. Our teak stacking chairs are 95cm tall, and our benches are 86cm.

So on a teak set with the chairs pushed in, the highest point is the top of the chair backs, at 95cm. An 88cm cover sitting over them won’t reach all the way to the ground.

That’s not a fault. A gap at the bottom lets air move under the cover, which helps the vents keep the inside dry, and the tie-down straps still have chair legs to fasten to. What you don’t want is a cover so short that wind can get underneath and lift it. Pull the drawstring snug and fasten every strap.

Measuring a set we haven’t listed

If your set didn’t come from us, or you’ve added chairs, measure it as it will stand under the cover:

1. Take the parasol down. None of our cover pages mention a parasol opening, so the parasol has to come out first.
2. Close the table if it extends.
3. Push in every chair that will stay under the cover.
4. Measure the longest distance from chair back to chair back, and the widest across the other way. Include armrests.
5. Measure the height of the tallest point, usually the top of the chair backs.
6. Compare those numbers with the cover sizes above. Pick a cover that’s larger in both directions, not one that matches exactly. A cover with no slack is hard to pull on and strains at the seams.

For a round set, measure across the widest point in two directions at right angles. Chairs round a table rarely form a perfect circle.

Putting the cover on

Once the cover arrives:

1. Wait for a dry day.Covering furniture that’s still wet traps moisture underneath. Let the wood or rattan dry first.
2. Clear the table.Take off cushions, the Lazy Susan if it lifts off, and anything else on top.
3. Stand the spacer pole in the middle of the table.It lifts the centre of the cover into a peak so rain runs off rather than collecting.
4. Find the corners.On a rectangular or oval cover, line the long sides up with the long sides of the table before you pull it down.
5. Pull the cover down evenlyall the way round, so no side is shorter than the others.
6. Tighten the drawstringat the hem.
7. Fasten the tie-down strapsto the chair or table legs.

When to put covers on and take them off again is its own question. Our guides on when to put garden furniture covers on and take them off and on whether teak needs covering in winter at all go into that. If you’re comparing covers on fabric, see our piece on why waterproofing isn’t the only thing that matters in a cover.

Putting the cover away in spring

When the cover comes off, don’t fold it straight into its bag. The underside will often be damp, and fabric folded up wet and left in a shed for six months can come out marked and smelling of mildew.

Turn the cover inside out and hang it over a washing line or a fence on a dry, breezy day. Brush off leaves and dirt once it’s dry, then fold it and put it in its carry bag with the spacer pole. Store it somewhere dry, off a concrete floor. That way it goes back on in autumn the way it came off.

Questions worth asking before you order

Will a round cover fit a square table? A square table’s diagonal is longer than its sides. A 100cm square table is about 141cm corner to corner. Measure the diagonal with the chairs in, then choose a round cover larger than that. You may find a rectangular cover suits it better.

Should I buy one big cover or two small ones? For a dining set, one. Two covers overlap in the middle, and that overlap is where rain gets in. If you’re covering a dining set and a separate bench, cover them separately.

Is bigger always safer? Up to a point. A cover a little bigger than the set is easy to fit and the drawstring takes up the slack. One much bigger than the set leaves loose fabric that catches the wind and collects water in its folds. The matches above are chosen to leave enough spare for the chairs without a lot left over.

What if I change the set later? If you add chairs or a bench, measure again. Covers are cheaper than furniture, and one that fits will protect the set far better than one that nearly does.

You can see all the covers in our furniture covers range. If you aren’t sure which one fits your set, call us on 020 7871 3842 with the table size and the number of chairs, and we’ll help you choose.