I don't think the manufacturer(made in China) knows what 'tufted' means. The buttons are just dangling from the strings on the back of the chairs. Unfortunately we bought two and it would be too much of a hassle to return. We will probably tear open the backing to see if we can pull the buttons back somehow. The reclining action is also difficult to bring down. The saving grace on these are that the glider, swivel action is great. And the material is soft and pretty. Otherwise...eh