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Patio Furniture

Baseball season is upon us and local teams will be forming soon.  The ball field is literally yards from our house.  Amoeba’s co-workers field a team.  Amoeba and I are looking forward to outdoor entertaining after some of these games.  We have this beautiful house with the big lawns and two roomy decks, plus the firepit. It needs to be put to good use.  With that thought in mind we have started researching outdoor furniture.

Amoeba, of course, wants metal. He thinks it is sturdier and will better handle the wear and tear of party use.  I want wicker outdoor furniture. I like the grace and style of wicker. It also won’t rust. And wicker is easy to update.  All one has to do is buy new cushions for a fresh look.

Whatever we get, we’ve agreed we’d like both decks to match. I want a table grouping for the covered barbecue deck and a conversational grouping for the sun deck, so I’m thinking along the lines of outdoor furniture sets. We also investigated the plastic sets, but we aren’t certain how sturdy they are.

Do you have outdoor furniture?  If so, what is your preference, plastic, metal or wicker?  How long have you had it? How do you take care of it? Make a recommendation, please.

17 Comments

  2. I have metal, and it has stood up to the weather really well – it’s several years old now and looks like new. Just buy good pieces, treat them well, and you won’t have a problem. In my experience, wicker does not like the elements, and you’ll find it won’t last very long. You might get 1 or 2 years out of it before it starts to look ratty.

    I’m sure I met him on Wednesday at the pub! Patty O’Furniture that is.
    .-= Jenn@ You know… that blog?´s last blog ..Photo Shoot =-.

  3. We have that vinyl coated metal… I forget what it’s called — but I don’t REALLY recommend it. We’ve had it a few years but the coating is all chipping off and it is rusted and needs to be replaced. Of course, WE don’t take very good care of it. We don’t COVER it when we’re not using it, and we don’t bring it IN for the winter. So I guess considering that… it’s probably held up pretty well! LOL! But I don’t WANT furniture that I have to take in over the winter. NORMALLY our winters are very mild and we use the furniture all year long. This year was a bit different. But if it’s outdoor furniture, my feelings are it should be able to stand up to rain and an occasional snow. Cushions of course are another story. They fade from the sun and mildew if they stay wet too long. I usually put big green trash bags over them for the winter and just let them stay where they are … but they still fade from the summer sun!

    I LOVE wicker — and I think it holds up well – but it does have so many little places that gather dirt and grime — wicker is really better on an enclosed sun porch – not really out IN the weather. If I EVER get one of them, that’s what I’m going with! But I think for really outside OUTSIDE metal or plastic are the way to go.
    .-= Melli´s last blog ..Friday’s Fave Five – Just Thankful… =-.

    1. Thanks, Melli. I wondered about chipping. If something goes to all the pain to tell you it is “chip resistant”, I can’t help thinking that it isn’t so chip resistant that it remains in tact long enough to keep us from complaining when it chips.

  4. .
    We have Mrs. Jim’s old white wooden porch rocking chair. Her step-father had two of them but one got stolen thirty years ago. Our other wooden rocking chair is from Walmart priced @ $65. It is similar to the Cracker Barrell’s but assembled (in China) and about half the price. Beside it are various white plastic chairs.

    At the other end of our porch is a glass topped metal rectangular table with eight chairs and a little cocktail table. Our open back porch is 72 feet long so there is ample room. We don’t have a deck.

    Upstairs on the balcony we have a small round mesh top metal table for two and some assorted plastic white chairs. Right now up there is an unused glass top metal round table and four chairs that can be inside or outside.

    The small table set is from Walmart, the larger one downstairs from Sears at half price at a season’s end a few years back. The other round table is from Chair Kind, on sale.

    We find Walmart has fairly decent low priced lawn furniture.
    Jim’s Walmart Patio Table for Two

    Hope that helps.
    ..
    .-= Jim´s last blog ..Happy St. Patrick’s Day — MidWeek Blues Greens — Things not on my shopping list =-.

      1. Jim — I don’t know if Amoeba plans to join the team or not. He may not have time to play, but since the field is next door and we’ll hear it anyway, we will likely go and watch.

  5. here in the South, wicker is a no no… it draws bugs because even painted they can still find places to eat on the wicker.. we’ve had plastic lawn chairs for awhile but you have to watch out and make sure you get the sturdier kind. It’s hard to explain but until you see the regular flimsy chairs you see every where next to a sturdier made kind, you won’t know what I mean. They have a larger seat and thicker legs and I’ve never felt unsturdy seated in one. Then again, when it comes to lawn furniture for us, Archie just makes something 🙂 A picnic table is on our list of things to make.

    1. I suppose if I asked Archie to make me a picnic table and benches he would, but then mailing it would be a whole different matter!

  7. Oh dear…we’ve tried it all.
    Wicker…looks cruddy right away, sun destroys it, rain melts it.
    Poly coated metal…it chips and then rusts.
    Plastic …not sturdy – blows away in the wind.
    Powder coated metal…our gray ones are showing rust.
    The best stuff so far I bought at Home Depot and Lowes…the brand was Plantation and a couple of chaise lounges haven’t rusted too bad or fallen apart in the five years we’ve had them…taking the cushions in and out is a drag though.
    We have a couple of chaise lounges that have a weather proof fabric stretched across the frame – they’re in Eastern Wa, they sit out most of the summer…I think they’re my faves.
    My sister has had that brown woven plastic that looks like wicker…it’s a little spendy but it looks pretty good after three years. Still the in-out cushion issue though.
    Happy shopping!
    .-= shelly´s last blog ..Tile Time =-.

  8. I love our patio set! It’s coated metal with wide vinyl straps that you can sit on (not overly comfy) or use the cushions. We move the cushions inside for bad weather, but we leave the rest out year-round.

    You can see it it here and here.
    .-= kcinnova´s last blog ..Thankful Thursday =-.

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