OT - Where Should You Buy Patio Furniture?

[August Mom]

We put in a patio last fall and now need some furniture for it. I'm thinking we'll want a table and 4 chairs, possibly an umbrella and 2 other chairs (possibly regular, possibly chaise-type) and a little table. I know nothing about patio furniture. We've never had outdoor furniture before. I see it being used mostly for us/playgroup when kids are playing in the backyard with some entertaining for family and close friends.

I did just a brief look at options and think that wood would be bad (too much maintenance and we are pretty low maintenance) and that cushions might be bad if they accumulate moisture. Some of the slingback rockers were pretty comfy. Most of these seemed to be made of metal.

What should I avoid? What should I look for? Are you better off starting off with something really nice (i.e. expensive) or buying a set from Target or some comparable place and seeing what you like and how long it lasts? I did look at Target and the stuff seemed decent, but I really have no idea.

TIA I'm clueless on this as you can tell.

[parkersmama]

We got a set at Target about 3 summers ago. It has held up wonderfully! I've been very happy with it. It's metal with the sling-type cushions rather than cushions that can be removed. It still looks very nice & new when we clean it up! :)

I do think it won't be too long before they start putting the furniture on sale. Don't wait too late to buy at Target because it will go fast!

[Tondi G]

I would say go to Target! My BIL and SIL have a nice set from target and spent maybe 300 bucks.... not bad and the stuff really is nice and has held up quite well! I just can't see spending 1000's of dollars on outdoor furniture..... I would rather buy a new 300 dollar set when the current one got funky!

Good luck!

Oh and you can always check Walmart, Home Depot, Loews Home Improvement, Kmart and Sears too. Costco also sells patio furniture for good prices!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01

[ddmarsh]

Denise does Target typically have an early season sale of their patio furniture? I have my eye on a set and am hoping to wait a bit and see if it does go on sale.

[peanut4us]

COSTCO, COSTCO, COSTCO! Love it. They have everything from fancy wrought iron, to teak wood, to cheaper metal/glass (what we have). I would make sure to get seats that are comfortable and not too knobby. What else. Really i think it just depends on your taste. But give it a looksee

[khakismom]

We got a fabulous wrought-iron set from Sam's Club that cost around $300 and we got a ton: a large table, a small round cafe-type table, and 8 chairs. Our friends have the exact same set (but without the extra table and 2 chairs) and spent over $700 at the fancy patio place in town. We added the umbrella from Sam's for $30. For cushions, we ordered some cute ones from PB.

[MinnieMouse]

We bought our patio furniture at Wal Mart 3yrs ago. It has held up great! We paid about $250 for four nicer chairs, glass table, cushions, matching umbrella, umbrella stand and matching small round table.

The furniture at Walmart blows out fast... I know we tried to get a set the summer before but it was all GONE by the end of June.

HTH

Christine

[amp]

We looked at and liked stuff we saw at Target, Kmart, etc, but we ended up buying, and loving a set we bought at Sam's Club 3 yrs ago. They have different styles every year. Last year I sent our neighbors there when they were looking for some and they ended up buying a set too. Ours is powdercoated green wrought iron. no cushions. We don't have an umbrella, but they do sell those separately. I think as long as you buy something you like and it's afforadable, and it's not cheap wood or really crappy craftsmanship, you'll find it lasts awhile.

[cchavez]

We just purchased patio furniture and we decided to go w/ an expensive patio place. I really liked some sets at Target and Costco but they did not have what we were looking for....all the sets included large tables, tons of chairs, etc. We just wanted a chair w/ ottoman, a love seat (either glider or rocker) and a small table. We got the sling back b/c I did not want to deal w/ the hassle of cushions. The sling fabric apparently holds up well and dries up really quickly. We just built an arbor so even though we have protection our stuff still gets wet. I went to Costco, Target, Lowes, Home Depot and all the fancy patio places to compare products. Basically, I was told the more expensive stuff holds up longer and the sling can be replaced if we take it back to the store (for a fee of course) one other thing the "frames" on our furnture are more ornate than anything I found at Lowes, Target, etc for a sling back style. We were just at Lines N Things this past week end and we saw 2 slings back chairs w/ ottomans and a small table for 150.0!!! We looked at each other and thought, "Wow! What a great deal." I think we would have been happy w/ that too but overall we paid more to get what we really wanted and we don't regret our purchase at all. But if Target or Costco had carried the pieces we really wanted we probably would have purchased our stuff there. HTH!

[cara1]

We boughts ours at Sears last summer and have been pleased. Avoid the outdoor specialty stores like Harrows, way too overpriced. We bought those mesh-like sling-backs, and have been happy. I didn't want something with cushions; my Dad has this and is happy, but they bring in the cushions every time it rains. I'm way too busy to bother with that!!!

[murpheyblue]

We bought a great wood set at Crate and Barrel a few years ago and it still looks great, even the cushions.

Ali
Mom to Megan 9-28-03

[cinrein]

We just picked up a booklet from Lowes that shows all the outdoor furniture they carry. It does a nice job explaining the different types available and the pros and cons of each. It looks like a magazine and is called "your patio lifestyle".

Don't buy from Home Depot/Expo. We bought our set from Expo a few years ago and then had a warranty issue---it was a nightmare getting them to deal with it. I would never buy anything "large" from them again.

Cindy and Anna 2/11/03

[alkagift]

I don't know where you live but I bought some wrought iron chairs and table at Lowes that I thought was very pretty and simple--and surprisingly comfortable. I needed something smaller than what they sell at Target, as I have a small patio. I haven't done anything special with it and have left it out all year round and it still looks perfect. I live in the South so I don't know if you can do that everywhere, especially with snow/salt, etc.

For parties I bought some wood folding directors' chairs and side tables from Target and they have also held up well, although the fabric is cotton and it seems to "attract" dirt. I bought cushions for a party from KMart's Martha line for the wrought iron chairs and they are made from Sunbrella fabric and look great--I just hose them off if they need it and set them on the lawn to dry.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[C99]

I've no idea, but we're still looking for patio and porch furniture... we don't want to pay a mint for stuff and haven't found much in our price range. Believe it or not, the prices at Target and Land's End are pretty similar. But the places we've looked include: Pier 1, Land's End, Cost Plus, Target, IKEA, K-Mart, Wal-mart, L.L. Bean, Hearth & Plow and CostCo. HTH

[HannaAddict]

Caroline,
Did you ever find a set? We just had our deck rebuilt and I have been looking online for patio furniture. I found this old thread and it is pretty helpful.

Anyone else have any suggestions for 2005 and anything they've seen that is still available in July? Costco is fine, but we don't do Walmart or Sam's Club.

TIA for any suggestions anyone has!

Kimberly
DS 3/18/04

[amp]

ETA: Duh, I just realized that this was an old post that I already answered once! Sheesh! You'd think I'd look at the date! Anyway, my answer stands....twice!



We bought iron (powdercoated) patio furniture from Sam's Club a few years ago. We love it! And then our neighbors bought a different set from there a year or two later and are very happy with theirs. The price difference was magnificent! For the $300+ we paid, we could buy maybe a table and one chair in another store. And it's the same manufacturer!

I like the look of wood, but like you, I don't think it will hold up unless you go for the very, very expensive stuff.