Outdoor Furniture
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Archived Q&A and Reviews
Where to find normal, non-fussy patio furniture?
April 2010
This year, all the stores have decided that people want to host formal Martha Stewart dinners with china in their backyards. We have been looking for regular 'ol, inexpensive patio furniture and it seems that no one(OSH, Home Depot, Target, etc.) has this. Everything has fancy chairs with brocade pillows and formal dining tables (even Walmart has $800 sets online).
Has anyone seen a store selling a simple, inexpensive patio set, preferably in wood? Would prefer a round table with an umbrella and 4 chairs, if it folded up that would be nirvana. However, would be thrilled to find something even close. Patio Patty
Last time I was in there, Ikea had some fairly nice, simple patio furniture in wood and all-weather wicker. I've seen fold-up sets in metal but not in wood -- I think they were at one of the places you mentioned, Target or Home Depot maybe. Maybe they have the simpler stuff hidden somewhere behind all the giant curtained gazebos. JP
2005 - 2009 Recommendations
Wrought iron patio furniture
Sept 2006
Hi! We are looking for nice iron patio furniture. We are having a difficult time finding a good dealer. Can anyone suggest a place? Thank You! david
Yesterday I bought a lovely set of patio furniture for my mother as a present. The table was mosaic tile on a metal (possibly iron?) base, and came with four matching chairs (for $300). The people who dropped it off were very punctual and pleasant to deal with. For the price, I was assuming that it would be a used set, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they create these tables themselves. They can make a new table to your specifications, if you like. They can be contacted at: Colleen Straw 415-828-9307 colleen_straw[at]yahoo.com happy patio furniture purchaser
I can tell you where NOT to go - that is PatioWorld in Pleasanton. My husband and I had very slow service there. We ordered OW Lee Iron furniture for our decks on May 8, 2006. We were told that it would only take 7-8 weeks to arrive. When week 10 rolled around I started calling. Kathleen told me that the furniture should arrive any day now that she personally checked with the manufacturer. Weeks went by, I continued to call, same story. Then about 3 weeks before Labor Day, we were told that the order had been placed with the wrong manufacturer and they did a rush order and we would have our furniture before Labor Day. So just one day shy of 4 months, we finally received our furniture.
Seeking child's wooden picnic table
June 2006
I want to buy a wooden picnic table for our kids that I would like to paint myself. Does anyone have any recommendations where I can acquire one that wouldn't be too expensive? JOJ
IKEA sells one for about $30, it's called 'Ensta' Swede
I think I just saw these at Michael's arts/crafts/hobby store in Emeryville Anon
2004 & Earlier
Where to buy outdoor furniture?
Oct 2004
Where should I go to buy outdoor furniture? Not dining table/chairs, but things like an outdoor couch (or chaise or daybed), armchairs, coffee table. I envision wood with cushions but am not necessarily married to that idea. Also, it seems to me that at this time of year I should be able to get a good deal as the ''season'' is over, or nearly so. Any thoughts in that regard? Sarah
smith and Hawken outlet, next to Smith and Hawken store just off Gilman behind REI (10th St??) Not cheap at all, though much cheaper than regular Smith and Hawken prices, probably the best quality for teak/ wood outdoor furniture. also, online gardenerseden.com has a nice sale section, overstock.com has patio furniture and cheap shipping. Haven't bought from any of these yet, just been looking, for when I can afford some. anon
Wood patio furniture
April 2004
We are finally getting our backyard done nicely. We will have this project completed in early June and are now shopping for nice wood patio furniture to match. We want a table and chairs, and a bench. We wood like to have all wood furniture (not the half metal - green/wood combo I have seen on cheaper wood benches). Any advice on where to get high quality furniture like this at prices that aren't too outrageous?
Try Patio World in Lafayette. They offer a few lines of quality wood furniture, however it's not particularly inexpensive. They're located in downtown Lafayette. I think they have a sale once or twice a year, so that might help. We got our furniture there. Bob
Nice redwood patio furniture
Feb 2004
I am looking for some nice, but inexpensive wooden (preferably redwood) patio furniture. I have checked the website and found two recommendations, IKEA and Safeway. I am looking for a not-so- lightly colored type of wood, so IKEA is really out. I did call several Safeways, but the person(s) I got to talk to didn't seem to know anything about Safeway offering furniture. Does anyone have any other recommendations or is Safeway maybe just not selling them during wintertime ? Andrea
Actually, the lawn or garden furniture that IKEA sells is mostly darker wood. What you may have seen there already is wicker or bent wood, which is lighter, is year round. But their ''Summer'' furniture, though not redwood or teak (going against the philsophy of IKEA, expensive woods that take years and years to replenish) is very similar to cedar in color. Their summer range doesn't come out until late March/ early April however, and then goes pretty fast b/c a) it's so inexpensive and b) because once it's gone they do not replenish it, being seasonal. anon
i bought a redwood patio set from safeway two years ago. it was so inexpensive and i've conditioned it w/teak oil. i haven't seen the set since last summer. it's not a high quality set but man for the price it works for us, and it looks great. i bet they'll have it again closer to summer. good luck. i love my safeway set
Ikea wood patio furniture?
June 2003
Has anyone purchased any of the Ikea wood patio furniture this year or last? How has it held up? There is a wide of range prices and I am wondering if the lowest price product would hold up for a season. Any other places to find simple, sturdy reasonably priced wood patio furniture? Thanks stuart
Two months ago we bought our wood patio furniture from Safeway! It came with a round table that can extend into a larger oval table, 4 individual chairs with arm rests, a bench with arm rests that can fit 2 people, and green seat cushions for all the chairs and the bench. It was on sale for $299 I think. The wood pieces were well oiled. I was told by a friend who bought a set from Safeway a few years ago to make sure we wipe the oil so when we sit down, it won't get on our clothes. Not all the Safeways have it... for instance, the Castro Valley Safeway didn't have it, but the Dublin Safeway did plus they had one on display. It comes in about 4 large boxes (so you need a truck or a large vehicle), and you need to assemble it... pretty easy. Also, the advertisement for the patio set said a chaise and rocking bench were available, but the Dublin store didn't have it. Also, an umbrella that matches the cushions is available for purchase. After we bought our set, our friend bought the same set. We've only had it for about 2 months, so I can't say if it will hold up nicely or not. The set looks great, and we cover it with plastic when we're not using it. The plastic we bought at Carol Wright Gifts. http://www.carolwrightgifts.com/ then do a search on ''table cover'' Elise
We bought a wood patio set from IKEA about 2 years ago. I have never covered it and it has sat in our backyard the entire time in the sun and rain. It still looks good and has held up very well. It is a long regtangular table with two benches that have backs on them. It seats 4-5 people on each bench and one person at each end. An excellent deal at, I think, $200. If I had the time and energy, I would have stained and sealed it when I got it but I have neither and aside from being a bit bleached from the sun, it still looks nice. We bought a big umbrella from another store for $30 and it fits nicely in the hole in the center. Don't remember what type of wood but it is very light colored. I have been buying a lot of IKEA furniture and accessories since finding them in LA about 8+ years ago and have yet to be disappointed with a purchase. May not be heirloom quality but certainly a great value on really functional pieces. Nicole
We really like our teak outdoor furniture. Per the suggestion of the furniture maker who sold it to us, we did not even treat it. Just left it as is. Over time the teak turned grey in the sun but we like the natural look. Ever so often we will take a power washer and clean it. We have adirondack chairs, plus a picnic table and chairs. We use the picnic table and chairs more, because honestly, it's too cold where we live lounge outside on an adirondack much. I bought cheap outdoor seat cushions from Target for the chairs. We got our outdoor furniture from Wooden Duck but it has closed.
I used to work for a company that sold teak furniture, full disclosure, but they're out of business and I'm not in touch with them anymore. So I have nothing to gain by recommending, and if I could afford teak, I'd go for it. Teak really is beautiful, it lasts decades in weather and centuries indoors (unlike your average plastic patio chair ;-) ) . You can decide whether you want to oil it regularly or let it weather to a soft silvery gray. You can get plantation grown teak rather than going with old-growth that is more destructive to the environment. And it can be left outdoors. The less metal, the better, so get it dovetailed or with solid brass hardware, which will last a lot longer than steel or galvanized fittings.
Not sure what your budget is, but if you're looking for something that's durable and can generally be left out year round, I think the French brand, Fermob is great. It's a bit on the pricier side though and I don't think they have any type of Adirondack type chairs.
I purchased our Adirondack chairs at Cost Plus World Market. You can get them on sale at a great price. They lasted about 10- 15 years outside 24-7. They come in bright colors, with matching footrests and end tables. Comfy. Not forever furniture like teak but it was perfect for us. I was ready for a new look by the time the chairs were wearing out.
I really like Woodard cast iron. Very comfortable and lasts forever. Also expensive.
We have mixed feelings about our teak patio furniture (table, ample chairs with arms and without). We tried to oil it the first year but quickly gave that up (too much work) and it's now a light weathered gray, which has grown on me and I can add a colorful cushion. Our biggest issue is actually the weight, as each chair is really bulky to move around. Even my husband, who likes his furniture solid, wishes we had more lightweight chairs. That said, the plastic stuff just doesn't last and I don't want to add to landfill. We might supplement with a few Fermob chairs - quality powder-coated steel.