I Need Help Buying Patio Furniture!

We bought an extensive set from American Patio or something like that over 7 years ago. It looks brand new. We paid 3k for it.

I highly recommend that you buy a decent set, unless you want to buy another one in 5 years.

Go to an actual patio/outdoor shop.

We bought ours at Costco and have been really happy with it. We've had it for 7 years now and it's in perfect shape still. It was $799 for a huge long table with tiles on top and 6 chairs, including 2 rockers. I don't know what brand it was though. Good luck!

What do you plan to use your deck for? If you plan to serve meals then you def will need a full table and chairs. If you only really plan to have snacky stuff, and sit and enjoy the outdoors with a glass of wine and munchies, maybe you and a couple of friends, then you don't really need (or maybe even want) a TABLE table. You might be happier with love seats, rocker/swivel chairs and a coffee table and/or end tables. They also sell umbrellas that extend/hang from the side of your space (don't need a table to stick the pole through).

If you are unsure of exactly how you will use the space, maybe hold off a season and use inexpensive temporary stuff (folding chairs for $25/pop through this summer with a card table?) until you decide. In which case you can catch the end of season deals in the fall. Spring is the most expensive time to buy patio sets.

Lastly, what do you plan to do as far as storing it? Or do you plan to leave it sitting out year round? That matters, too. If you get cushioned furniture be aware of having to bring it in before a rain to avoid mildew.

I say this as someone who rushed out and bought a table/chairs set for our screened in porch next to the pool right after moving into our house. I am happy enough with what we have, but every summer I daydream about what I "should" have bought to put out there. We don't eat many meals by the pool. We mostly sit and supervise the kids, with bowls of popcorn/pretzels and snacks, and a cold drink. We use the round table, and have dragged it out into the yard (with the umbrella we bought separately just for this purpose) for birthday parties and such. But generally speaking, we'd have been more comfortable with comfy swivel rockers and a coffee table than something to eat a meal off of.

You might want to spend a little time wandering through Lowe's, Home Depot and Bed,Bath & Beyond's lawn/patio sections. They have a lot of choices there, and probably even more available online.

Just don't rush in all the excitement. Hopefully, whatever you decide on will last you many years...so you want to take the time to give it proper consideration.
Enjoy!

We put our deck in last spring and our fence in last fall - our outside life is so amazing now!! Congrats on the new deck and I realy hope you can enjoy it!

When we put our deck in it was June. So late June/early July we went to Lowe's, Wal-Mart, BJ's, and Target. I found a set I LOVED at Target and my hubby liked it too, but it was expensive. However, it was on crazy sale because of the end of the season - yep, if you can wait a few months you'll get a much better deal!

We got the table (large rectangle), 4 regular chairs, 2 turny and rocky chairs, the umbrella, and the umbrella base for $900!!! It's normally over $3k - go us! I went back and got the deck box for the cushions - best investment!!

I need to go this year and get another seating area set for the other part of the deck...our deck is large and so right now we have a lot of unused space.

Happy shopping!!

We bought a set from Meijer a couple of years ago that was nice. Target and Costco also have some nice looking sets.

Good quality is crazy expensive. If you have patience you can watch yard sales and craigs list. If you want something specific and on your time expect to pay or give up on some quality. We had seen some good deals at target and when I went to check them out I decided against them. We still ended up with a cheaper set, but we got it at homedepot, it was better than what I had seen, but still will not last as long as a good set. I expect the welds to break on the chairs within a few years, but the price was worth it at the time.

The metal ones at walmart that are green or black will last and not blow away(plantation brand). The heavy sets are that expensive which is why we don't own one. Kmart and Sears have the same type as Sams which are in between. Make sure you SIT in them first.

You get what you pay for. Expect patio furniture at Walmart to be about the same quality as their swing sets.

We paid about $2000 for our patio set and love it - it's lasted for several years with no obvious wear and tear.

I have found that they best price for the style is Target.

Furniture is not something you buy online, even if it is patio furniture. I have sat in many seat lately. Today I sat in a chair that was too low and too deep. It hurt my back instantly. That was a Big Lots set that was a great price, but not so comfy. I want my furniture for lounging on the porch and reading books or visiting outdoors.

We bought the Plantation brand which is carried at the box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. It is heavy, black metal and I added cushions for even more comfort. I cannot justify spending that much on outdoor furniture personally. I do suggest you test drive the furniture by sitting in it. Comfort is hit or miss in spite of cost.

The key in my opinion is covering the furniture when it is not in use. In three years we have replaced covers for some of the pieces but the furniture itself has held up wonderfully. Covers are very much you get what you pay for. The Wal Mart brand covers are cheap and fall apart within one year. The ones from Target, Home Depot, or Lowe's are about twice the price, stay on and don't need to be replaced as often. As a side note we did buy additional furniture pieces on Craigslist and those look bad (faded, rust spots) because they were never covered. We store the cushions during the winter in large plastic garbage bags in the attic (double bagged). If you drag the furniture, you'll have to replace the plastic wear buttons on the feet if that is an option on the set. That was inexpensive (replacements sold at Home Depot/Lowe's) but it was a pain. Good luck and happy shopping.