When I was a kid, patio furniture was staggeringly expensive. Everything was back then, but most young people today don't realize it. For example, a Coleman steel-belted cooler was like $99 back in the 1960's. My Dad, who was pretty well off, could never afford one. Bear in mind that a car was only $2500 then, and you realize how staggeringly expensive $99 was. You could buy a TV for that much.Fast forward 40 years and the Coleman steel-belted cooler is still $99. And similar items that were staggeringly expensive back then - Webber kettles and the like - are now the same price, but inflation has made them affordable for everyone. We truly are lucky today.Heck, back then, you might own two of those flimsy aluminum folding outdoor chairs, the kind with the interwoven webbing - remember those? Or perhaps you had the matching loungers. And when the webbing went south, you re-webbed them with a kit from the store. Today, such chairs are still sold, but are disposed of within a season or two.
Young people today give you a blank stare when you mention re-webbing kits.Back in the 1960's, you bought real patio furniture at a patio furniture store. The local "lumber yard" did not carry it, and places like Lowes, Home Depot, and the like didn't exist. And when you went to those stores, the furniture was priced like home furniture - very, very dear.Today, you can go to Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and even Target, and see attractive patio furniture sets for only a few hundred dollars. Are these a good deal? Well, perhaps compared to the prices of the past. The problem is, many of these sets last only a season or two, so far from being a major investment purchase, they really are a disposable consumer item.Many sets today are made of aluminum, heli-arc welded together and given a very attractive spray coating that mimics hammered metal, verdigris bronze, or whatever. They look great in the show room. Many have plastic webbing and "water resistant" cushions. Others have mesh fabrics stretched between frames.
The problem with these types of chairs is that after one or two seasons, they look poorly and often are ready for the trash. Unless kept under cover (porch or screened room) the sun fades the unique finish so that it no longer looks like hammered metal, but some weird white-powdered faded photo of metal. Cushions rot and mildew (so much for water resistance) and fabric and strap sag and break. The aluminum oxidizes and bubbles up the painted finish.So yes, these types of patio sets are super-cheap, but they don't last more than a few years. So like cheap household furniture, you get what you pay for.I have found that sturdier wrought-iron furniture, purchased used, can be a much better bargain. When I say "wrought iron" what I mean is welded steel. Actual forged steel is rarely used today. Cast metal pieces (often very uncomfortable) are more often made of aluminum and that is not what I am talking about.I saw a "for sale" ad once at the Safeway, advertising a set of "rod iron" furniture.
While I laughed at this redneck gaffe, in retrospect, the advertiser was not far off the mark, as most of this furniture is made of metal wire stock welded together, using expanded metal for seat backs and bases.Why do I think this type of furniture is a good deal? it basically lasts forever. Unless you let it really, really rust, it will give decades of good service. it can be had for cheap, used. Like our Safeway example above, or on Craig's list, you can find this stuff anywhere. And it is all basically the same style, so it matches what you have. We recently bought two chairs and and end table for $25, in perfect condition. Last year, we bought a 48" round dining table and four chairs for $40, and turned around and sold the table for $40, keeping the chairs for free. Free is a price I really like!, there are no cushions to deal with. These chairs are comfortable without cushions. If need be, you can find generic thin cushions (as opposed to those comfortable but actually uncomfortable thick cushions in the fancy aluminum-framed sets) to put on them.
But the main thing is, most patio furniture, once the cushions are shot, is junk, as you can't buy replacement cushions for them (they make sure of that by changing sizes slightly). With wrought iron chairs, no cushions are needed, so there is no built-in obsolescence., there is little maintenance to these chairs. Hose them off occasionally, or just let the rain do its thing. They may require painting occasionally, but a simple spray can is all you need there. you can paint them in colors. We use a Rustoleum metallic blue on ours, making all the parts of the sets matching. They look unique, and everyone comments "where did you get these cool chairs?" Craigslist and a can of Rustoleum. It's our secret, OK?, when you go to sell these chairs, you'll likely get back all your money. Unlike the aluminum chairs with cushions that all go to the curb eventually, these wrought iron chairs last forever, and when you move or no longer need them, chances are, you can sell them for what you paid for them back then.
The patio sets sold in the big-box stores look appealing, but they are very pricey, considering how long they last. Beautiful displays, with tents, patio furniture, even outdoor rugs, can tempt the consumer to whip out a credit card and buy, thinking that he is making a lifetime purchase. But within a few years, that type of furniture looks pretty ratty. The outdoor tent has blown over, or the fabric has faded and torn. The cushions have faded and mildewed and are torn. Straps are hanging down and stretched fabric has bowed. Repair is just not a cost-effective option, even if you could find the materials to repair such chairs.But "rod iron" patio chairs, bought used for cheap, will last year and years - perhaps a lifetime. Occasional touch-up with a spray can is all that is needed to keep them in top shape. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to own, lasts longer, and holds its value. It really is a no-brainer, isn't it?DDL readers know that when I’m not blogging about all things cloth diapers I’m working on my home.
I love decorating for less and so far I’ve paid more attention to the inside than the outside. When Big Lots had a super sale on their patio furniture I decided I was going to buy the mid century style “hoop” chairs I’d been eying. I figured I had nothing to lose. The chairs had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but the tan was womp womp. One trip to Home Depot later and I was ready to JUMP IN. I’d never painted the webbing on a patio chair and wasn’t sure how it would turn out but let me tell you… All it took was 1 can of paint to make this chair live up to the shape it was given. Thank you Big Lots… thank you Home Depot. New “mid century modern inspired hoop chairs” can be several hundred dollars. No, mine isn’t perfect but it has the look I love at a price I can handle. It is as easy as it looks but I’ll walk you through how I did it and what gave me the best results.Starting with clean, dry chairs, tape off what you don’t want painted. As tempting as it was to paint the whole thing I really wanted a two-tone look like the $250 chair shown above.
I used small pieces of tape around the curves. I also used strips of saran wrap to cover the legs and the rod behind the seat and taped those on. I tapes off the back as well, but not as carefully, in order to paint the back too.Use your chosen color of paint. I picked one that says it works with plastics because the webbing is a nylon, not canvas, and I wanted to be sure it bonded. Start spraying but do a light coat all over the front and even the back side. It won’t look even after 1-2 light coats and that’s ok. Using your paint brush stroke everywhere you painted. This step after each coat is what I think made it come out so nice. My first chair looks more “painted” than my second because I only brushed on the last coat. My last chair looks like it came from the factory in that color! You will want to do 3 coats on the front and 1-2 on the back. Brush after each coat. Let dry between coats. (the above image really shows the mistakes I made before touching them up!)