pbx2, We have 2 Adirondack regular chairs, and one rocker in cedar. They are about 10 years old and still going strong. We do winter them in my gardening shed though.

We purchased quite a few of the poly chairs though not in the Adirondack style. Our dark green ones were fine for two or three seasons. Last year we replaced them with a beige color and several of them had to be thrown out this year. DH bought them so I would think they were most likely cheapos. LLBean has some that look great and I'll bet the quality is a whole lot better!

We have poly furniture made by Berlin Gardens, that we bought through our local landscape supply place.

Made in the USA with a 20 year warranty!

They DO have an Adirondack rocker.

The poly furniture is lightweight, which makes them easier to move and store when you have to, but also makes them more flimsy and uncomfortable - heavy furniture is always more comfortable. It also gets dirty easily but is much harder to clean.

"The real thing" is always nicer, in my opinion, for authenticity, as well as for other reasons. Wood is cleaned naturally by weather.

Problem is, it's difficult to find well-made authentic anything nowadays, and when you do, it tends to cost a fortune. If you get the authentic wood chairs, make sure you know what kind of wood was used to make it, and what kind of hardware (you want stainless steel and/or galvanized, to handle weather).

I think if I were looking for such chairs, I'd contact some well-respected woodsmiths and ask them if they could refer me to a place that makes very good Adirondack chairs, even contact "This Old House" and see if you get an answer from them. Obviously check out the Adirondacks themselves, as there are probably genuine makers there.

thank you: holly-kay+ LuAnn_in_PA+Tibbrix !!

Great feedback from all your experiences.

Part of me wants to get the wood version for all the positive reasons mentioned above because we are under a covered porch.

But because they would be on a western facing porch makes me want to get the poly's to handle the hot summer afternoon sun.

So I am kind of set on the poly ones. Now colors...suggestions?

We have a yellow door on a grey sided house...do colorful chairs or darker to keep the door be the focal point?

Another reason to get wood! You can paint them any color YOU want!

You don't say what style your house is, and that can be a big factor in deciding whether to go with color or stain or natural wood grain.

The chairs are "accessories", so personally I'd want them to be a color or colors, which might even enhance the yellow door. Make sure, though, that if you do go with color, that it or they are in the same "genre" of color as the door, i.e.: if it's a cool (blue base) yellow door, make sure the chairs are cool shades of whatever color you choose too, rather than warm. If the house is Colonial style, pick Colonial colors from the same palette. If it's Cape Cod style, pick Cape Cod colors. Blue chairs, with a yellow door and grey house would be beautiful, for example. Just make sure it's a blue (or green or whatever) from the same palette as your yellow, and it will work.

Good luck!