We've purchased patio furniture from Lowes and Target, and were pleased with the price and quality.

consumer reports actually gave good marks to set from wal-mart but don't remember the brand
just check out the welds/joins--
should be good time of year to get close outs--remember if there are cushions that are dirty they are easy to replace if you get good price on the set itself

Thanks for the responses, I have looked at target and walmart, I like what target has.....just waiting for price drops!

Costco is generally a great place to find outdoor furniture, but it's a very seasonal item. I bought a set several years ago that was the resin-wicker and it still looks like new. I think it was about $1500 for a complete set including couch, two chairs w/ ottoman, and coffee table. The set seemed to be of much higher quality than the target/sams.

i totally agree with the costco idea...MUCH higher quality furniture than you'll get at Walmart or Target, but the best part is that it will last you many, many more years...saves you time and hassle!

i live in atlanta and the costco here usually starts stocking the summer patio stuff in march/april. they will only get about 2 (maybe 3 if you wait later in the season) different styles, one more traditional, one more modern, so you're not going to spend a lot of time agonizing between styles. but when it is gone, it is gone, so if you find something you like that meets your needs, grab it.

we bought a gorgeous teak set from them 8 years ago, 6 huge teak chairs and a 84" long oval teak table with a butterfly leaf (folds into/under the table with a special mechanism, not need to find storage for it) for $1000!!! has held up beautifully and still looks as lovely as anything you would find at smith and hawken.

If you don't mind "hunting," you can really find some good deals. I picked up a couple of pieces of heavily discounted Hampton Bay "Kampar" pieces (sold by Home Depot) at sportsmanguide.com. For example, I picked up a couple of the Kampar cabana chaises for $134.00 ea. Freight shipping is high ($95.00), but I still paid less than HD's price of $799.00.

I also picked up the Villagio II Patio set there for $249.00 (originally $1000.00). The Sportsman Guide's sister site, bargainoutfitters.com, also has the set for $249.00.

Now, the reason I said "hunt" is that if you google the item you're looking for -- for example, Villagio II -- it pops up several times, ranging in price from $249.00 to 699.00. The second sportsmanguide.com link offer the set at $249.00; the first link at $499.00. If you go to sportsmansguide.com and perform a keyword search for "villagio," you're going to get the $499.00 price. I know it sounds crazy, but I've lucked up on quite a few deals by googling. LOL!

With the Villagio patio set, a couple of Kampar cabana chairs, a Kampar wine rack and cocktail table, I've been able to nicely furnish two patios.

BTW, HD and Lowe's usually mark all of their patio furniture down to 50% off just before Labor Day. Since the season is almost up, if you can wait you can get some pretty fantastic deals. Hope this is helpful

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Sportsman's Guide

Fourth paragraph should read ". . . cabana chaises . . ."

Also, you might check out Garden Ridge if you have them in your area. While much of their patio furniture is rather insubstantial, I did luck up on a couple of resin wicker swivel barstools for $80.00 which were originally $249.00 for the pair.

I really like all the suggestions here. Can anyone recommend any other "deals" since we're about to enter spring?

I would like to have some resin chaises, but Lowes only has white ones. Does anyone know where I can get some comparably priced (less than $100) taupe or brown chaises that are not metal? Mississippi humidity is not kind to metal on a concrete surface.

I got all my Brown resin wicker at Garden Ridge

Costco furniture with Sunbrella cushions has been a great investment. After five years, our furniture still looks like new. My neighbors' furniture cushions look worn after only one season. The prices at Costco are also reasonable if you have one around.

Are local Costcos starting to stock patio furniture yet? I look online from time to time, but haven't had a chance to check out the local location.

I saw what seemed to be pretty nice stuff out at Lowes last weekend, but it was priced fairly high.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pool Build

If you have a Chair King nearby, I thought they had good prices for teak. Of coarse, they had tons of other outdoor funiture that was more pricey and some less.
I really wanted teak, and we bought two deep seat chairs, footstools, and an end table. Each chair takes 2 cushions (back and seat) and the stools 1 cushion. We went with the highest grade sunbrella cushions they offered and all for $1500.00. This Christmas, we got the love seat with 4 cuchions.
Not a steal, but will last forever.

Just a hint on teak from my point of view: I oiled it two times this summer and it needs it again. One application did not last all season. While I love the oiled look, I am going to let it age to grey.

The deep chair cushions and one stool are not on. The chair to the right is oiled recently. The love seat is raw.
{{!gwi}}

To answer my own question above, I did stop by the local Costco today. They had 3-4 nice sets. My wife was really wanting sling furniture, which they don't really have. However, what they do have seems to be really nice quality and priced well. The downside is that they don't seem to offer other pieces to accessorize (i.e. chaise lounges, side tables, etc.) Maybe they do...if anyone knows, please feel free to correct me.

For those of you in the market and in warmer climates, you might want to take a look at your Costco and see what they have. It's much better priced than what I've seen on their website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Pool Build...in progress