Wrought iron rusts eventually and needs sanding and repainting. It's nice on a covered porch, but wouldn't sit it outside where it gets full sun and wet weather. We have a wrought iron bench on the front porch and it's been painted twice in about 20 years, but it is protected from sun and rain.

I wouldn't put real wicker outside where it could absorb a lot of moisture. Again, nice on a covered porch or sun porch, but not where it will get sun and wet weather. I have seen "artificial" wicker which looks like wicker but it's actually a plastic product.

We got an oval set (glass top table), rolling serving cart, two swivel rockers and 4 regular chairs at Sears about 5 years ago for a reasonable cost. I'm not sure what the metal is but it has a bronze paint on it and hasn't shown any wear at all. The chairs have a water resistant canvas on them in a sand color. They are comfortable and each spring, I just wet them with a hose and scrub them with a brush and detergent, then rinse, and they look as good as new.

We could have gotten an umbrella, but our set sits on a screened porch so we didn't need one.

Our set does get some late afternoon sun so don't know how it would hold up in sun all day. The fabric on the chairs can be removed and replaced. Shows no sign of wear after 5 years, so I'm sure that will be several years away.

Go to Sears and take a look. What we got was definitely good value for the money we spent.

I think all weather wicker is getting easier to find. I would stay away from wrought iron b/c it will rust. I just painted all of our wrought iron patio furniture because rusty rain water was dripping onto our new paver patio and discoloring the pavers. Ack! Stick to aluminum to avoid rust. You should be able to find cast aluminium that looks like wrought iron.

Have you checked Lowes or Home Depot. Do you have warehouse clubs like Sams, BJs or Costco in CA? They usually have a nice selection. If you do a search on the furniture forum about patio furniture, you should be able to find some helpful info.

I saw some larger sets at Wegmans - not sure if you have Webmas there either.

Here is a link that might be useful: Costco patio set

We got our set at Target 5 years ago and it's still looks practically brand new! Heavy painted metal chairs with an
"S" designed bottom, so that they "rock".

Similar to the chair above the word telescope in the ad on the link below, but ours don't require cushions, they have a mesh sling.

Not seeing them on Target's site or anywhere else on the net. Too bad! Comfy, practical, durable and not available any more? *sigh*

Here is a link that might be useful: Chair

Thanks everyone so far for all the responses. I'm still digesting our options at this point.

Does anyone else have the experience of wrought iron rusting and leaking rust on the patio? That would rule it out for me since we just put in our bluestone patio last year. My girlfriend has a top of the line set. I forget the name, but she said they used this at the White House and it was stunning. When she said her BIL could purchase for us at an employee sale for a fraction on the cost, I was so excited, but he flaked out on her. She leaves hers out all the time, no sign of any rusting yet, doesn't need to use cushions and still looks stunning 5 years later.... Are there different compositions/finishes of wrought iron which would account for the rusting? Perhaps this is a problem with older sets and not the new ones for sale today that may use a different finishing process?

Most likely we'll end up going the Target, Sears, Lowes, Costco route unless I find something on CL.

I am still very curious about the all-weather wicker option. I've seen a few sets at Costco, one with a travertine table top that is round. I just don't know if it will hold up or not if I leave it out in the winter or if crud will get in the weave.

Val -- not sure where you are in Cal, but in our part of Orange County, we get terrible winds from the Santa Anas. Before you go the wicker route, you will want to make sure that it's sturdy enough that it won't blow out of your yard!

If you can hold off buying anything just yet, Home Depot, Lowes, Target and Costco all start to put their outdoor furniture on sale starting with July 4th weekend. We bought a covered 3-seater bench swing from Lowes for $50 last year at their labor day clearance.

Hi,
Just echoing the above---I had a wrought iron plant stand/weather vane on our patio and it rusted leaving an unsightly circle where it stood. However our cast aluminum patio set looks great and has held up wonderfully. We got it at either Costco or SamsClub--an octagonal large table, a smaller square table plus 6 swivel rocking chairs and 2 footstools. Of course that wasn't this year, but I'd definitely check there. The in-store selection at Costco is different and usually less expensive than online.

By the way, your patio and wall are really beautiful--especially like the curved brick detailing on top of your wall.

IMO, wrought iron furniture without cushions is uncomfortable for sitting for long periods of time. About 30 minutes on my wrought iron loveseat and I'm ready to get up.

If you can afford it, aluminum is definitely the way to go in terms of maintenance over the long haul. Aluminum furniture looks just like wrought-iron these days - a lot of times the only way to tell a difference is to pick a piece up and see how much it weighs.

Definitely plan on getting some big fat cushions if they're not included with the set you want.

Wrought iron will rust. If you live by the ocean it will rust very fast. Not practical in an uncovered area. It will last for years and years but you do have to repaint and take care of the rust periodically.

If you like wrought iron get the look without the hassle.

WE just built a new patio. My DH said he definitely didn't want wrought iron because of the problem with rust. I ended up with cast aluminum and my furniture looks just like wrought iron. We also got a teak bench to "mix" things up a bit. Like one of the other posters said the cast aluminum holds up well and looks really nice.

In Florida, pvc furniture with sunbrella fabric is very popular. It's very inexpensive, and it's very sturdy.
There are two or three lines of different quality. We went with the highest quality and it's been working great for 4 years. We do have an overhang on our patio, but the wind will blow rain on the furniture. Also, the heat and humidity have not bothered it yet.
Here is an example of this furniture

Here is a link that might be useful: Patio furniture

I guess some things do happen for the best. We will look into the cast aluminum furniture as well as (possibly) the all-weather wicker. I do think I could do a cover in winter which I would do if we were to opt for the wicker. We are in Northern CA and since this is in a corner it's pretty well protected, though we do get some wind--mostly during winter storm season.

If I were to consider the all-weather wicker what are some things I should look out for?

Do people store their cushions in winter or leave them out? Should I plan to get a storage box and put outside for the cushions?

If you go with all weather wicker, make sure the frame is aluminum. We purchased our combo wrought iron/all weather wicker about 8 years ago at Kohls. For the table and four chairs it was about $500 on sale. After about four years, I noticed rust marks on our concrete patio and I thought it was coming from the feet of the chairs. So when we put in our paver patio, I repainted all the exposed wrought iron with Rust Resolver and finished with a spray on textured metal finish to mimick the original poweder coated finish on the iron. I couldn't get to all of the iron b/c it is wrapped in wicker. After few months, I noticed rust spots on the patio underneath the set. I felt sick! Apparantly, rusty rain water was dripping from the chairs onto the pavers. Argh! I am afraid to use a rust romover b/c I don't want to damage the pavers. As a short term solution, I purchased an inexpensive outdoor rug from Tuesday Morning and made covers for the exposed iron feet from plastic tubing. I'm definitely looking for a new set as the seasonal sales start.

If the furniture is not covered, I would probably store the cushions if they will not be used for an extended period of time - just to keep them clean. For a storage box, I would recommend something that rodents won't be tempted to nest in. If you cover the furniture, I don't think there is a need to remove the cushions and store them separately.

Well, I don't know what to tell you. I guess I must be missing something here. About 10 years ago, I bought two wrought iron patio sets at an estate sale for $15 each. They are just the small table with hole for umbrella and 4 chairs each type. They were fairly old and they were white. I cleaned them up, scuffed them a bit, then spray painted black with several cans of the walmart black spray paint that has rust inhibitor. Pretty much like Rustoleum. About 2 years ago, they started to look a little spitty, so this Spring I bought more spray paint and did a quick refresh. They sit outside on the patio under a tree all year long. As you know, I'm in Fresno, Ca. HOT summer sun and whatever in the winter. I bring the chair pads in for the winter. And I've got an extra set of those since Home Goods is so close.

I would absolutely recommend wrought iron. Even if they did rust a bit in places, we are not talking about big $$ or lots of time to fix.

Red

I think you would want something heavy. Not sure about the aluminum, but that sounds lightweight to me. I live in a very windy place and know any little gust of wind will send a chair sailing if it isn't a heavy one.

Whatever you choose, buy covers for them and just leave the chair cushions on (since you lack storage space) and cover them in winter. We had a set years ago that sat under a tree on a small brick patio and we covered them every winter. They looked brand new every season.

If you choose wrought iron and rust is a concern, maybe a nice outdoor rug underneath would prevent any staining on your patio.

For your round patio area I would recommend a 48" round table and four chairs, and an umbrella. Wrought iron lasts and would look pretty on your surface, but it does require some painting and maintenance.

We purchased aTropitone 84" oval table and six sling chairs in Florida in 2000. The slings have held up pretty well, although we'll probably have to replace them next year. They cost $65 each, plus there is the hassle or expense or both of having the slings replaced. The frames of the table and chair are extruded alumninum, which is cheaper and lighter than the cast aluminum you probably need.

The set has not rusted in 8 years outside, never covered (three summers in Florida and five in Georgia). But the medium green colour of the frames faded over time. When we had painters at our house for the decks and trim, I had them paint the furniture, and it looks as good as new.

I'm not sure any material is truly maintenance-free. Our painted wood adirondack chairs peel in the intense heat. Plastic cracks, wrought iron rusts, aluminum fades.

From a spruce green with oatmeal slings to bronze-y brown with the same slings:

Just to clarify for those who were concerned about furniture blowing away... Our cast aluminum, while lightweight overall, has never blown over in any of the storms we've had, but our patio is a bit sheltered. The table has a heavy enough top to prevent that, and the chairs are also pretty substantially made with the swivel stands. I think you may be thinking of the old folding aluminum lawn chairs---and cast aluminum is heavier than that, either because more material is used or some other reason.

Our aluminum set is vintage - it sat in DH's grandmother's yard in Palm Springs year round; she bought it in the 50's (I think.) It's in lovely shape - it needed a recoat when we got it 4 years ago (first time ever, apparently), but wow...outdoor furniture that's 60 years old...that's really something.

It's also super comfy...it's Brown Jordan Tamiami, which they still make.

So another vote for aluminum. And think about whether el cheapo really saves you money if you have to replace it. Just a thought.

Deb

kswl: Your set is beautiful as is your backyard!

I'll be looking for either cast alumunum and/or all wather wicker (with an alumunum frame). Anyone know of a set with a larger side circular table that could accomodate at least 6 chairs? We are a family of 5 so 6 chairs is a must. I'm thinking we could also get a coordinating bistro set or 2 more chairs and small table between abnd place elsewhere in the patio.

Thanks, val. It's 8 years old and has been outside in weather every year, as I mentioned.

We are also a family of five and have another table on our screened porch that is round, 48" in diameter. We bought five chairs for it and there is plenty of room for all five. If you can find a set with smaller profile chairs and just buy an extra one, that would solve your problem. Otherwise, the next step up in table sizes is 50" or 52", which might be too big for your patio, and is a difficult size to find. The next step up is 60", which would really be too large and would be quite expensive regardless of the quality.

I was shopping for two inexpensive extra chairs for my patio and got excellent suggestions to look at the Martha Stewart line at K-Mart, at Target, Sam's Club, etc. The seating group I eventually bought at Sam's turned out to be manufactured by Brown Jordan, which makes some of the nicest furniture available and it was only about $500. If you wait until after July 4th you will find huge savings on all patio furniture to stretch your buying power.

There are many different levels of quality of price when it comes to aluminum. And generally you'll find that weight is directly related to price. We have an older set with slingbacks that were relatively inexpensive - about 1k for a set of 4 chairs and a table. They are pretty light (I'd guess 5-10 pounds per chair) and do get knocked over in very heavy winds. But they don't really blow around once knocked over.

Below is a photo of a set we purchased a couple years ago. It looks more like iron than aluminum. The chairs are pretty heavy, closer to 20+ pounds each. They don't budge an inch during heavy winds. This set was much more expensive, running about $600 per chair, if I recall correctly. I also have the matching dining set for these, and absolutely love it.

Just a thought, but am wondering if you really need the table? I love the groupings around a firepit. Some of the firepits are really nice looking and even have a covering to make it into a table when not in use. Also some have a ledge area for putting down drinks and such. This way you could add as many chairs as you want. I'm thinking this might be a good look and very functional.

kswl: I'm leaning towards the larger table if we can find it as it would work better for entertaining as well. Reading the recent thread about family kitchen tables has convinced me to stick with that. I wonder why they are so much more expensive and difficult to find. If I can't get a larger circular one we may end up opting for a second set as we'd really like a place where we pull up some extra chairs when we have friends over for a BBQ. The circle part is 13' in diameter and in two directions extended off the circle as well. We have a lot more hardscape though this is the shadest, nicest part. It was all grass there before, but we decided to extend it under the trees. I figure our budget is around $1K, possibly more. We should be getting DH's bonus check any day now!

fussy_chicken: I love a firepit! Though it's probably not the best choice for our family with three kids ages 6-15. Perhaps in a few years when our youngest is a bit older.

chiefneil: Thanks for the tips regarding quality of the aluminum. I will definitely check the weight before deciding. I love your outdoor seating area and would love to do something like that as well. We're thinking of a patio swing for the opposite corner which is very secluded and someone can go off and read a book.

I still have the aluminum patio furniture that I bought 17 yrs ago and it's held up extremely well. During strong winds the chairs are light enough to blow around the patio but they've never lifted off into orbit! When I know there's going to be a wind storm sometimes I'll push them over into a corner where they will be more protected, just so they don't bang into other things. Usually those types of storms are in the winter so if you are really worried about individual chairs moving just buy a patio cover that is large enough for the table and all the chairs around it.

Last year I bought a pair of wrought iron chairs from Smith & Hawkins, they've got a black finish on them to protect the iron. S&H sells a protective cream for this type of furniture, it's expensive but if it keeps the chairs from rusting it will be worth it.

As you know we get our rain in the winter and ours is a dry climate so I doubt wrought iron chairs are going to rust like they might in a more humid climate. I use Koveroos covers for all my outdoor furniture and when I know rain is coming I just throw it over them and remove when the sun is shining again. I haven't had these chairs long enough to know if they're going to rust or not but with these precautions I'm taking I'm pretty confident they'll hold up for many years. And if they do rust, well there are products to stop that from spreading. This may sound like a lot of maintenance but they're still a lot easier to keep clean than the white vinyl on my aluminum chairs.

My neighbor bought a complete set of patio furniture from OSH a couple years ago, including a gazebo-like tent for overhead. I couldn't believe all that cost her only a couple hundred dollars.

The problem with buying patio furniture from discount stores or hardware stores is the cushions. Better to find a set that doesn't require cushions because that's what desintegrates first. The original cushions that came with my set all faded very badly. To replace them would have cost a fortune but I know how to sew so I ordered a bolt of Sunbrella fabric from Calico Corners and made new ones. Unless the fabric says "Sunbrella" you're going to end up with faded fabric. Furniture sold by K-Mart,etc is not going to have Sunbrella fabric on it. In that case, chose a cushion that is light in color and definitely no prints. It's one thing to sew new cushions it's another when you have an unbrella that is also fading. Even though all the red & green color on our expensive Brown&Jordan unbrella had faded to a disgusting yellow I had no idea how to replace it so that one we pitched and I bought a new unbrella, this time in a solid color and using Sunbrella fabric.

flyingflower: It is interesting to read your comments about the wrought iron. That has been my friend's experience as well, she lives in Los Gatos. I don't know the brand her BIL bought for her, but I've never seen anything else like it in any other store. I wish I had pics of it which is why I was so disappointed when it fell through. I was originally thinking of not doing cushions for some of the reasons you mentioned.

I did find this one on the Sears website I am linking below. It's quite inexpensive, but wonder about the quality. I mostly like the hex table so I can get 6 chairs around it. Anyone see any other tables like it? I'm really tempted as I'd like to keep it circular, though if I can't make it work, I think I'll switch over to an oval.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sears hex patio table and 6 chairs

You may want to check patio stores also, if you have any in your area. Years ago when I bought my oval table I also needed 6 chairs and the table and chairs they sold in Kmart, Sears, etc. weren't big enough and they didn't have many at that time that seated 6 and when they did it didn't seat six comfortably. I went to a patio store and they made one that had the legs just so and the size I needed. Mine is in white and now I wish it was dark but there is nothing wrong with it so when I need to get the chairs done I will paint the whole set. It wasn't that much more than the stores but much heavier.

Val, that hexagonal set is, in all probability, smaller than 48". They've taken a 48" table and clipped corners off it, with the end result that you have more obvious "spaces" for chairs but your actual dining area is smaller. I have seen tables like that and would not buy one for 5 people.

An 84" oval table will give you plenty of room for six chairs with enough space to crowd in a few more if you need them. Looking at your original photo, I was thinking only of a round table because that area is well-defined by the brick trim on your patio. If you simply ignore the part of the circle that forms the in-side and put an oval table there you'll have plenty of room. Good luck finding just the right set; I'm sure it will look great when you do!