We bought 4 sling type patio chairs a few years back. They are chair rail height, and swivel. Love them, but the sling fabric has now started busting, and can no longer use the chairs. I want to repair them, but they want $50 each for new replacement slings. Ok, DIY's give me ideas as to how I can fix them myself. The frames are very heavy duty metal. I was thinking of wrapping area with duct tape, then making a canvas cover to go over that. Problem is possible duct tape getting sticky in the summer (of course fabric would help in that area). Any other suggestions?

Costco is fine by me. We've had a table, swivel chairs and 2 loungers for the past 3 years and they've held up beautifully. I'll never spend big bucks for a set again. Here's why: We paid $5000 for a gorgeous Homecrest set about 8 years ago. The frames were white, the slings were a green, white w/a fine black stripe because that's what was in style back then. Last season, you never saw white in the patio stores - mainly beige, bronze and blacks. Fortunately when we sold our house, they wanted the patio furniture and we were free from the dated white frames. After spending 5K on it, had they not bought it, I'd've been hard pressed to rationalize getting rid of it. The point is, styles (and my taste) change every few years. I'd rather be able to change out my furniture when I want to than be married to a set that is outdated just because I paid a lot of money for it. I dunno. If money were no object, I'd go for the best quality knowing that I could replace it whenever I got sick of it. But it is, so I can't.

I have the same situation as you. We converted an old small carport to a decent patio (doesn't that sound fancier, LOL) by extending the length and width, laying mortared patio brick in place. This resulted in half the patio/porch being under roof and the entended part being open. This gives me a sheltered, shady seating area and an open, sunny area. I have a faux vinyl wicker set with very nice cushions (loveseat, two chairs, a cocktail table, and an end table) under roof. I also have/had a cheaper, glass-top table with vinyl slinged chairs that came with cushions. The cushions were always wet/damp in the morning or after a rain, so we just used the chairs with the vinyl strips. They were very closely woven and were extremely comfortable without the cushions. We had a severe hail storm last spring and destroyed my chairs so I am also on the quest for a new user friendly set for that area. I DO NOT WANT CUSHIONS, so will probably go with the sling-back style that is some type of woven mesh material. These are more commonly seen in the discount stores - Walmart on-line has a nice selection - and usually have the glass or tile top. I do not want to sit on wet cushions or have to dry a seat when I step outside to have my coffee in the morning. I will also say, I love how easy my faux wicker set from Target is to maintain. They stay outside, minus the cushions, year around, and even though they are under roof, they still get exposed to wind, rain, blowing snow, etc. I just give them a good water hose and soft brush scrubbing in the spring.

I think with all the sling now, cushions are not a good choice. Sling furniture is VERY comfortable, but it's also cooler than cushions since it breathes. It also dries a lot faster. And it doesn't get mold and mildew like cushions can. It's also very easy to clean. You do want to get well-made sling furniture, though. There is a lot of cheap stuff out there. Spend the money and get the better stuff. For deck dining chairs, I bought the Outdoor Interiors Eucalyptus sling chair. I LOVE them. They are so comfortable and the perfect size. You do have to put them together, but it's easy to do if you know how to use an Allen wrench! Also, the wood does scratch easily. But they stack nicely, hold up very well, are very good lookingâ¦you can read the reviews (including mine!) on Amazon. Four others have chimed in with five stars. The Outdoor Interiors furniture is very good looking. I'd also look at Winston, Telescopeâ¦again, get well-made stuff or you're regret it. Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon reviews of chair