I don't think it's possible to make wicker waterproof. There will always be tiny points where water can get into the fibers. And once water gets in, it will cause the paint or varnish to peel off. Just sitting in the chair will cause the finish to crack a bit because the fibers are more flexible than the finish, and water will work its way into the fibers through these tiny breaks in the finish. I made this mistake myself. I got a beautiful old wicker chaise (actually it had a rattan wrapped frame and woven cane seat and back). I cleaned it up and painted it with the proper type of paint and then put it out on the wraparound covered porch of our 1910 frame house. It looked great for a little while but soon started to peel and chip. Just a year later it was in far worse shape than when I got it. The only kind of wicker you can safely put outdoors is Lloyd Loom wicker. It's not really wicker but is plastic (?) fiber wound around wire which is then woven into wicker "fabric", which is then put on a frame.

I got the last 4 cushions in this pttern t my local Target, cn't find them online, but they are 2010 pttern so I'm going to cll and see if they're getting more in stock (nd maybe give me sle price on them). I think I'll just get 2 more (or settee cushion if they're getting one in nd it's less $$ and fits) and give up on recovering cushions. Yes, it would be less $$ if I used the $2/yd fabric and the cushions I already hve, but it's easier to just spend another $20 and get 2 more cushions since I usually go to GW near that Target once a week nyway. It kind of blends in with the house color, doesn't "pop" but fter a month of looking for cushions/fabric I'm tired, $60 to do 4 chairs and 1 settee (I think I'm going to put the other settee I got guilted into buying bck on CL) isn't that bad. I'd spend more than that on the outdoor foam to make cushions, never mind S/H nd fbric (even at $2/yd!). I've been seeing you join in lots of threads, Becky - just couldn't stay awy huh ;-)? After you get some sleep and get some things done, come bck tonight nd tell us how some of your projects re going OK? (Sigh, now the i is working, but a is sticky - and I don't feel like going bck and inserting them so forgive my old handmedown laptop).

Summer, what a cute table, chairs and setting. LOve the wall colors, the big red star and the wood tone of the railing with the rustic table and red chairs. Very neat! The first thing I thought of when you said your children eat off the table is how old is it? Could it have been painted with led paint? That would be my first concern. If it's latex paint then no worries. You said you like the rustic look of it and poly coating would take that look away permanently. I'd head to my nearest fabric source and get some very thick clear vinyl (sold on rolls at the end of most Wal Mart cutting tables) to use as a table cloth while the children are eating or you could premanently attach it by stapling it under the top. Either way makes for a very easy clean up without damaging the peeled paint look. Even stapled, if you ever want repurpose it, just remove the vinyl and you've got your perfectly old peeled paint table back.

DK, I’m glad you mentioned that having the back of the home facing south would mean the master suite would be warmer as well. I don’t think that would be optimal in the Deep South - it’s just sweltering, and I cannot tolerate being hot in our bedroom. Is it crazy that I may now try to position our new home to AVOID the hot afternoon sun??!! I like light and all, but since it was mentioned that it won’t be a dungeon, I think I’m good with just some light trickling in the living room. Hubs is very sensitive to light and would be as happy in a cave... so he’s not too concerned about a lot of natural light coming in. We are doing lots of recessed lights throughout the home, and almost all will have dimmers, as I enjoy them in our current home and like the ability to have something in between dark and “in your face bright” on occasion. :) Funny you mention landscaping, as my husband owns a landscape company! I know nothing about any of it, but I’ve heard him mention things like this several times when a client wants ABC plants for a certain location, but only XYZ plants will thrive there. After speaking with my husband about the whole skylight/sun tube issue, he was not a fan - and for the exact same reasons given here (additional heat, “putting holes in the roof”/compromising structural integrity, additional cost, cost of potential repairs, etc... so it sounds like that’s out. He did say he might consider a couple of skylights in the roof on the covered porch only, but feels like that defeats the purpose of a COVERED porch. I mean, he’s not wrong there. LOL All that said, there has been a ton of good information given, and I appreciate all of it! I welcome and appreciate any and all suggestions and opinions - I’ve learned so much from y’all! Keep ‘em coming!