I saw this thread as I am dealing with frustration with my wood furniture from Pottery Barn. I bought the Chatham line less than two years ago, covered it all winter and any time it rained last summer. It is peeling and has cracks. I have talked with the customer service people and they tell me this is normal and that I need to refinish it. I may let it weather, but either way, I am annoyed because it was really expensive (to me, anyway). I wouldn't get wood again...

hi thanks those were all actually gifts from yrs past and are all grd. a and b material from a warehouse mostly 1/4sawn oak. lol you know why the names that is actually cheating because I did,nt have the freehand skill to do it with a router, I can now with a router table sort of. wished I had better pics of that chair I was learning how to use a router table and did every edge on it with like 6 bits then woodburned ivy around the slats and filled them with a stain pen looks hancarved lol. but thanks. I have made like 7 of these chairs now and have a solid oak from timbers using 2 by 6,s for slats about 1/2 made it will weigh like 100lbs when done wow. thanks Rick

Kathy642 - While Kevdp4 said "that no product is bullet proof", my experience is that indeed, some granites are bullet-proof. I've had mine for 8 years, and it looks like the day it was installed, I don't baby it, and I have never sealed it. What is important to realize is that there are thousands of granites, and you can't just lump them all under one umbrella--they vary in how bullet-proof they are. What you should google when you find a granite you like is its "absorption rate". The lower the absorption rate, the more dense the granite, the more bullet-proof. Probably the most dense is Absolute Black, which has an absorption rate of 0.05-.15%. My granite, called either Piracema or Wave, is quite low at 0.1-.3%, and has never needed sealing. By contrast, a granite that does need to be sealed frequently or it will stain is Imperial White with an absorption rate of 0.35-.45%. Other dense granites that are bulletproof are Blue Pearl, Ubatuba, Black Galaxy, Verde Peacock, Verde Butterfly, Platinum Pearl, Volga Blue. There are many more. I mentioned Absolute Black as the most dense, but the problem with it is that it is so black that it shows every speck of dust and reflects the overhead lights. When you go to a stone yard and see a granite you like, ask to bring home a sample, and do things to the sample like spill coffee or red wine on it and see what happens.

I’m also in the PNW so can relate to the rain issues. I bought Cane-line (Danish company) furniture over 11 years ago and it still looks brand new. It’s a woven resin type that stays outside all year round. I do bring the cushions in over the winter and they are on a covered deck spring through fall. It wasn’t the cheapest furniture, I think about $2500 Cdn for a loveseat, two chairs and a coffee table, but averaged over 11 years (so far) I think it’s been worth every penny.