I'm in the market for some outdoor furniture (specifically, an outdoor lounge set) and I'm finding it very hard to find something that is reasonably priced but doesn't look like it will disintegrate in two seasons. Everything is either so cheap it cannot possibly be good quality, or crazily expensive.
Can anyone suggest a good shop/website for something in between, i.e., moderately priced and moderate quality?
I did the same thing and bought an IKEA set as well as the custom water proof cover, had it a couple of years and it looks as good as new. It’s really hard to justify the crazy prices that most charge for outdoor furniture.
What's your idea of moderate price?
And just because you spend big dollars for outdoor furniture doesnt mean good quality.
A lot of it is still just imported from the same chinese factories but marketed as super premium .
Is it being exposed to the sun all day every day?
Do you have a pool/ salt water either in the immediate area or within 20km? Eg beach, river etc.
Is it going to get wet?
If it was me, I'd go with Ikea stuff simply because the quality is somewhat decent, and warranties in my experience have been..not so bad to deal with.
Being outdoor furniture though could be a pain to take back to the store and you'd want to read the full terms and conditions as some factors may void it.
To me a couple of seats and a 2.5 seater couch to sit outside should be ball park $1.5-2k for something that will last a good few years. But when you look around it's either $700 for an 18 piece MEGA SET that will last 2 days, or $5k for fancy stuff that probably isn't actually all that great.
As for conditions, outside is outside, so a bit of sun and rain but not sitting next to a saltwater pool or just lying in full sun all day.
i bought an 8 piece for <550 about 2 years ago on ebay, its half in sun and half out of sun, still going good.
its by the pool side. came almost pre-assembled just a few minor bits to put together.
says rattan but feels really plasticky.
It doesnt LOOK uber cheap, and can support my weight at 100kg.
I'm finding it very hard to find something that is reasonably priced
Whats reasonably priced in your books? $That'd vary from person to person, esp here on Ozbargain.
We have a set from IKEA and it has held up reasonably well. It is under cover in our outdoor area.
Is the Ikea stuff actually comfortable? How would you rate it for slumping at a 45 degree angle drinking beer in summer?
I wouldn't rely on someone else's opinion on couches. We all come in different shapes and sizes. Best thing to do is go and try it out yourself (when you can).
Something to keep in mind with Ikea, although you should probably test comfort inside before subjecting it to the weather.
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/files/pdf/d5/d4/d5d4b0e4/return-p…
Where are you located OP ?
There are thousands.
Just not in Australia.
Have you had a look at Bunnings? There are many options there to choose from or to special order.
you can make not so good quality stuff last a long time by properly protecting the wood. Painting is the best, but obviously you dont get the wood look. After that you have outdoor varnish eg marine/spar grade with UV inhibitors, then you have stains and oils. Oils usually look the best/most natural, but require more frequent application. Covers of course are also an option, but usually a pain
The better quality furniture should be made out of wood that has a lot of natural oils, like teak. But you can use cheaper wood and protect it with one of the above products and get much the same result if you continue to look after it (of course, better quality should also have thicker wood, better joinery etc). For most people, an unstained/clear oil jarrah or teak set looks much better than a stained or varnished pine set, but thats a personal opinion
We've been buying outdoor furniture for years, and have to keep replacing it because the sun turns them powdery and they end up crumbling. We tried a few different iterations of the plastic, woven stuff, but every single one of them fell into pieces after a year or two, even with a cover. The covers only last about 6 months before becoming brittle too, but that's another topic.
What we ended up trying was the Costco Adirondack chairs. They are incredible. We bought a dark grey set for our front deck, and have had them for over 5 years now without a single issue, despite them being in the sun for most of the day - no fading, no cracks - they look brand new. So we bought a white set for our spa area, and they still look brand new after 15 months. It looks like you can only get brown or black sets online at Costco now, but sometimes they have the single ones in other colours, so worth having a look.
I know they're not lounges, but we bought outdoor cushions to dress them up and make them more comfy, and they're not too pricey when you think how long they should last. And no covers required. ;)
Have you considered secondhand?
I have a set from IKEA.
Cost me about $850 everything inclusive. I had the same issue as you when looking and seeing prices up around the 3k mark..