<p>This is a good thread for me. We donated our outdoor furniture when we relocated last year and now we really need furniture for the very large deck off our family room. I’m worried about covering it for the winter because it will be very much in the line of view from large windows in the family room – won’t that look kind of yuck? We have a big basement and could probably store something that is stackable . . .</p>
<p>Don’t know if this helps, but in the winter we sometimes move some of it to the edge of the deck so now quite as much in plain view. Unfortunately, nothing can look as good as the look of the furniture in the summertime. Sigh. :(</p>
<p>I have both wrought iron & teak- wrought iron isn’t rusting yet- but I can tell next year I will have to paint that which I want to stay black- also you need cushions.
Easy to stack and store relatively than the teak which stays in place all year under covered porch.
I do oil it every year or so but relatively easy to do & it has coordinating cushions w the rest of furniture.</p>
<p>One caution with teak furniture. Not all that is sold as teak really is. There are many tropical hardwoods that look like teak, but will not hold up like teak. Make sure you buy from a reputable dealer and it you really want quality, make sure it’s FSC certified. That will ensure it has been harvested responsibly. </p>
<p>In June I toured a factory in Vietnam that makes furniture for Restoration Hardware and they utilize every scrap of wood. (best part of tour was watching the employees struggle with getting the prices in the box to line up with the styrofoam shell - I could feel for them and they do this every day!)</p>
<p>OW Lee we have had for 11 years just now the cushions are wearing and have turned them over. we bought them for high wind dry climate. very nice chairs- not sure what they price at now. we bought on the internet from another store half the price than local.</p>
<p>We have a powder coated wrought iron set that is 10 years old. I bought it at Garden Ridge for about $100. Still looks brand new, no rust at all. Wrought iron seems to hold up the best around here in the humid south. I didn’t realize that teak ended up looking bad so quickly. I’ve been thinking we should get a teak set. Oh well.</p>
<p>I have sling chairs…bought on clearance at Target a couple of years ago. One grouping by the fire pit, another at the patio table. I specifically choose these because they don’t require cushions, and the cushions from the prior set were just a hassle. These stay outside year round, I spray them off with the hose from time to time.</p>
<p>I’m not into “high maintenance” outdoor furniture - or much of anything, lol.</p>
<p>We had quality teak in our home in the Northeast (Smith and Hawken, as I recall; pricey). It ages to a silver gray if you don’t oil it (which we didn’t) and the silver gray is attractive. BUT we didn’t take it inside seasonally (heavy) and we had a huge deck, so lots of pieces… ergo, it would get mossy and splintery.</p>
<p>The wrought iron we’ve had (in Southern California climate) for several years still looks great. Has not needed painting after several years. Very attractive, comfortable - even without cusions - for dining, sitting and chatting. But it is not lounge-type furniture.</p>
<p>I also have quality teak deck furniture and couldn’t wait until it got the silvery grey patina because I really dislike the orangy-yellow natural tint. Obviously ymmv but it’s hard to believe that some people work hard to keep that brand new look. Any time you see a lovely teak bench in a public park, it always has the pretty grey finish.</p>
<p>We live in an area where we periodically experience high winds so lightweight outdoor furniture doesn’t work for us. If I didn’t have the teak I would go for cast aluminum because if you live in a humid area wrought iron will absolutely rust eventually. Painting lawn furniture is pretty high up on my list of unwanted tasks.</p>
<p>How would teak do in a high wind, hot sun, dry climate?</p>
<p>Another vote for sling style chairs. Not only are they comfortable, but they’ll dry out quickly after it rains. I love ours and we’ve had them for close to 20 years. They’re high backs, that rock and swivel. They still sell them at [Outdoor</a> Patio Furniture | Homecrest Outdoor Living](<a href=“http://www.homecrest.com%5DOutdoor”>http://www.homecrest.com)</p>
<p>Whoever said wicker does not last—my sister has some wicker on her porch that was there when our parents bought the house in 1955. It was old then, probably from around the 1930s—and it is still going strong. You have to put it away in winter and paint it every couple of years, that’s all.</p>
<p>Brown Jordan is about as low maintenance as you can get. Mine is over 10 years old and it sits out all year round and except for the weathering of the teak accents, looks the same.</p>
<p>Yes, wicker can last a long time if you put it away, don’t expose it to so many elements (covered porch?) - but if the OP or others leaves it out to the elements most of the year, it can be victim to fraying, drying out, unraveling (I just salvaged a wicker piece that was “unwrapping” on the legs.</p>
<p>But I do love wicker - inside and out!</p>