<p>Finally putting in the deck. We live in the northeast, and the deck wiill mostly be in the some shade for the good part of the day. Some later afternoon sun on part of it. It is not covered. Any input on materials? The floor of the deck will be TREX and the house is a pretty standard Colonial, nothing elaborate. We hope to use it for eating and some entertaining and some morning coffee. Pretty sure I don’t want a plain wooden picnic table but tell me about the cushions and fabric I see. Is it all weatherproof? Thanks for any thoughts!</p>
<p>When we finished our deck about 15 years ago, we went with PVC furniture ([PVC</a> Pipe Sling Outdoor Deck Pool Patio Furniture Replacement Cushions](<a href=“http://www.patiopvc.com%5DPVC”>http://www.patiopvc.com)) and it looks as good today as it did then with minimal maintenance. The look isn’t for everyone but we’ve left the furniture on the deck year round ( in the Northeast also) with no problems…</p>
<p>IMO, getting furniture without cushions is preferable. While the cushions are water- and weatherproof, I believe they can get grungy and soggy and smelly. That, however, is just my preference. YMMV.</p>
<p>Here in Ohio we have had wrought iron furniture on our deck (much like yours is described, mostly shade, part of it gets some afternoon sun). Our current furniture is 15 years old and as good as new other than taking a can or two of spray paint (I was able to find a color that matched perfectly) to it every couple of years. We also for the most part have to leave it out in the winter and it still fairs well. </p>
<p>We only have a cushion on our chaise lounge - and for that we DO have a nice cushion - and a cover for the chaise for when it rains - because the cushion can (not always) hold water. It is a hassle to think about covering it up when we know rain is coming! But we love the comfy chaise! The other furniture is completely comfortable without the cushions. We remove the chaise cushion and store it in the winter. </p>
<p>One thing - much of our deck IS in the shade and thus near a lot of trees. We have trouble on our deck with mildew accumulating on the decking in the fuller shade areas. We combat that by scrubbing the deck once or twice a summer with water, a little soap and some bleach mixed together. You might want to consider the mildew factor for furniture in the shady areas - the moisture from rain + shade + tree debris can make for yuck.</p>
<p>I live in Boston. I bought wrought iron furniture at Costco and added some cushions for the chairs. I keep the cushions in the hall and bring them out as needed. </p>
<p>The Chinese made iron stuff is very high quality and inexpensive. I take it all indoors in the winter so I can shovel the deck. We have a shed and the table goes in there. The chairs usually come into the basement. </p>
<p>We don’t have a big lounger. This being NE, I think Adirondack chairs fit best. They can run from relatively cheap to very expensive.</p>
<p>I just got new furniture this year after 20 years of using the same Homecrest steel sling-back swivel-rocker group (reupholstered once). My replacement? Another Homecrest steel set with padded sling-back swivel-rockers. I have to admit that I don’t like the padded chairs as much, as they take much longer to dry out after it rains. They give you a choice of their fabrics or Sunbrella fabrics. Homecrest isn’t cheap, but they last forever. Here’s my group:</p>
<p>[Outdoor</a> Patio Furniture | Legendary - Steel | Homecrest Outdoor Living](<a href=“http://www.homecrest.com/collections/detail.aspx?id=12]Outdoor”>http://www.homecrest.com/collections/detail.aspx?id=12)</p>
<p>Non-rust aluminum frames with finely woven mesh seats… and NO cushions is the longest lasting and lowest maintenance option, IMO. </p>
<p>But I’d recommend you shop around and purchase what makes you happy from a style, comfort, cost and maintenance perspective.</p>
<p>[Shop</a> Garden Treasures Set of 2 Herrington Cast Aluminum Swivel Rocker Patio Dining Chair at Lowes.com](<a href=“http://www.lowes.com/pd_94818-52118-811341_4294736365__?productId=1114281&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=]Shop”>http://www.lowes.com/pd_94818-52118-811341_4294736365__?productId=1114281&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lowes.com/pd_275486-76242-PC-133AV_4294736365__?productId=1078633&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=[/url]”>http://www.lowes.com/pd_275486-76242-PC-133AV_4294736365__?productId=1078633&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=</a></p>
<p>We went at end of season and bought 4 swivel arm chairs, 4 regular chairs and a round dining table for over half price …around $700.</p>
<p>The above is similiar to ours but we dont have cushions.</p>
<p>Spouse and I are much different in size/height and we searched long and hard for chairs that would be comfortable for both of us. It was a pain for us both to go BUT well worth it in the end.</p>
<p>We bought a table with a very heavy top covered in thin ceramic pieces. It looks nice but they keep breaking off. I don’t recommend it.</p>
<p>Loving the input. Thanks! Do I need to worry about sliding/moving chairs of various materials and scratching the TREX decking? Or for that matter the smoothness of moving chairs to the table? Probably overthinking this but the deck has been a long time coming and I don’t want to mess this part up.</p>
<p>We have trex floor on deck. Probably at least 10 yrs old. Looks and acts the same as the day it was put in. I have washed it with partial water bleach mixture as it was showing a bit of mold one particularly wet summer. We have the deck covered in the summer with an awning. It holds up great. No problem moving anything. No worries on scratching.</p>
<p>The trex was put in by the guys we hired to do the entire deck. They had not worked with trex before. They were supposed to use special screws that went into the trex and then the trex would expand around them and the screws would be hidden. They did not do this and we have little holes where the screw went it. Not happy with that part…but not really a big deal. I dont know what the new trex is like.</p>
<p>We had very wide stairs put in ( 10 feet?) so our primary view would not be obstructed. Happy with this. The railing is cedar and the ballisters are round aluminum coated in forest green color. When looking out into the woods the ballisters actually disappear. Very nice. Don’t have the feeling of being in a play pen. We have cheap solar lights on the edges of the stairway which are awesome.</p>
<p>If you have trees nearby, think about any petals, berries or leaves that might fall on the set. We have a Kousa dogwood near our patio and all of the above land on it at various times of the year. It can be really messy, but a smooth tabletop cleans up easily and quickly. I was about to buy a beautiful set from Frontgate on Craigslist when I realized its table surface would have trapped all of the falling debris. Just another thing to consider!</p>
<p>If it gets windy, like it does where I live, the lightweight and inexpensive alum chairs blow all over the place.</p>
<p>So many things to consider. Sax, our deck will also be a combination of materials. TREX on the floor and top railing (basically anything that your hand or feet would touch.) The balusters will be pressure treated lumber most likely stained to match the TREX. I’m hoping that it blends okay. Our guy has done many decks and although he’s not into spending extra money when an alternative is acceptable he is a designer/MFA. Keeping my fingers crossed. Apparently we could come back later and put TREX sleeves ? over the balusters?</p>
<p>I really like the aluminum ballisters…:)</p>
<p>Our aluminum chairs and tables are very heavy. They have all different kinds from cheap and lightweight to heavy. We did not get the cheap ones although the price looks like we did. They have survived at least 40 mph wind gusts without moving. Ours have fabric seats and backs. I guess they are discontinued…</p>
<p>I really, really like the aluminum ballisters…no wear, they disappear, no upkeep.</p>
<p>Think of the upkeep on painted pressure treated 4 sided ballisters… think about it…think…picture yourself repainting these…sun damage…splinters on the little grandkids hands that they slide up and down the wood…think…:)</p>
<p>hahahhaahhahaahah</p>
<p>We have wrought iron dining set on the patio- moderately heavy, the chairs stack in the shed with the umbrella and the cushions come in the house for the winter. ( no deck, just porches, not big enough for a dining set, although I do have a teak glider which I seal every year.)</p>
<p>I’d like to get adriondack chairs for the open area & a fire pit, but unless H makes room for them in the shed- they would have to stay outside- so I am trying to decide on recycled materials or wood.</p>
<p>This site has some info about composite decking that might help you ward off potential problems.
<a href=“http://www.gardenstructure.com/home[/url]”>http://www.gardenstructure.com/home</a></p>
<p>We just expanded our deck and bought a new set that is cast aluminum with sling chairs. We ruled out anything with cushions, as I don’t want to fuss w taking cushions in/out and don’t want a wet butt if it rained in the afternoon. We purchased 2 swival chairs for the ends, as they are nice if you are up/down as the host. </p>
<p>We replaced a glass top table and strap chairs that were 10+ & 20+ years old. All had plenty of use left in them, so I sold them on craigs list. Everyone hated the strap chairs except me. We had no problems with the glass top, but know lots of people who had them break for no reason or in a hail storm,. which is why we avoided it. (guy that bought it was replacing one that broke). </p>
<p>Get the expensive cover to cover it all up in the winter if you don’t have space to bring inside. It will extend the life significantly of the slings.</p>
<p>In 32 years I have owned 2 sets of Tropitone furniture. We live in the northeast and do not have the space to bring the furniture inside so it stays on our patio all year (covered in the winter). The first set lasted more than 20 years - and we have now had the second set (sling style) for about 10 and there is virtually no fading or rusting. The stuff was expensive, but well worth it, in my opinion. </p>
<p>[Sling</a> Outdoor Patio Furniture Sets- Tropitone](<a href=“http://www.tropitone.com/collection/sling-outdoor/]Sling”>http://www.tropitone.com/collection/sling-outdoor/)</p>
<p>Sax…you’re killing me here. Might not be too late to consider all options.</p>