Weatherproof outdoor dining set?

[FastHands]

I need a new dining set for the (uncovered) deck and have been delaying a decision for like a year now. It seems like everything I see reviews on says it rusts within weeks-to-months even at higher (like 2k) price points. Anyone have experience in what to look for to get something that will hold up to all-season weather? Is polywood the best bet (and is it comfortable...??)?

[isabel]

I can't speak to the dining sets, but we have two Polywood adirondack chairs that I'm really happy with. I haven't had them long enough to know how well they hold up, though I'm not concerned based on all the positive reviews I've seen. They are definitely comfortable though. It is a hard chair, so I'm sure you could use a seat cushion on a dining chair if you wanted some padding. I'm plenty comfortable sitting in our adirondack chairs for an hour+ though.

[jorja]

We have a Polywood dining set. We got it at the start of this summer, so I can’t speak to longevity, but it’s definitely comfortable and feels solid and well put together.

[mellymel]

We just bought two Polywood sets for our patio. We have only had them for a couple months but they are extremely solid, well-built and are meant to be able to handle all weather. Comfortable too!

[georgeglass]

Costco has Polywood dining sets. I have my eye on one. In the meantime, I have a basic metal one from Lowe's that has been fine for years. I just spray paint it every so often with rustoleum.

[deadwing]

My parents have Polywood and I don't care for the appearance, but it does hold up well.

I bought this set for my new patio earlier this year. It's powder coated steel, so it should be very durable. I also bought a cover to throw over it for the winter, but it's been exposed all summer and shows no signs of rusting. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of stock. I do wish the benches had backs - I may swap them out with chairs in the future.
www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Walnut-Cove-5-Piece-Steel-Outdoor-Patio-Dining-Set-with-Putty-Tan-Cushions-1069b-CH/310130997

[isabel]

Sept 14, 2021 6:21:29 GMT -5 deadwing said:

My parents have Polywood and I don't care for the appearance, but it does hold up well.

I bought this set for my new patio earlier this year. It's powder coated steel, so it should be very durable. I also bought a cover to throw over it for the winter, but it's been exposed all summer and shows no signs of rusting. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of stock. I do wish the benches had backs - I may swap them out with chairs in the future.
www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Walnut-Cove-5-Piece-Steel-Outdoor-Patio-Dining-Set-with-Putty-Tan-Cushions-1069b-CH/310130997

I do agree that I probably wouldn’t want a Polywood set for dining from a looks perspective. I like how the adirondacks look, but the dining sets don’t really fit for me.

Another option to look at would be Crate & Barrel. We have a lounge set (bench, two chairs, and a small table) that we got in 2014 and they have held up beautifully. We never covered them at our previous homes and they were exposed to sun, rain, snow, etc. year round (now they’re on a covered porch). They’ve probably faded slightly, but still look great, and definitely no signs of rust or other concerns. It’s this collection:

www.crateandbarrel.com/outdoor-furniture/alfresco-outdoor-collection/1

[candreco]

isabel, that's exactly what I'm looking for to replace our current set that doesn't really work on our new patio, didn't even think to look at C&B. Not planning to actually buy until spring at this point, but definitely going on my list!

Also planning to do Polywood adirondack chairs for the firepit area. Need to give my budget some time to recover from porch/patio construction before I buy any of it though, lol.

[Pilsy]

We bought a powder-coated steel set from Home Depot in 2020, so we haven't had it long, but it looks nice and should hold up well. (So far, aside from dirt, it looks brand new.) We did put a cover on it over the winter, and I kind of regret it, because now I need to clean and store that!

[simpsongal]

We have teak rockers (heavy and $$$) they gray but have held up fine.

Our inexpensive powder coating aluminum set from home depot has held up well too.

Does world market have anything? I thought their outdoor stuff was hip/cool/affordable

[InBetweenDays]

We have a resin wicker dining set with aluminum frame. It's has sat outside uncovered in Seattle for 10 years and has absolutely no rust. It has a glass that top gets dirt and pollen on it but that really is the only thing we ever have to clean or maintain.

[lpcats]

We have a cast aluminum outdoor dining set from Fortunoff Backyard Store that has been mostly uncovered for almost 10 years. We recently had it powerwashed and it looks practically new. Never had any issues with rust.

[pixy0stix]

We have an aluminum set from Lowes which has held up for several years now.

[ssmjlm]

We've several years into our polywood set and I would not have anything else outside. It's on our patio which gets all 5 seasons, winter, spring, POLLEN, summer, fall.

I love being able to just pressure wash it and it's ready. We have sunbrella cushions as well, but store those in the garage.

[TBM]

Sept 14, 2021 9:54:10 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

We have an aluminum set from Lowes which has held up for several years now.

Same.

Our set is at least 10 yrs old, and just now has a couple of scratches and a little rust, both of which are totally our fault.

[macmars45]

H and I love our polywood dining set! We've had it since May and used it often (until the smoke started the first week of August). We have a covered patio but do get cold weather & snow in the winter but obviously haven't had it long enough to say how it does in that kind of weather.

[sicilygirl]

We had an aluminum table very similar to this at our house in Texas (not covered, right by a pool), and I loved it because it didn't get hot and didn't rust.

www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Dining-Tables/2739/subcat.html?featuredproduct=28878953&featuredoption=51089045&ci_sku=33893612-000-002&cnc=US&guid=c144c074-0483-4b03-a1d3-1caf332d93a0&sponsoredproductid=22804879&cid=295655&type=pla&targetid=aud-1201002131219:pla-922688304182&track=pspla&plaosp=true&sourceoption=googleshopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkIGKBhCxARIsAINMioIJj_D7SCFuAZ49fyC_CPKbzA8g1tFDo2tGF46J6VFE-jtWBy0CQwAaAgTHEALw_wcB

And then we had aluminum chairs like this since again... didn't get hot or rust. They stack and were super comfortable.

www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-Commercial-Indoor-Outdoor-Restaurant/dp/B01CYCEWT6

[sicilygirl]

Sept 14, 2021 12:39:02 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

We had an aluminum table very similar to this at our house in Texas (not covered, right by a pool), and I loved it because it didn't get hot and didn't rust.

And then we had aluminum chairs like this since again... didn't get hot or rust. They stack and were super comfortable.

Found a pic!

[Doggy Mommy]

I would say aluminum, polywood, or higher quality resin wicker. Every time we've gotten wood I have regretted it. We got a Polywood coffee table this summer and I'll probably stick with that as we add more pieces. Our deck gets full sun, snow, etc so it really has to be durable.

[sdlaura]

We need a new outdoor dining set and I spent weeks shopping, and everything that I liked got bad reviews for how well it held up. So eventually I ordered from Polywood - the Edge table and rustic farmhouse backless bench. It's more expensive, but I think it will last a lot longer. I really wish it didn't take 3 months to get the stuff, when Wayfair would have something here within the week, but I think it was the right choice. The table and bench I ordered are supposed to arrive late October/early November. I will use other more attractive chairs from other sources. 

[FastHands]

Thanks all! There are so many bad reviews even for hugh end powder-coated stuff that I'm gun-shy. Blah. Your experiences are helpful, thank you!!