How to Choose the Best Outdoor Furniture for Your Needs
Easter is just around the corner—April 9th—and it’s time to get your outdoor spaces ready for those Easter egg hunts and family gatherings. If your house is going to be Easter Central this year, now is the time to take a good look at your outdoor furniture to see if it’s up to snuff for entertaining family, neighbors, and friends.
We get numerous calls this time of year to haul away all kinds of outdoor furniture: patio tables and chairs, barbeque grills, poolside chaise lounges and side tables, wicker loveseats, wooden benches, and more. People often get rid of such items because they haven’t weathered well, or they just don’t work in the spaces they were bought for. Sometimes the furniture is just plain rickety or uncomfortable, or it’s out of style. Whatever the reason, we’re happy to haul off that furniture.
But if you’re looking to refresh your outdoor rooms, we have some advice on buying outdoor furniture that’ll be perfect for your space—for Easter entertaining and beyond. To make sure you find the right furniture for you, consider how—and where—you’re going to use it; then look for the best comfort, quality, and durability you can afford. Here are some things to consider:
CONSIDER FUNCTION Do you picture you and your guests lounging in chairs under shade trees while the kids play in the sprinkler? Do you host a lot of neighborhood barbeques on your deck, or is a small wine-and-cheese party on the patio more your style? What about huge family dinners? Or rowdy kids’ birthday parties? MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE WAYS YOU WANT TO USE YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE. If you listed more activities for a crowd, like family dinners or parties, then you need to shop for a dining table that can accommodate chairs for a group of diners. If you listed more intimate activities for one or two people, like sharing morning coffee or an evening cocktail, then all you need is a bistro-type table and chairs.
MAKE A MAP Measure the space where you’ll place the furniture. Do you have a large concrete patio, a sprawling wood deck, a teeny balcony, or a wraparound porch? Each of these types of areas have different space requirements. You wouldn’t want to buy waifish metal chairs, for example, to seat guests around a fire pit set in gravel. SKETCH OUT YOUR SPACE, INCLUDING ITS DIMENSIONS. Map out where you might place furniture, keeping in mind enough space for people to walk around without hitting their shins on things. For example, do you have walls or railings that would accommodate an L-shaped or symmetrical couch layout? Or do you need to create a more circular layout with chairs around a central table? ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR SKETCH, GATHER A TAPE MEASURE AND HEAD TO THE STORE. Use both to make sure you get furniture that will fit your space.
TRY OUT PIECES IN THE STORE Make sure that Adirondack chair you want isn’t too low to the ground for you to get out of it gracefully, or that cute metal chair has a sturdy back. Pay attention to more than just looks. You don’t want to get home with a rocking chair, for example, that looked beautiful in the store but that hurts your back when you’ve sat in it awhile.
PAY ATTENTION TO QUALITY AND DURABILITY Because patio furniture is often in the elements and used regularly, avoid any furniture that seems cheaply put together or flimsy. Plastic chairs, for example, are no match for the fierce Central Texas sun and will crack in a couple of years. Even some outdoor fabrics will mildew in San Antonio-area rain and humidity. Materials that generally will last a long time include METAL, CEDAR, GOOD-QUALITY WICKER, AND TEAK. Not all furniture is put together well, and all will eventually need repainting or new stain to keep them looking good. Check reviews and consumer reports for the brands you’re considering. Buy removable cushion covers that you can throw in the washing machine when they get dirty.
CONSIDER AFFORDABILITY If high-end outdoor furniture isn’t in your budget, hit yard sales in your area or check out second-hand stores and Facebook Marketplace for used items in good shape—at a fraction of the price you’d pay for new. Another strategy is to spend more money on the item you’ll use the most, such as a new wicker couch, and choose less expensive accessories like end tables, pillows, and cushions to go with it.
Now that you’re ready to go pick out new furniture, call us to come remove your old furniture—indoors or out. In no time, we’ll have your deck or yard cleared so you can see your space with a fresh eye and then determine what you need to buy.
Hopefully, these tips will help your find the perfect furniture to enjoy outdoors, not only for Easter but even in the winter when, sometimes, you find that one Easter egg that no one found because you hid it a little too well. Hey, it happens.
