Leaving patio furniture outside all year long?

April 22, 2013 4:09 PM

How well would a table and chairs like this last if left outdoors year round on an uncovered balcony? I wouldn't be able to bring the chairs indoors as they don't fold or disassemble. Info from IKEA: "Require no maintenance. Polystyrene slats are weather-resistant and easy to care for. Rustproof aluminum frame is both sturdy and lightweight." Would I be better off with a metal table and chairs? Or something else? Recommendations...? Any apartment dwellers have insight to share? Oh, and in case you have any better recommendations, the MAXIMUM width for a table would be 25 inches. My balcony is really narrow and I have no indoor storage.
posted by 2oh1 to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

How high is your balcony? When I had one on the 12th floor, only that cast-iron lawn furniture would stay put -- anything else would blow around when the winds were high.
posted by Rash at 4:12 PM on April 22, 2013

Response by poster: Oh, no worries about that. I'm on the 7th floor, but the sides of my balcony are glass from the railing almost to the ground. It blocks wind.
posted by 2oh1 at 4:36 PM on April 22, 2013

It will weather and discolor over time. Get a cover.
posted by cosmac at 6:35 PM on April 22, 2013

My friend bought that exact set for a tiny balcony in western Los Angeles (which means lots of sunlight, plus briny sea fog, and 10 days/year of torrential rain). after 2 years, the slats have faded, but not equally- so there are dark and light patches/stripes. The whole set has become rickety, the chairs more than the table. But they are still usable for sitting in and eating, say, tacos, but would not be good for cutting steaks. Her reason for this set instead of a metal one is that it doesn't get as hot in the sun- it warms up but doesn't get too hot to sit on, even in direct light for 8 hours.
posted by holyrood at 6:44 PM on April 22, 2013

Response by poster: Wow! That got rickety? I guess I mistakenly assumed the metal frame would keep it more stable. I guessed wrong... I guess.
posted by 2oh1 at 7:18 PM on April 22, 2013

I have a cheap teak set that I left out this winter, under several feet of snow. It looks weather beaten, but otherwise appears to be in good shape. My plan is to sand it and re-stain. Previously I had a glass and metal set with vinyl wicker on the chairs and despite claims to the contrary, it rusted all to hell. Plus the wicker faded and looked terrible.

So, I don't have any specific recommendations, but I do recommend wood. We've got 15 year old picnic tables in our courtyard that get buried every winter and they are still going strong. They have that grey, weather-beaten look, but they don't rust or wobble. I got my balcony set at Target a couple years ago (this is the first winter I left it outside) for under $200.
posted by looli at 8:23 PM on April 22, 2013

I've had this exact table (in grey instead of brown) for a year and kept it outside on a balcony. Where I live, the climate is warm in the summer (quite hot on the balcony actually), cold in the winter, some snow. So far it looks just like it did a year ago. In fact I thought about buying two chairs to match the table this spring (used old ones last year) because the table still looks fine.

I'm guessing it may not hold up for decades and decades, but for the price it looks like it will last a reasonable amount of time. We also have a very narrow balcony, and this was the only table I could find that would fit.
posted by amf at 10:17 AM on April 23, 2013