Reclining patio chairs that won't be in a landfill in a few years
August 21, 2020 10:18 AM Subscribe
We have a small patio that doesn't have enough room for separate chairs to sit on and kick back on. We like the "zero gravity" design (e.g. this), but we can't seem to find ones that last more than a few years. Should we just give up on the zero gravity design and go with some other kind of chaise/recliner, or are there models of these things that don't suck?
We use our chairs daily, but I don't think we're particularly hard on them. They get exposed to rain during the warmer months, but we do bring them inside during the colder months, so they're never exposed to snow or ice. Still, invariably, despite trying three different manufacturers / models, we've had all of them fail in one or more of the following ways:
1. The flexible cords that hold the seating surface to the frame fray and fall apart, requiring replacement and a time-consuming re-threading process. This is the cheapest/easiest to recover from, but a huge hassle.
2. The metal frame bends and/or breaks. Sometimes these are fixable, often times not. Failure point depends on the design, but is often where the plastic arms connect to the bottom foot stool part. Sometimes it's the metal loops that the fabric cords go through that eventually rust and break off.
3. The fabric sitting surface starts to fray/tear. This has only happened to one of them.
That doesn't count the cosmetic problems, like how every one we've had has started to rust within a year. Maybe we've just picked the wrong brands / designs, but it seems to me that they're all basically low quality crap, even the ones with ~$100 price tags. I was thinking something like this might be better, but if I'm going to drop ~$600 on a set of chairs, I'd need some assurance that they're going to last.
So, does anyone have one of the zero-gravity chairs that's lasted, say, five years of frequent use without breaking in some way, or any other patio recliner recommendations?
We use our chairs daily, but I don't think we're particularly hard on them. They get exposed to rain during the warmer months, but we do bring them inside during the colder months, so they're never exposed to snow or ice. Still, invariably, despite trying three different manufacturers / models, we've had all of them fail in one or more of the following ways:
1. The flexible cords that hold the seating surface to the frame fray and fall apart, requiring replacement and a time-consuming re-threading process. This is the cheapest/easiest to recover from, but a huge hassle.
2. The metal frame bends and/or breaks. Sometimes these are fixable, often times not. Failure point depends on the design, but is often where the plastic arms connect to the bottom foot stool part. Sometimes it's the metal loops that the fabric cords go through that eventually rust and break off.
3. The fabric sitting surface starts to fray/tear. This has only happened to one of them.
That doesn't count the cosmetic problems, like how every one we've had has started to rust within a year. Maybe we've just picked the wrong brands / designs, but it seems to me that they're all basically low quality crap, even the ones with ~$100 price tags. I was thinking something like this might be better, but if I'm going to drop ~$600 on a set of chairs, I'd need some assurance that they're going to last.
So, does anyone have one of the zero-gravity chairs that's lasted, say, five years of frequent use without breaking in some way, or any other patio recliner recommendations?
Perhaps give a Kentucky stick chair a try? They have a similar contour to the zero-grav chairs, and they're (typically) wood -- doesn't mean zero hassle, because I spray mine every couple of years to avoid rot, but that's far less exacting than restringing.
My first set made it some fifteen years. Current set looks good for ten to fifteen. And they're sooooooo comfy.
posted by humbug at 11:41 AM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
My first set made it some fifteen years. Current set looks good for ten to fifteen. And they're sooooooo comfy.
posted by humbug at 11:41 AM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
To come at this from the other direction, my family keeps their gravity chairs put away when not in use (garage or porch) and they've lasted for years and years. Would it be cheaper/easier to adopt a process like that?
Or if that's not reasonable in your space, to introduce a small spot for storage (such as DIY scrappy shed thing or premade option)? Or to use some kind of removable chair cover? I see there are options out there for covers that require folding up the chairs, but depending on how windy your area is a cover meant for a chair that doesn't fold might be more convenient.
posted by past unusual at 1:03 PM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Or if that's not reasonable in your space, to introduce a small spot for storage (such as DIY scrappy shed thing or premade option)? Or to use some kind of removable chair cover? I see there are options out there for covers that require folding up the chairs, but depending on how windy your area is a cover meant for a chair that doesn't fold might be more convenient.
posted by past unusual at 1:03 PM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
We've had one that's lasted a decade so far, but it lives on a covered porch. It gets some rain, but very little sun. It's an "oversize" model we bought on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond. I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same brand you linked. The material is more of a plastic mesh than a fabric.
posted by miscbuff at 9:32 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by miscbuff at 9:32 PM on August 21, 2020
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They still look good, even after six years of leaving them outside, no rust. The only maintenance I've had to do is wipe them down with a paper towel and some vinegar at the beginning of summer, just to get off some dust/grime that comes from living in a city.
There is a lounge chair equivalent.
They aren't adjustable, but you could use pillows on them to make them more comfortable, and then bring the pillows indoors during non-summer seasons, or on rainy days.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:30 AM on August 21, 2020