Help me chose my garden furniture pls? What do you have?

[Whatisthename]

I have a new deck and want something comfy for it. I’d love an outdoor sofa but can’t find one without spending £££. Rattan stuff is quite expensive plus how long does it last? Will it start rotting? Isi have room to store cushions but that’s a real faff in spring/summer each day! What do you all do?

I don’t beed a massive set and not worried about matching tables etc as I have a fold up one should we eat outside, which we don’t do often due to flies... any suggestions??

[quote Whatisthename]@orangenasturtium gutted as corner sections aren’t available online and I can’t fit in my car to bring home[/quote]
Could you not hire a van for a couple of hours?

I’m a LP with kids with SN that I can’t leave behind (and don’t have sitters) plus the bloody dog can’t be left alone either so that take up seats plus have to drag them round IKEA

If you are in London, there are lots of companies that offer Ikea collection and delivery. It's worth searching to see if there is similar near you, if you aren't. My local store also has cab companies that offer to deliver items that you can call from the store after you purchase the item. Or you could hire a roof rack.

Or you could get everything online except the corner piece and be first in line to get one when they restock (possibly not until March though).

Honestly rattan is plastic, the type we are talking about, it lasts for years, and years, I’ve had one set for six, and it’s as good as the day we bought it and the other one, and it’s the same. It’s plastic, so it can. Stay out in all weathers,

The difference in the expensive v the cheap, one of mine is expensive the other cheap, is the cushions mainly, the expensive set has huge thick cushions with proper water proof covers, the cheaper set has thin ones which are shower proof, which means not really water proof. You can see a difference in the quality of the rattan to be fair, but you wouldn’t know unless they are sat side by side. The cheaper is more shiny plastic look, the expensive more a matt finish.

But they last for years, I’d not be worried about the guarantees, rhe bits that fail are the screws etc holding it together if they rust or the seating if a very heavy person sits on them, they sort of sag.

Whatisthename I got mine from a company called www.abreo.co.uk who are from St Helen's, free delivery

@UnfinishedSymphon that looks good! Good prices too. Annoyingly the one I would want is out of stock in all colours. I have emailed them... as it is a small deck plus only me and dc I’m only really after one of the smaller L shape corner sofas and maybe one extra chair at the most

They were very helpful Whatisthename so hopefully they can sort something. We got the Roma set

@UnfinishedSymphon what are the cushions like? Are they comfy?

I have another question.... is rattan heavy?? I live in quite a wind tunnel and used to have a trampoline that had to be tied down every time we have strong winds... how does this fair in the wind? What ever I buy will be covered in winter but left outside?

I think it would move. Mine just shifts a bit in very very windy weather, but if you get wind that can lift a trampoline then clearly it could lift a rattan chair. Trampolines weigh a ton.

They are very light, about 10kg a chair, depsite the metal frame, but they have a low centre of gravity, which helps. Mine have withstood all the storms this year on a top floor balcony (4.5 storeys high) except when they reached 40mph, when one of the chairs was pushed put of place by the wind but not blown over. It sounds like it would be sensible for you to secure them to the decking though.

Whatisthename cushions are comfy, we've got a sofa with arms rather than a corner so you'd probably want that for lounging. Ours was left out during recent storms, the sofa moved a bit but only by a couple of inches or so

Groupon had some good deals on different sets.

www.wayfair.co.uk/garden/pdp/zipcode-design-felicity-4-seater-rattan-sofa-set-u000458901.html?piid=1785430707

We got this but I'm sure we paid a bit less. They delivered it and we had to build it as it came as a flat pack. We bought it last year and has so far been fine. We have several cushions on it, especially near the arms, to make it more comfortable for lounging on. It's not heavy but I can't imagine it moving about in the wind (ours is in the shed thing though so I can't say for sure).

That way fair one is nice.

How would you tie it down though? The decking only has teeny tiny gaps between the board so can’t tie it to the actual deck? I have got rid of trampoline and have lost the stress of having to take the net off each time the wind picks up and now looks like the furniture will be a problem 🤣

I could fit it in the garage if we get a bad storm but the door is the width of a normal internal door so I expect would probably have to take the sofa down each time which I really don’t want to have to do....

www.rattandirect.co.uk/blog/how-to-stop-your-rattan-furniture-blowing-away/#

I don't think the one I linked above can be chained to anything but there are some suggestions on this site about wind protection. It says the best thing is to put it away in autumn and winter. A lot of them are in modular pieces anyway that are not that much wider than a person so should fit through a standard door.

Ours was expensive, but on sale when we bought it. We have a corner sofa set with a fire pit in the middle of the dinning table.

@UnfinishedSymphon gutted, they all sold out!

Found one on groupon but can’t read any reviews do not keen on ordering from there....

I have found one that has a glass topped table... there’s a warning about the glass.... and keeping it out of direct sunlight! Basically implying it can create fires! I know that’s possible but likely?? It’s going to sit on deck.... with 3 sides of wooden fence panels... so is this a no go??

Be careful if you get plastic rattan and leave it out in the sun, our big table and small side table has glass covering them and I think the sun has been magnified by the glass and lots of the rattan has split. Bit cross really, it wasn't cheap and us only a couple of years old.

I’m planning to get an Ikea applaro sofa, it’s not rattan though? Have you seen that? It sold out super quick with lockdown so have a note in my diary to check in February if it’s back for the next season! Hopefully in a spring sale ! Under £500

You need a ground anchor kit to secure the sofa @Whatisthename.

Try Alice's Garden. I've got a couple of their sets and they're excellent quality for a reasonable price.

Invest in a cover. Saves having to take the cushions off.

I have this and love it.