Garden lounge set - Tips on buying
Discussion
Mrs 111R wants a new garden lounge set, one of those outdoor sofas essentially with a table. Some of them are £2000! Before deciding on anything I thought I'd ask you guys what you learned from purchasing yours and what to go for/look out for.
My only thought so far is that looking on FB marketplace might source some much cheaper and most will have had very light use anyway.
My only thought so far is that looking on FB marketplace might source some much cheaper and most will have had very light use anyway.
tozerman said:
Just make sure they have an aluminium frame and not steel. We ordered a "rust proof" one a few years ago and it started rusting within 5 days so we sent it back.
We have an aluminium frame one now and it's been fine the last few years.
Same here. I had a decent-looking set with a treated and powder coated steel frame and it only lasted a few years. A cheap-ish aluminium framed set has been going strong for at least five years now.We have an aluminium frame one now and it's been fine the last few years.
The rattan stuff is pretty good.
We bought a set from this company a good few years back and is still going strong in our goddaughter's garden:
https://www.regattafurniture.com/
We bought a set from this company a good few years back and is still going strong in our goddaughter's garden:
https://www.regattafurniture.com/
We bought a corner sofa and table set - from Aldi as it happens. It's been fine except the cushions take up a huge amount of space to store and it is curved rather L shaped. As a result it is very difficult to get a cover to fit, unless I get a custom made one which is almost as expensive as the furniture.
We have a Hartman corner sofa, it is nice, fairly well made, comfy cushions, I would recommend.
We wanted another lounge set for a different area of the patio, after spending £1,000+ on the Hartman, and although happy with it I was convinced that cheaper would be just as good.
I found this on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256878493947?itmmeta=01...
Took the risk, and it is really really good value. Build quality is on par if not better than Hartman, although you have to assemble it all yourself. The only downside is the cushion quality, and not the thickness or anything like that, just the covers feel a touch cheaper compared to the Hartman cushions. However, I have an extra £700 in my pocket, so win win.
We wanted another lounge set for a different area of the patio, after spending £1,000+ on the Hartman, and although happy with it I was convinced that cheaper would be just as good.
I found this on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256878493947?itmmeta=01...
Took the risk, and it is really really good value. Build quality is on par if not better than Hartman, although you have to assemble it all yourself. The only downside is the cushion quality, and not the thickness or anything like that, just the covers feel a touch cheaper compared to the Hartman cushions. However, I have an extra £700 in my pocket, so win win.
Chrisgr31 said:
Interesting comments in the thread about Rattan. Neighbours both sides of me had the Rattan in both cases it perished significantly quicker than they expected it to.
untakenname said:
A few years ago it seemed everyone had a grey Rattan furniture set for outside.
The council in the next borough does monthly large item collections and driving through last week there seems to be a lot of perished rattan put out for collection.
When we were looking, I also started a thread on here for recommendations. At the time, I was told there is "Rattan" and "looks like Rattan" - and that actual real Rattan has a lifetime of about 5 mins, but decent brands in the style of Rattan (but more durable material) were fine.The council in the next borough does monthly large item collections and driving through last week there seems to be a lot of perished rattan put out for collection.
joestifff said:
We have a Hartman corner sofa, it is nice, fairly well made, comfy cushions, I would recommend.
We wanted another lounge set for a different area of the patio, after spending £1,000+ on the Hartman, and although happy with it I was convinced that cheaper would be just as good.
I found this on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256878493947?itmmeta=01...
Took the risk, and it is really really good value. Build quality is on par if not better than Hartman, although you have to assemble it all yourself. The only downside is the cushion quality, and not the thickness or anything like that, just the covers feel a touch cheaper compared to the Hartman cushions. However, I have an extra £700 in my pocket, so win win.
We bought Hartman for the Welsh place. £2200 for a large corner set with a table that had two heights. Stunningly comfortable, great quality, couldn't fault it.We wanted another lounge set for a different area of the patio, after spending £1,000+ on the Hartman, and although happy with it I was convinced that cheaper would be just as good.
I found this on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256878493947?itmmeta=01...
Took the risk, and it is really really good value. Build quality is on par if not better than Hartman, although you have to assemble it all yourself. The only downside is the cushion quality, and not the thickness or anything like that, just the covers feel a touch cheaper compared to the Hartman cushions. However, I have an extra £700 in my pocket, so win win.
Still looked like new when we moved and sold it to the new owner
NDA said:
Real rattan is a natural fibre - from a palm tree type.
Fake rattan is plastic. It's what I have. Sounds hideous but is actually very nice looking, comfortable and seems (after 5 or 6 years) to be bullet proof.
Same as us, ours still looks like new when cleaned up and its probably 8 years+ oldFake rattan is plastic. It's what I have. Sounds hideous but is actually very nice looking, comfortable and seems (after 5 or 6 years) to be bullet proof.
Bramblecrest is very good, if a little pricy.
Took the covers off ours at the weekend and it in perfect condition. Ours has an integrated fir pit in the table which works really well on cooler evenings. Used a 5kg gas bottle last year so pretty cheap to run.
Bear in mind you need somewhere weather and rodent proof to store the cushion over winter. We keep ours piled up in our garden room but that puts it out of use over the winter, so need to invest in a proper storage box.
Took the covers off ours at the weekend and it in perfect condition. Ours has an integrated fir pit in the table which works really well on cooler evenings. Used a 5kg gas bottle last year so pretty cheap to run.
Bear in mind you need somewhere weather and rodent proof to store the cushion over winter. We keep ours piled up in our garden room but that puts it out of use over the winter, so need to invest in a proper storage box.
Based on davek_964 reply I'd recommend having a look at https://www.whitestores.co.uk. They've also got a showroom on the A30 at Lavershot Barn.
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