Need advice from great decorators. . .

[Alicia64]

We're very close to moving into a new house that has a wonderful deck. Problem is we don't have outdoor patio furniture.

 

What do you think of putting a regular table outdoors to be used as a patio table -- and allow it to "weather?"

 

If you have any other ideas for a creative outdoor dining set I'd love to hear.

 

I'm really interested in creative ideas -- and inexpensive.

 

Thanks,

 

Alley

[Liz CA]

Folding chairs and a table with a brightly colored tablecloth on it would be a beginning for me.

IKEA has very inexpensive smaller sets (tables & chairs) or better yet go to garage sales and see what is there. Right now it may be a good time if people are planning on replacing deck chairs and don't want to store summer furniture to get rid of them next year.

Mix and match to start.

[OrganicAnn]

If the regular table is wood and you have lots of damp and/or cold weather, then you will soon have a warped and unusable table.

 

If it has a heavy finish on the regular table, it might last longer.

 

You can get plastic chairs fairly cheaply. Buy a card table and a table cloth, but take it inside when not in use.

[Jpoy85]

check Craigslist and Freecycle too! I just found a folding picnic table for free on CL on Sunday :)

[Denisemomof4]

Those pine picnic tables / benches look VERY easy to make. Add a few potted plants and one in the center of table.

[Alicia64]

If the regular table is wood and you have lots of damp and/or cold weather, then you will soon have a warped and unusable table.

 

If it has a heavy finish on the regular table, it might last longer.

 

You can get plastic chairs fairly cheaply. Buy a card table and a table cloth, but take it inside when not in use.

 

You're probably right. The thing is. . . I saw a home where a woman had done this. She put a regular dining room table out and it had weathered. Or I assumed it had. Maybe she painted it, but it was definitely an outside table that had once been inside. It looked really cool and more chic than regular patio tables.

 

I wish now that I had asked her how she did it.

 

Alley

[Beth S]

We eat supper outside in the backyard most every day possible.

 

However, if you have just moved in, I would wait and see what you WANT the deck furniture to do before you actually buy it. You may want room for add-on friends, or only chairs & small table.

 

And most of the winter and early spring, everyone's stuff gets brutalized by the weather. If you can store it then, it will last longer!

 

(As a result, we're on our 3rd picnic table in 15 years. Thankfully my dh makes them himself!):001_smile:

[eternalknot]

Where do you live?

 

My mom has this set-up, but we live in a very mild climate. Any inclement weather is predictable, and we can take necessary steps to protect her stuff (just heavy duty seasonal covers).

 

It would cost something, but less up front if you got a glass or acrylic piece cut to fit the top. It'd help protect the part that could warp, and if the tabletop still warped it's a simpler, cheaper fix still for next season (glass pads or styrofoam). Cover during storms or winter weather if you can't store the table.

 

It's worth a shot if you have a table already on hand, or if you can buy one cheaply at a thrift store, garage sale, or from Freecycle/Craigslist :)