March Favorites & New “Forever” Furniture for Both Decks

Before I share my March favorites, I have to share this awesome surge protector that I had my computer plugged into when a huge lightning strike happened right outside my office recently. That strike caused a surge that took out my cable modem, my speakers, and my garage door opener, but my computer and printer survived the strike completely unscathed. They were both plugged into this surge protector. I just repurchased it again this past week because surge protectors are like sponges, they can only absorb so much before they no longer work. I didn’t want to take a chance, so I bought a new one, going with the same one again.

Not all surge protectors are rated the same so it’s important to check the “joules” before buying one. This one is rated at 4320 Joules which is perfect for expensive electronic devices like computers and televisions. If it’s been a while since you last replaced your surge protectors, definitely recommend doing that as we enter the spring season with its crazy stormy weather. You’ll find the one that helped save my computer during this recent lightning hit here: Surge Protector.

 

Two more faves from last month are the Sperry boat shoes I purchased. I love them so much! I’ve been wearing them a lot, every time I run out on errands. They are so comfortable and I love the style! This pair is available on sale here: Sperry Boat Shoes.

Sperry Topsiders, On Sale

 

And the other style I purchased and really like is available on sale here: Sperry Boat Shoes.

Sperry Topside, Plaid and Leather

 

I’ve really been enjoying my bee cardholder this spring. I often use it as my main wallet since it holds a lot. I love the bee design so much and the size of this wallet works really well in my smaller bags. It’s available in 15 different colors here: Bee Card Wallet. They also make an RFID version that would be great for travel, or even for use at home. It can be found here: RFID Bee Wallet.

 

 

 

New Deck Furniture

A few years back I caught this deck furniture on sale for a really great price at Home Depot. Sadly, it didn’t last but a couple of years before it started rusting. I gave it away to someone who was going to try and repaint it.

Hampton Bay Oak Cliff Collection Patio Deck Furniture

 

I used to have a beautiful set of outdoor-wicker, dining furniture on a smaller deck that’s just off the other side of the screened porch. I found it for an awesome deal at A Classy Flea. Unfortunately, the squirrels loved it too, or at least I think that’s what damaged it. It could have been raccoons since they used to come visit the feeders at night. Anway, something chewed the arms of all the chairs to the point where if you rested your arm on the arm of the chair, it was quite painful. They also chewed up the braided part that went around the edge of the table. I was so disappointed when that happened because I hardly got to use that set before it was ruined.

Pergola with Outdoor Chandelier

 

I’ve been very reluctant to buy any more outdoor wicker after what happened with that set, so both decks have been empty of furniture for a while now. I don’t remember how I first discovered it, but recently I came across outdoor furniture that is made from Polywood lumber. You’re probably familiar with Trex decking–Trex branded outdoor furniture is also made from Polywood. It comes with a 20-year warranty and is supposed to have a UV-inhibited pigment system that reduces fading. I get a fair amount of shade in my backyard so I’m not too worried about fading but that is a nice feature. What really sold me on this furniture was the great reviews I read online at various websites.

 

Do you have Polywood outdoor furniture? I’m so tired of having to replace my outdoor deck furniture, I decided to give it a try. In an ideal, fantasy world where nothing ever goes wrong and I have endless funds to constantly replace outdoor furniture, I would probably prefer real wood furniture, but I live in the real world and I’m definitely tired of all the maintenance issues. Polywood dining sets (as well as their seating sets) come in a bunch of different colors from grays to browns to several off-whites/sand colors. I decided to go with this white set for the area underneath my white pergola. (I found it for a great price here: Dining Set for Four.)

 

I have always loved the Chippendale design, be it in outdoor benches or even in porch rails, so I really loved the Chippendale design in the back of the chairs! Chippendale style has to be my favorite for outdoor furniture! I read that they use marine-grade hardware for the furniture, so that sounds promising and should mean that the screws will not rust.

 

For the other deck, the one where I previously had the metal furniture that rusted, I chose this set that seats six. I really liked the soft gray color and thought it would be really pretty with my existing umbrella. There’s a hole (with a cover) in the center of both tables. I will definitely take advantage of that for this set that will be on the open deck without the pergola. I purchased this set here: Dining Set.

 

How I Saved

I am super excited about the savings I got with these two dining sets. I looked everywhere online and no one had Polywood dining sets on sale. Some sites try to trick you by claiming they are on sale but when I compared their prices to other sites, they were not sale prices! I ended up getting the gray set on sale HERE at Overstock and the white dining set below on sale HERE. They had an offer where if you signed up for their emails, they would send you a discount coupon. I did that for the gray set. Today I noticed a flash coupon on their website for 12% off and decided to go ahead and buy the white set for the area under the pergola. You can see the Flash Coupon HERE. in the upper left corner. When you click on that coupon, it activates it.

 

I love this bench! If I ever have to replace the benches on my front porch, I would be very tempted by this beautiful Chippendale design. It’s available here: Chippendale Bench.

 

Wish I had a spot for this seating group…so pretty! It’s available here: Outdoor Bench, Chair and two Tables.

 

Not sure when my dining sets will arrive, I think it will be a few weeks, but once they do, I will be sure to share them with you. That gives me time to get my decks cleaned for the upcoming summer season. I’m super excited about this new Polywood furniture. It’s supposed to be pretty easy to clean with just soap and water. It can even be pressured washed at a low pressure per info I found online. That means when I get my desks cleaned, I can have the furniture cleaned, as well if I haven’t already done it myself. Anyway, can’t wait to share both sets with you once they arrive!

Happy Weekend! See you on Monday with another porch update…the screened doors are finally installed! 🙂

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Comments

  1. Regality3 says
    • Yeah, I saw that during my research phase. I think the reason the squirrels chewed the outdoor wicker is that I had a feeder hanging above it and they would knock the seed out of the feeder onto the table and it would get caught in the grooves of the outdoor wicker. So I won’t be hanging a feeder above the table this time. I think they were primarily going for the seed and the wicker got in the way.

  2. I have the same Polywood bench . I love it, very heavy so it doesn’t blow all over the deck. I was very disappointed when the arm broke. I contacted them and they would do nothing about it. Very costly so you’d think they’d stand behind their product.
    Enjoy your new furniture, it looks great!
    Happy Easter, Susan.

  3. Rebecca Dexter says

    I have had 4 Adirondack chairs in white polywood that I got from LL Bean over 10 years ago…they sit out on a bluff in NE Wisconsin…year round. Other than getting dirty and needing a good mild bleach, soap and water cleaning in the spring they look just as good as when I first got them. I think you will be happy…I live in the woods…lots of squirrels and critters…no problems

  4. I just received a gray Polywood dining set for our deck and a mahogany bench for our garden. I had tried to order them last year, but with supply chain issues, delivery was taking six months! So, I waited and ordered in February and received deliverey in March.
    I am very happy with our purchase. We live in Oregon and the wet weather destroys wood or metal outdoor furniture. I’m happy to have less maintenance! Also, I’m so pleased with a long cushion I ordered for the bench. It’s quality and a perfect fit.

  5. I am on the fence about buying this furniture .. we have been looking for the past few months at our local dealers who sell outdoor dining sets and this seems to be the type of resin furniture thats all the rage in each store. I am just so used to getting the wicker type with the aluminum slats or glass tops that feel more “homey “to me, But you are so right this is indestructible! And my husband liked that idea too! I just need to think of a way to dress it up to soften up all the plastic resin look….

    • Cushions will help for sure, but I don’t mind the resin look if it means I don’t have to keep buying new furniture for decks every year or two. For a table, you could also add a tablecloth which is what I’ll probably do when I set a table on it for Tablescape Thursday. I need to shop for cushions. I have 4 cushions that may work for the white set but def need to buy them for the gray set.

    • One other thing I like is this furniture is made here in the U.S. in NC, or at least that’s what I read on one website. I spent a lot of time looking at it on a lot of different websites last night. I wish I had done Trex flooring when I had my decks built!

  6. I have the Highwood brand which I believe is similar. I got it in brown for the patio outside my office so my employees can have a nice place to sit outside and eat on pretty days. I got 2 chairs and 2 side tables. I purchased it in May 2020 when we reopened from COVID shutdown and it looks great! Very easy to clean and maintain and it still appears new and is very comfortable. I would definitely get this for my home and the Highwood company had great customer service.

  7. Nancy Brantley says

    Love your outdoor furniture. Hope squirrels don’t chew it!! Those pretty squirrels chews my cushions every season….they will chew wood also! They chew my bluebird houses!!!

  8. Cyndy Cook says

    Hi Susan! Great tips as always! It’s funny how you always have the best suggestions at the best exact moment for me! I am enjoying my new smooth lid can opener very much & wondering why I spent the last 20 years fumbling with my hand crank one, so thanks!
    Anyway, are you aware of the amazon smile program? I think you shop there about as much as me!
    Have a blessed Easter!

  9. Karen Fivecoat says

    Sorry to tell you this, but the squirrels absolutely LOVE our Polywood furniture. It is very hard and helps keep their teeth in check. Keep a metal file handy and about once a week you can go out and file down the gouges they leave so they are smooth to the touch and won’t snag your skin or clothing. Since the color goes all the way through, the pock marks aren’t too noticeable.
    We’re on year 5 and I still love it.

  10. I was in Home Goods in NY and they had two Adirondack white chairs and a small table by Polywood for $599! I thought that was a great price but I cannot use these. Anyone looking for something similar check out your Home Good Store!

  11. Hi Susan, We have 2 white Polywood Adirondack chairs and 2 side tables. We leave them out 24/7 here in MN (going on 2 years old now). And they are perfect! We have these little red squirrels, and as cute as they are, there are no more dreaded creatures here. They chew everything!!! We have one living in a pine tree behind us, and so far so good. He has explored the chairs and the false wicker set we have too, and he passes them by. Hope you have the same good luck we have had! We love the sets!

    • Rosie, your tale gave me a mental image of the little red squirrel living in the pine tree behind you, lol. So sweet.

  12. We replaced our wooden deck with a large two level one four years ago with trex…a good option as it is located on the south side and we are at 5000 feet here in Boulder which makes the sun quite intense. It is still like new so your furniture will most likely do very well for a long time. We have a lot of trees and squirrels and no one has chewed on it yet.

  13. carol springsteen says

    I bought 4 Adirondack plywood chair sets for my firepit from Amish polywood in Iowa. They are great and fold up however they took my money and I did not get them till 6 months later. I tried looking elsewhere but none match my design, However if you buy make sure you are getting solid and not hollow as some stores trick you Expensive but worth the money

    • I think this is solid because it says that it’s HDPE Polywood which stands for High-Density Polyethylene. I think that means it’s not hollow. The info I found about Polywood says they recycle an average of 400,000 ocean-bound and landfill-bound plastic containers per day and transform them into genuine Polywood lumber.

  14. I’m not sure I would blame the bird feeders for the squirrels chewing your wicker. I have an outdoor wicker chair and ottoman on my front porch. No bird feeders. A squirrel did chew one corner. I still use it but it was very disappointing.

  15. Susan, what a pretty set. I love the backs of the chairs! I didn’t know that was the Chippendale design. The surge protector recommendation is appreciated, especially this time of year. And those top siders have such a classic, preppy look. I love them. Looking forward to the screen door reveal.

  16. Love your patio sets. I love your Sperry shoes. I have always wanted some as they look so smart but twice I ordered some and one I gave away and the other I sent back. They kill my feet. My son had the same problem. We both have normal sizes so not sure what the problem was for us. They look cute on you!! Enjoy!

    • Thanks, Sheri! They can be a bit stiff when you first get them because they are leather but they do soften up as you wear them and they do it quickly. I usually find it only takes one or two wearings before they are nice and broken in. The most important thing is to buy them big enough. I was having trouble wearing my size sevens this winter with socks, normally they are worn without socks because they started out as boat shoes or summer shoes. But I love some of the winter styles they have come out with with the plaids and corduroy mixed in, but what I needed to do was to size up a half a size to accommodate socks during the winter. I ordered 7-1/2 for winter and they are perfect. Do you think they were large enough when you ordered them before? Were they just too stiff?

  17. The sets you have picked out are just gorgeous Susan and I know they will look so pretty in your areas. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is the last time you have to buy any outdoor furniture! Glad you had that surge protector on your printer and computer and I agree after that lighting strike, it is good to replace it as you don’t know if it got damaged. Always good to prevail on the safe side! Hugs, Brenda

  18. Thank you for a very timely blog! I have 2 bright yellow Polywood Adirondack chairs in my backyard and just love them. When I read your post I decided to bite the bullet and replace 4 wicker chairs on my front patio with their Vineyard Garden chairs in black. I ordered them several days later and was pleased as could be that Overstock had exaclty what I wanted, and the coupon value had gone up to 17% off. I have never seen Polywood at such a great price. So, I ordered a bench as well :-). Just got everything yesterday as black is one of their “quick ship” colors, and hubby and I assembled and have a new front entrance! Thanks for the post!!

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