Outside Insight

Outside is in this year.

As summer approaches and the outdoors beckons, now might be a good time to retire that wobbly eyesore in the backyard and think about investing in new patio furniture.

The right set can add more living space to the home, providing another place to read a book, eat lunch or entertain guests.

“The current trend is to bring indoors outside,” said Tom Malinowski, co-owner of Zender’s Patio and Fireplace Center in Thousand Oaks.

He runs a 15,000-square-foot showroom, with 10,000 square feet dedicated to patio furnishings that range from casual to elegant, he said.

Patio furniture has really changed since the time such items came mostly in basic white and blue, he said. “Now patio furniture is very designer-oriented, with custom-made fabric and custom-mixed paint available to give the customer a lot of choices,” Malinowski said.

Prices, comfort, materials and warranties vary. Customers need to decide what is most important to them and start from there, he said.

A comfortable, well-upholstered wicker set starts at about $1,200, and a teak set could cost $4,000. A set with four extruded-aluminum, sling-bucket chairs with teak arms and a 48-inch table is about $1,900.

And always check the warranty, Malinowski said. “All top-quality sets have a 15- to 20-year warranty,” he said.

Alfresco, with stores in the Oxnard Outlet Mall and in Westlake Village, also boasts large showrooms with an ample selection of patio furniture. “The most desirable and the most expensive is cast aluminum,” said general manager Guinn Millsap.

Cast aluminum comes with a 30-year warranty and will not rust, he said.

“Cast iron is guaranteed to rust,” Millsap said.

He gave estimates on patio sets at his store comprising a table, two swivel chairs and two standard chairs. Cast aluminum patio sets cost about $2,500. Cast iron comes with a three-year warranty and sell for about $800 to $1,500. Extruded aluminum ranges from about $1,300 to $1,800, with a 15-year warranty, he said.

The best wooden sets are made of tropical hardwood such as Indonesian teak, he said. They cost from $2,000 to $3,000.

When purchasing a patio set, Millsap said, check that the seat cushions as well as the frame have a warranty.

Look for cushions with UV inhibitors that keep fabric colors from fading as quickly. Also, cushions that don’t absorb water can be washed off with a hose and left out in the rain.

If you aren’t looking for a specific style or color, or if you just don’t want to have to choose among different sets, budget-priced patio furniture is available at Walmart in Simi Valley and Oxnard. A five-piece set with a 48-inch tempered glass table and four contoured sling chairs costs $298. A five-piece brown set, including a 48-inch round table with smoked, tempered glass and four cast-back chairs with seat pads and toss pillows runs $397.

Costco, both in Simi Valley and Oxnard, offers a seven-piece set with a rectangular 72-by-42-inch table and six aluminum chairs for $359 and a five-piece sling patio set for $499.

Assembly is required, so take a good look at the set on display and compare it to the size of the box it comes in. If the patio set is big and the box is small, that’s a good clue that the set contains quite a few pieces. Also, be sure to sit in the chairs before buying and ask some questions. Are they comfortable? Is the table high enough for your legs to fit underneath when you are seated? Are the chairs too low?

Finally, check whether the umbrella on display comes with the set. It usually does not. The umbrella and stand probably cost extra. If you don’t buy one, the table will have a hole in it--unless you buy a table not equipped for an umbrella.

Nancy Needham writes a weekly consumer column and can be reached at nancy.needham@reporters.net.