Outdoor Furniture Directly on Grass

[PlainJane]

I’m looking into buying some outdoor furniture. A patio or deck is not a realistic option for this summer, so anything we buy will be directly on the grass. We do have the option of storing furnitures in inclement weather, but would prefer that it can stay outside. What are our best material options for our outdoor setup?

 

[Klayfish]

Plastic would be the cheap and easy one. You could use metal...if it's not painted with a rustproofing type paint, that's pretty easy to do. I'd be concerned about wood rotting at the base, but if it's properly treated perhaps it would work for a while. Not sure about wicker??

To me, the bigger challenge isn't the material, but the design of the furniture. Anything with narrow legs at the base (i.e. think of a typical chair) is going to sink into the grass over time. This will really happen after a rain and you sit in it. It won't sink completely, obviously, just a bit. But it'll be annoying, when you go to sit, the chair likely will be crooked. You'll have to pick it up and move it around a bit periodically.

 

[Kitty 34]

We have all kinds of plastic chairs and little plastic tables that we move all around the yard (as the sun moves).....no patio here. We do have a couple of chairs that just stay on our porch, tho.

 

[Hikergirl]

Are you talking about chairs, or a dining set?

We use those plastic Adirondack chairs directly on the grass.
Most metal furniture is aluminum and it won't rust so it should be fine on grass.

 

[PlainJane]

Are you talking about chairs, or a dining set?

We use those plastic Adirondack chairs directly on the grass.
Most metal furniture is aluminum and it won't rust so it should be fine on grass.

Probably a conversation set, so four chairs and a low table. I would lean towards Adirondack chairs.

 

[PlainJane]

Plastic would be the cheap and easy one. You could use metal...if it's not painted with a rustproofing type paint, that's pretty easy to do. I'd be concerned about wood rotting at the base, but if it's properly treated perhaps it would work for a while. Not sure about wicker??

To me, the bigger challenge isn't the material, but the design of the furniture. Anything with narrow legs at the base (i.e. think of a typical chair) is going to sink into the grass over time. This will really happen after a rain and you sit in it. It won't sink completely, obviously, just a bit. But it'll be annoying, when you go to sit, the chair likely will be crooked. You'll have to pick it up and move it around a bit periodically.

Yeah, plastic might be the way to go. We could even keep it on the grass once there is a deck or patio. I’ll keep your stability comment in mind when looking at chairs.

 

[DLgal]

Wood picnic table and bench. Any material besides metal would also be fine, like that plastic-y stuff they have nowadays that looks like wood, but isn't.

 

[neverlandsky]

Faux Wood Plastic. Metal or wood will fad in the sun within 2 years time.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I’m looking into buying some outdoor furniture. A patio or deck is not a realistic option for this summer, so anything we buy will be directly on the grass. We do have the option of storing furnitures in inclement weather, but would prefer that it can stay outside. What are our best material options for our outdoor setup?

Our go to cheap on the grass chairs are the camping chairs. You can get some with sun shades, drinks holders, etc.

I find it to be the best for grass personally. It will double as your pick up and go to a friend's or to see fireworks.

 

[PlainJane]

Our go to cheap on the grass chairs are the camping chairs. You can get some with sun shades, drinks holders, etc.

I find it to be the best for grass personally. It will double as your pick up and go to a friend's or to see fireworks.

We’ve been discussing just using our camping and beach chairs.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Not sure if its in your budget, but I saw rubber patio pavers at BJs Wholesale Club last week. For about $100, you could have a nice 12 x 12 patio over the grass. I walked on them and they were very comfortable, looked great. Not sure how easy they would be to clean...I suppose you hose them off?

 

[Klayfish]

Our go to cheap on the grass chairs are the camping chairs. You can get some with sun shades, drinks holders, etc.

I find it to be the best for grass personally. It will double as your pick up and go to a friend's or to see fireworks.

We don't use them for our yard, but we've got several "camping" chairs...they're the $10 ones that are sold at Academy Sports, Dicks, etc...we use them a ton for watching the kids sports games. Love them.

 

[aprilgail]

I would use ones that I could pack up and put away in a shed after we are done with them for the day- this way they don't get all wet and gross from the rain. Plus they would have to be away when the landscapers came to cut the lawn anyway.

 

[PlainJane]

Not sure if its in your budget, but I saw rubber patio pavers at BJs Wholesale Club last week. For about $100, you could have a nice 12 x 12 patio over the grass. I walked on them and they were very comfortable, looked great. Not sure how easy they would be to clean...I suppose you hose them off?

View attachment 317794

We have a toddler, so we’ve been discussing what would be the best material if he had a wipeout, so this might be a good option for that. Now we’re thinking maybe a simple patio (pea gravel or maybe a paver as you mentioned), in a different location than where would would eventually install a deck. Then there would be two seating areas. We mostly just want to be able to take advantage of what is a really nice backyard area, and not wait until next year when we can make it “perfect.” There’s just so much headache with building a deck with the HOA, city inspectors, finding a contractor, separating with who knows how much money, etc. We definitely want to be budget concious, but we don’t want to do that at the expense of longevity. I hope that all makes sense.

 

[tvguy]

Only problem with the plastic chairs (I think they are actually resin) if you leave them out in the sun is they crack and fail after a few years. I had a resin table that fell over and shattered. It was 5 or 6 years old, and the sun just weakened it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have a toddler, so we’ve been discussing what would be the best material if he had a wipeout, so this might be a good option for that. Now we’re thinking maybe a simple patio (pea gravel or maybe a paver as you mentioned), in a different location than where would would eventually install a deck. Then there would be two seating areas. We mostly just want to be able to take advantage of what is a really nice backyard area, and not wait until next year when we can make it “perfect.” There’s just so much headache with building a deck with the HOA, city inspectors, finding a contractor, separating with who knows how much money, etc. We definitely want to be budget concious, but we don’t want to do that at the expense of longevity. I hope that all makes sense.

If you want something like this, get on Craigslist OR if you have Facebook, get on your local "Marketplace" in Facebook. Then look for "Buy Sell Trade" in your cities and sign up. Honestly I would buy used since you don't have your deck yet.

You can get things FOR FREE or cheaper esp. in landscaping. You can get pavers most of the time for free. Generally people sell or give away "leftovers" from a job. Buy some miter sand and you are good to go with building a paver patio.

Building a deck is not that bad. We have done it many times. Now figuring out what shape and type is the hard part sometimes. Since you have a toddler, I HIGHLY recommend getting a permanent locking gate for the top of the stairs when you do build that deck. I love that feature and will never build a deck without it again. Keeps the dogs in as well and they don't RUN out the door because they have to be let out at the gate on the deck. Heeheehee. We also did actual real metal handrails for the stairs and not wood.

 

[PlainJane]

We have all kinds of plastic chairs and little plastic tables that we move all around the yard (as the sun moves).....no patio here. We do have a couple of chairs that just stay on our porch, tho.

Plastic Adirondack chairs are currently in the running. It's nice that they can be easily stacked and put away if needed.

Wood picnic table and bench. Any material besides metal would also be fine, like that plastic-y stuff they have nowadays that looks like wood, but isn't.

We have looked at those "poly" wood materials. They seem like they would be easy to upkeep. A person at a gardening store told my husband he basically hoses or pressure washes (I can't remember which) once a year and that's it.

Faux Wood Plastic. Metal or wood will fad in the sun within 2 years time.

Very good point about fading.

We don't use them for our yard, but we've got several "camping" chairs...they're the $10 ones that are sold at Academy Sports, Dicks, etc...we use them a ton for watching the kids sports games. Love them.

We live near the beach, so maybe this is just our excuse to buy really nice beach chairs. Dual purpose for the win.

I would use ones that I could pack up and put away in a shed after we are done with them for the day- this way they don't get all wet and gross from the rain. Plus they would have to be away when the landscapers came to cut the lawn anyway.

Very good point about mowing. I hadn't even thought about how we would have to move everything when the lawn guy comes if we leave the area grass. He also comes completely randomly, so we would have to put things away every time.

Only problem with the plastic chairs (I think they are actually resin) if you leave them out in the sun is they crack and fail after a few years. I had a resin table that fell over and shattered. It was 5 or 6 years old, and the sun just weakened it.

When you say "plastic" are you talking about the "poly" wood material?

If you want something like this, get on Craigslist OR if you have Facebook, get on your local "Marketplace" in Facebook. Then look for "Buy Sell Trade" in your cities and sign up. Honestly I would buy used since you don't have your deck yet.

You can get things FOR FREE or cheaper esp. in landscaping. You can get pavers most of the time for free. Generally people sell or give away "leftovers" from a job. Buy some miter sand and you are good to go with building a paver patio.

Building a deck is not that bad. We have done it many times. Now figuring out what shape and type is the hard part sometimes. Since you have a toddler, I HIGHLY recommend getting a permanent locking gate for the top of the stairs when you do build that deck. I love that feature and will never build a deck without it again. Keeps the dogs in as well and they don't RUN out the door because they have to be let out at the gate on the deck. Heeheehee. We also did actual real metal handrails for the stairs and not wood.

Our HOA is a bear. They have the most bizarre rules, so I fear them more than the city. It is completely doable, it's just a longer term goal.

That is a good point about a permanent gate for the deck. We have an ongoing issue with baby gates because my husband and myself, who are completely average in size, have a giant child. He's already getting too tall for the extra tall baby gates and he could just climb over the normal sized ones.

I hadn't even thought about checking for free or cheap materials on those sites! Thanks for all of your insight.


Thank you to everyone who has chimed in on our backyard project!

 

[tvguy]

When you say "plastic" are you talking about the "poly" wood material?

No, talking about resin. Like this.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...SwmFDA_-SN_E74oYZufoeR8VZJqtW03xoCutkQAvD_BwE

 

[shoney]

Our landscapers always moves the kids big plastic stuff when they were little. The landscapes move my neighbors trampoline every week.

I would buy one of those big outdoor rugs and put that down

I know lots of people who don’t have room for all of their outdoor furniture so they have someone come and shrink wrap it for the winter.

Anything outdoors in the elements never lasts forever. We go middle of the line for things.

 

[kerry1379]

I just wanted to chime in and say good luck! Also, depending on where you are located, keep in mind ants may cause problems. At my last house, furniture directly on the grass would have been a no-go because the fire ants would find you within minutes and make your life miserable. And if carpenter ants or termites are common in your area, I would avoid wood altogether.