Metal patio furniture

Metal runs wide on this shelf: 90 chairs, stools and tables, with 72 listed for patio use. Frames are metal, steel and aluminum, and 31 pieces are in the Tolix style. Because the shelf mixes seating heights and tables, start by deciding which piece you are shopping for.

Chairs, stools and tables on one shelf

Seat heights show the mix. Four pieces list 18 inches and three list 17 1/2, which are dining chairs. Four more list 29, 29 1/4 or 30 inches, which are stool heights for a bar-height table. Tables are here too: steel tops on nine, tempered glass on one, and bases in steel (eight) and cast iron (two).

Seats are metal on 39 pieces, faux rattan on three and resin on one. Frames read metal on 50, steel on eight, aluminum on five and resin on one. Single pieces range from about $77 to $308.

The one without a patio listing

Seventy-two of the 90 pieces are listed for patio use, and 66 for indoor use. That leaves one piece without a patio listing, so read the usage line on each page you shortlist. A chair headed for the sidewalk should carry that patio listing before it goes into the plan.

Metal is quick to warm in afternoon sun and quick to cool at dusk, so check the layout at both hours. Wind matters too: look up the weight on the page for any corner or rooftop where the breeze finds the light chairs. Thirty-two pieces are stackable, and seven have arms.

Footprints and the folding table

Mix with care. A metal chair at a metal table looks consistent from the street, but only if the heights agree: a 29-inch stool seat belongs at a bar-height table, and an 18-inch chair seat at a dining-height one. Put the heights on the plan before the colors.

Compare chairs by their footprint. A metal dining chair lists 33 inches high, 19 long and 18 wide. A mesh metal chair lists 22 inches wide, 21 deep and 33 tall. A metal folding table with a base comes down when the patio does.

When the patio is put to bed, rinse each piece, let it drain and dry, then cover it or stack and store it. The warranty on patio pieces is six months, and it leaves out pieces that were left uncared for.

For more focus, aluminum and steel patio chairs narrows it to seating. Steel and aluminum patio tables does the same for tables, and patio bar stools covers the tall seats. Lay out the mix in patio plans.