Leave Deck Furniture Outside for Winter? (Minnesota)

Qs Laptop

Qs Laptop

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We've got a nice patio/deck furniture set consisting of a 52" diameter round glass table with aluminum frame and four swivel nylon cloth mesh chairs with aluminum frames. Since buying it we've been taking it indoors for the winter. We put it in our finished basement where it takes up a lot of space.

DW says we should get a big cover for it, cover it up and leave it outside on the deck. Tuck the edges of the cover under the table legs and chair legs and let it sit out there. I hesitate because we're in Minnesota with wild temperature extremes, lots of snow, and well, it is a glass topped table.

Has anybody done what we are considering?

Anybody have comments on this plan?
 
I have used covers in the past. They work, but look sort of odd. We eventually moved to more outdoor durable furniture and now just leave them exposed to the elements, though the patio is partially covered. I wipe them down occasionally in the winter, but they look almost new three winters into use.
 
I've left similar glass and aluminum furniture outside over winter with no particular harm coming. The nylon mesh part sounds like it might be the weakest link, and those I'd bring in or cover.
 
We have a round glass table on our deck that has been there over 20 years. It was here when we bought the place.

The glass is still fine as is the aluminum metal (although could use a paint job now).

We don't sit at it, just use it when potting small plants.

I would move the chairs to a pile/grouping and cover it with a large tarp,
 
I would be primarly concerned about winds in the winter. We normally will experience 40 mph winds during the winter that could tip or roll such a table. Depends on if the table is in a sheltered location.
 
Northwestern Pennsylvania here. My table is all metal of some sort. I leave it outside and uncovered (for better or worse). My mesh chairs get brought inside to the basement for the winters. I figure that mesh will rot eventually, so perhaps I’m extending the life some.
 
For the glass top I'd be concerned about snow load on it; we'd been at places with four foot snows and glass just can't handle that...even roofs need to be cleared when it's the wet type or you could lose it.

The chairs could likely make it with just a solid tarp, unless it is a wicker in which case heavy snow would be a problem and could crack them. normally the nylon mesh isn't a problem, but they are fairly easily restrung if needed if the nylon rips from load... otherwise its pretty resistant
 
Wind can be an issue. One time a thunderstorm with gusts about 60 mph tipped the glass table over and the glass broke.
 
North of Boston,. We have everything brought inside for winter. Everything.
 
My patio furniture set has high back chairs that are 42" tall. Almost all patio furniture covers are 28" tall. There are some that are 43" and 44" in height but they don't have the greatest ratings on Amazon.

Also, because of the armrests my chairs don't fully fit under the table. This means I need a cover that is 84" in diameter for a table that is 52" in diameter.

I can see where wind would be a problem causing updrafts that might lift the table. Most covers have vents in the sides but they seem to be kind of smallish. Also, since the chairs are higher than the table, the cover will form a concave depression in the center of the table. This could be bad for snow accumulation. I suppose I could put a large empty cardboard box on top of the table to force snow to gather at the edge of the table.

This idea is not turning out to be as simple as I had hoped. I appreciate the replies thus far.
 
They will definitely last longer and look better longer if you bring them in. A cover will help but it’s not as good and they are a pain. Covers get moldy, they rip and they don’t handle wind storms well. Plus, they cost money. When I had room, I brought them in. Now, I don’t have room and I cover them. I’d rather bring them in.
 
This is why we have HDPE(milk jug plastic) outdoor furniture. Not as cold here, but it stays outside uncovered all year and looks good as new after the seasonal pressure washing.

I think stacking the chairs inside with the glass leaning against a wall might take less space, and leave the aluminums table frame outside. Then the glass and nylon are best protected. Covers seem to be dirt magnets in my experience...
 
marko said:
North of Boston,. We have everything brought inside for winter. Everything.
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Same here in CT. After I am done with the fall leaf cleanup and no longer need to readily access the mower, blower, rakes and such, I put all the porch furniture in the garden shed.
 
GrayHare said:
Wind can be an issue. One time a thunderstorm with gusts about 60 mph tipped the glass table over and the glass broke.
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So true. Here in New Orleans, common sense hurricane preparations include bringing everything inside that can be blown around and turned into a dangerous projectile.

When I was younger, I'd put some muscle into doing that right before each hurricane, despite the stress and other necessary tasks at that time.

Now that I am older (and presumably wiser?) I only have one, small (16" tall?) plastic table on my patio and nothing else. If a storm approaches, I grab it with one hand and bring it inside. I also don't have any decorations hung up on my outside walls, or cute garden gnomes amidst my plants, or anything like that.
 
Wind, plus covers rot in the sun here. A car or BBQ cover might last 2-3 years before it disintegrates from sun rays.
 
Qs Laptop said:
We've got a nice patio/deck furniture set consisting of a 52" diameter round glass table with aluminum frame and four swivel nylon cloth mesh chairs with aluminum frames. Since buying it we've been taking it indoors for the winter. We put it in our finished basement where it takes up a lot of space.

DW says we should get a big cover for it, cover it up and leave it outside on the deck. Tuck the edges of the cover under the table legs and chair legs and let it sit out there. I hesitate because we're in Minnesota with wild temperature extremes, lots of snow, and well, it is a glass topped table.

Has anybody done what we are considering?

Anybody have comments on this plan?
Click to expand...


We have a similar glass top table and cloth chair patio set outside on our front deck. The deck is covered on top but other than that, it is exposed to the elements. Of course here in this part of Texas we don't see much snow and temps only get into the 20's usually, although it did dropped to zero a few years ago for a couple of days. I never even thought of moving it indoors or covering it. It's at least 5 or 6 years old and no problems, so far.
 
We bring our chairs and pads in but leave the table out.
 
MN here also. We move the chairs to the side of the house, under the overhang, and cover them with a large tarp. Umbrellas are put away in the rafters of the garage. The main deck table is left on the deck covered by a tarp.
We also have a covered patio, adjacent to the deck, and we leave those chairs and table uncovered. They will get a bit of snow on them when the wind is blowing the right direction but nothing damaging.
 
When we lived in Chicagoland, I moved our “patio furniture” into our shed in winter. The glass top lifted off, so it was easy to store vertical on edge, and the 4 chairs sort of nested in pairs, so space required wasn’t too bad (garage?). Like others have said, I’d rather avoid the snow load on the top, and it was a lot easier to shovel snow off our deck with the table and chairs out of the way. I’m too cheap to buy a cover, and I’d think UV and cold would crack it eventually?
 
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While it would be best to continue storing the chairs inside, if they take up too much room you could store them on the deck covered. I would put the table on it's side with the top against an exterior wall, nestle the chairs against the table and cover it all with a new tarp and perhaps bungie around the whole thing.
 
The metal frame part is fine, the glass top and the chair's mesh are what will benefit from protection. Or better to store inside. Do the chairs stack/nest at all? That minimizes space. Can the glass be removed from the table? If so, the glass can be taken inside and stored vertical up against the wall taking up little space.
 
We have a heavy wrought aluminum set with glass table top and mesh chairs. It is >20 years old and the mesh fabric has held up pretty well but it was looking sad so DW painted the whole set. The chairs stack so a single cover is all that is needed in winter. We only started using the cover ~5 yrs ago. I could bring them inside since they don't take much space when stacked. The table stays outside uncovered and could be laid on it's side if snow load was a concern. They make all sorts of covers but they can be pricey and do not hold up. We have other patio furniture that stays covered and lately we're going with mid to low priced covers and replace them as needed (2-3 yrs).
 
We have a "permanently" installed deck umbrella, a fire table, eating table, 6-chairs and a gas grill on the deck. I put the chairs in the shed for the winter and just cover everything else with good quality vinyl covers. We're in suburban Chicago.

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Definitely put away any cushions.

I suspect there are some iron alloy (steel) components in chairs - it could be fasteners, etc.
It would be rare to have aluminum fasteners. These will not do well with ice, freezing, thawing, etc and will start rust and then rust stains.

Aluminum also oxidizes (turns whiteish) and overtime will not look good.

Be aware of wind and hail (especially glass).

We brought ours in while in Midwest every year - into attic storage above garage
 
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