I recently reported the death of my Adirondack chairs and actually received condolence for my "tragic" loss! That was Stuart in Australia, saying he'd learned about them from me and considers them iconic of my garden. Well, I do, too, but not to worry – they can be replaced! In fact, I found a few zillion of them at AdirondackChairs.com, a site that seems to handle e-commerce for a bunch of furniture makers and even provides customer reviews á la Amazon, so I'm there.
Cheap and Lovely
Now the cheapest chairs are made of pine, like my rotted and falling apart ones, also cedar or fir. In defense of this option, my pine chairs would have lasted longer if I'd taken the time to repair the inevitable gouges and cracks that come with softwoods. These cheapies start at only $69, and some are even painted for you already. Above you see the cedar "Coral Coast" painted cherry red and only $100. Or there's Natural Cedar for $73. Or the lovely green made of cypress for only $80. I love the look of all of them, but then I've never seen an Adirondack I didn't like.
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"Eco-Friendly" and Not So Cheap
Now let's explore the options actually labeled "eco-friendly" by this e-commerce dealer, starting with their highest rated. It's the Hyre's Country, made of "environmentally friendly wood from sustainable forests" and costing a much heftier $243. Turns out the wood is "Red Meranti Mahogany" which really needs those quotes because it's not a real mahogany but a tropical hardwood called Shorea (shown on the left). The other "sustainably harvested" tropical hardwood available is Brazilian cherry, but if it's from, you know, Brazil, there are other "eco" tests it just won't pass, and with any tropical hardwood I'd have to research a little deeper than the claims on one e-commerce website, wouldn't I? And I don't want to. So, moving on.
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The largest offering in the eco line are chairs made of recycled plastic – just like the fencing recommended by Ed Begley - which is also called polyethylene resin for you particular types. They're all maintenance-free and made in the U.S. The best-sellers in this bunch are made by Great American Woodies in Ohio and they just happen to come in my favorite garden accent color of all – TEAL! (Also white, black and sand.) A lifetime guarantee would set me back $330 each but I'm thinking the $220 chairs with the five-year guarantee would be just fine.
And the Winner Is
The Ohio-made plastic chair in teal! Sure, $220 is more than twice what the softwood costs but dang, that no-maintenance feature is worth it. Oh, and recycled, too~! Really, what's not to love? Merry Christmas, Self!
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Very nice Susan. And a great choice too BTW. Have a Merry Christmas!
My mom has a rocking chair made out of recycled milk jugs and it' been a great piece of deck furnature. There is even lichen growing on it. Hope you enjoy your new Adirondack.
Dear Susan
Wish you Happy Eco-Xmas:)
Greetings from Portugal
Your post makes me think of the July '09 issue of Yankee Magazine: there's a great article by Wayne Curtis on finding the perfect Adirondack chair. It's kind of long, but well worth the read… I have such an appreciation now for the art, the aesthetics, the mechanics and the zen of the "just right" Adirondack chair!
I put the link to the article in the "website" cell of this comment post, so click to read it.
Susan, I'm always keeping my eyes open for interesting information about chairs for the garden, patio, outdoor area. Thanks for the research on options for Adirondack chairs. I particularly appreciated the information on "eco friendly' options. I'm new to your website but I'll be back.
Sustainable, unpainted adirondack chairs can be found that are made in the USA (in New Jersey no less!) of native mid atlantic white cedar – they are lightweight, durable, don't need painting and have lasted for many, many years in my garden – sold by tidewaterworkshop.net their delivery department can be slow, but if you are not in a hurry you'll find them to be a good deal -
Eric, that's exactly where I bought my last, now rotten Adirondacks. They gouged easily. Soft wood and all that.
I think you definitely made a wise decision. I especially liked the fact it is recycled. Wood stuff are definitely natural, but you are right, they rot. Especially if it gets wet under the rain or something… But yeah.. a recycled plastic chair with $220 is not a bad deal!
Teak won’t rot. That is one reason it is used onboard yachts, where it is exposed to the elements. It really only gets better with age and you can expect it to last for generations.