New slings for lawn furniture

[barry2952]

About 22 years ago we went to a lighting show at the Merchandise Mart in Texas. That's a gigantic wholesale-only display center open only to the various trades of architects and designers and retail stores. We sometimes luck out and find showrooms in the MM that are outside the lighting trade, but have what are called "accommodation sales", a form of treating the buyers for businesses.

We happened upon the Tropitone showroom and found a fairly modern design that pleased us. We found we could buy for 65% off retail, probably a true savings of 40% off of what lawn furniture actually sells for. We certainly got our money's worth out of it.

I look at new furniture and was astounded at what this would cost to replace so I contacted Tropitone's customer service and they directed me to a local supplier. The frames were in great shape, they just needed new "slings". That's what the trade calls them. Since we found that white fabric always looked dirty it was best to find a fabric that would hide the dirt, but spruce up the furniture.

As a word of caution, there is a lot of crap out there being passed off as "the same as the factory provides. That's BS. I got samples and prices on aftermarket slings which were $50-$65. I compared Tropitone fabric to the other and found nearly double the thread count. For $70 each I decided to go OEM.



You start disassembly by prying out the plastic end caps.



That reveals the channel that the fabric slides into. The sling is held in place by folding the fabric around a round plastic cord and sewing the flap. The cord is larger in diameter than the slot so the fabric can't pull through.



This is how the fabric is stretched. Once the fabric is installed in both side channels the two bolts draw the fabric tight.



There will be no wrinkles when I'm done. I bought factory replacements because I knew they would fit.



Once the new fabric goes in this separator is forced into place, keeping the fabric taut at the top.



It took everything I had to get the old fabric out of one chair. I patiently waited for my employees to bring my power washer from the shop and enlist their help to strip the fabric. The two guys struggled, but were able to remove the old stuff.

I put them to work cleaning out the grooves and any nastiness on the frames. Looks like a bunch of chair bones.



Reassembly took all three of us. I'm sure it would have been easier with the cheaper material, but we made it happen. We got good at it about the time we finished. That's the way things work. This picture shows the fabric installed and about to be stretched to make the wrinkles disappear.



Once everything is tight the excess cord is cut off flush with a razor blade and the cap hammered back in.



Maybe we'll get another 22 years out of these.



I see sets like this sitting out in the trash because the sling material has failed. Scrappers grab them because of the aluminum, but they are so expensive to buy new they are worth renewing. It was $413 for 4 chairs and the two-piece lounge.

[Tornado2dr]

I see sets like this sitting out in the trash because the sling material has failed. Scrappers grab them because of the aluminum, but they are so expensive to buy new they are worth renewing. It was $413 for 4 chairs and the two-piece lounge.

Nice write-up. I agree with the "i was good at it by the time I struggled with the last piece"...because I recovered similar furniture for my mother years ago.

New crappy patio furniture is too expensive. New GOOD patio/outdoor furniture is WAY too expensive. I'm very happy that my set can be refreshed with quality paint every few years and cheap cushions every year. I'm just waiting for the glass-top to the table to break in a storm/knocks on wood).

[FlashRedGLS1.8T]

Very nice Barry.

[barry2952]

The deck chair didn't go well at all. I had a lot of trouble getting the lower fabric installed. I tried to bend one of the supports without noting that there was a welding vent hole right where I wanted some movement. Movement I got when it snapped in two. As soon as that happened the fabric slid right into place.

Stay tuned for welding and refinishing.

[99blackmagic]

Barry, you, sir, are a wealth of information.

I live in a small town and would never know to look for nicer, finer, items like this brand of furniture. While it's a lot of money up front, it seems you've shown it's worth it.

I have nothing further to add, except thanks for wanting to share the knowledge you have aquired.

[barry2952]

Barry, you, sir, are a wealth of information.

I live in a small town and would never know to look for nicer, finer, items like this brand of furniture. While it's a lot of money up front, it seems you've shown it's worth it.

I have nothing further to add, except thanks for wanting to share the knowledge you have aquired.

[sortadelux]

Very nice write up and killer deck railing!

[barry2952]

Thank you.

[Double-V]

Barry, you take mundane home improvement topics and make them very interesting with detailed write-ups and photos. I read every word and studied each photo even though I will probably never undertake such a project.

[barry2952]