The best patio sectionals

The two specifications that matter

Outdoor sectionals are sold on cushion depth and photographed on sunny terraces. The two things that decide how long one lasts are invisible in every photograph, and frequently missing from the specifications too.

1. The frame metal

Aluminum or steel. Aluminum cannot rust; steel rusts from every drilled hole and every weld. On a wicker sectional this is worse than on a bare metal chair, because the weave hides the corrosion until the frame is structurally compromised.

If a listing says only "metal frame" or "powder-coated frame," assume steel. Brands pay more for aluminum and advertise it.

2. The weave polymer

HDPE or PVC. HDPE weave carries UV inhibitors compounded through the strand and lasts eight to twelve years. PVC weave depends on plasticizers that migrate out under UV, leaving strands that go chalky, stiffen and snap at the corners within two to four summers. Our all-weather wicker page covers the mechanism in full.

Cushions are a consumable

Plan on replacing them once during the life of a good frame, and buy a frame worth re-cushioning.

Cushions combine the two things UV attacks hardest: dye and polymer foam. Printed polyester covers fade visibly in two to three summers and go patchy where the sun hits hardest. Solution-dyed acrylic has pigment in the fiber and fades slowly and uniformly, which is why Sunbrella publishes five-year coverage on its upholstery and sling lines.

The other half is the foam. Quick-dry open-cell foam drains and dries after rain; standard closed-cell foam holds water and mildews from the inside. A cushion that stays damp for a week after every storm is the one that will smell by August.

Our cushion picks cover both ends of the market, because upgrading cushions on a sound frame is very often the right purchase.

Modularity and configuration

A sectional's advantage over a fixed sofa is that it can be reconfigured, and some are much better at it than others.

• Sold-separately pieces are the strongest form. You can buy two chairs and a corner this year and extend next year. Poly lumber ranges tend to do this well.
• Connector clips keep pieces from drifting apart. Their absence on a cheap set is why the seats slowly separate over a summer.
• Weight matters here too. A sectional light enough to reconfigure casually is also light enough to move in wind.
• Measure the space before you choose a shape. An L-shaped sectional against a wall needs a different piece count from a U-shape around a fire pit, and returns on a large item are painful.

What to do in winter

Frames mostly cope; the soft goods do not. Priorities, in order:

1. Cushions come indoors. Non-negotiable. A deck box solves this if indoor space is short.
2. Cover the frame with a vented cover over dry furniture. Especially important for steel-framed sets, where winter is months of continuous moisture on any coating breach.
3. Get the feet out of standing water. Blocks or slabs. This matters more than the cover.
4. Strap the cover down. An unstrapped cover in a storm is a sail that takes itself and sometimes the cushions with it.

Full sequence on our winter guide, and the cover reasoning on our cover picks.