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Thursday, August 4, 2011

buy of the month: adirondack chairs



I had initially envisioned four wooden chaises on the new gravel terrace off of the barn room.  But, after months of thinking about it I realized that while I loved "the look," it made me feel like I needed a pool or a ocean view to go with them- neither of which I have!  I also didn't like that they would be difficult to move around the terrace.   Wood chaises are also very expensive which is why I thought about it for so long before making a decision.  One day, after glancing at the pair of white Adirondack chairs in the front meadow it dawned on my how perfect Adirondacks would be on the terrace.   
Since we've moved to New England I've fallen for Adirondack chairs.  They feel so New England to me.  I'm picky about my Adirondacks- I like an even fan-back top and nice arms.  I happened by Home Depot several weeks ago and spotted boxes of natural wood (fir) Adirondack chairs for $29 each!   They had a good design and scale, but the thing I noticed was that they had a bulky/chunky arm detail- it just seemed out of proportion for the rest of the chair.  After inspecting the chair I thought of an idea to remedy that issue- I would have Dan reshape the arms.  By the time I got back to HD with the big SUV they had dropped the price to $20!  I could buy four for less than the regular price of one chair at other shops.  I did have to assemble them (Dan was happy to be out of town that day;) which wasn't difficult, and found them well-made and sturdy.
I wanted the chairs to blend into the space (as opposed to the white in the front meadow), so I decided to stain them to give them a bit of age.
The stain is:  Sherwin Williams Woodscape Exterior Stain in Charwood #3542



 before and after: 
the recently stained chair dried to a lighter brown with a bit of gray coming through the wood.




In this photo you can see the before arm (left) and after arm.





I drew an angle similar to the fan-back of the chair for Dan to cut.  I think this one small detail really softens the chair.




I find these staining pads (Home Depot) to be much easier to use than a brush.  You have a lot more control and the product goes on faster, covering a larger area than using a brush.



The chairs on the terrace. 
 I'm on the lookout for a table to go in the center.  We talked about doing a fire pit with a large iron piece like the one we used for the courtyard planter, but in the end decided that since this space is so visible from the house we didn't want to look at an empty fire pit when it wasn't in use. 

All in all, I think it was $80 well spent!

Update:
Thank you to much older sister Susan who sent me this link to the
on line for $29.88 with Free Shipping!

66 comments:

  1. Way to go! They look great in the courtyard - don't you love when you find exactly what you want and the price is better than expected!
    Enjoy your evenings in them ~

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  2. I agree and making the cut out was the right choice. Funny how little details can make such a great impact. You certainly got a good deal on the chairs and the look you were going for...great job!
    Maura :)

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  3. These chairs we are great deal and they look fabulous! I love the look! Have a great day!

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  4. Nice deal!! and they look great!! When do we get to see the Barn Room???

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  5. Wow! When did you buy them? I am ready to hop down to HD.....I need a few for my patio! I wonder if my HD would have them? Looks great....thanks for sharing. You always inspire me.

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  6. They look great and so comfy! {I like those staining pads, too!}

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  7. Love the chairs and the little detail you made to change the arms looks wonderful. Great space and the stain is wonderful. Hugs, Marty

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  8. Perfection my dear! Is there anything Dan cannot do? Tell me he cooks too and I am on my way out to grab him. :)
    xoxo Dianne

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  9. Debbie C- no time soon. having a bit of an issue with the tung oil, so I'm still haven't put a single thing in the room.

    Rhonda- a couple of weeks ago. Last time I was there my store was out of them, but do check yours- you never know!

    Dianne- no!! he doesn't cook, but he does often wash the dishes for me!!

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  10. Cool! I just bought four of these chairs too and plain to paint mine a bright shiny red :) Love those end of the season sales...I paid $14 each for mine...If you have your receipt take it in and ask for a price adjustment..they will probably do it if its been less than 30 days since you bought them :)

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  11. Carol- you win!! they will fabulous in bright, shiny red; how fun!

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  12. Lucky you to have Handy Dan! Beautiful job on these and they are spot on for your couryard. I'm envisioning a table made of a wine barrel (half of one for coffee table height) in the center. :) Always a pleasure reading up on your journey! Have a blessed day.
    Heidi @ Show Some Decor

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  13. They look great!! Adirondack chairs are known as Muskoka chairs up here because so many cottages in Muskoka have them! They really are fab chairs!

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  14. What a pretty spot!!! I vote fire pit. I did a post with my "dream" fire pits here: http://rindymae.blogspot.com/2011/06/fire-fire.html Your spot would lend itself to any of them.

    And the one my small yard would allow here:
    http://rindymae.blogspot.com/2011/07/fire-fire-part-2.html

    We absolutely love it.

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  15. Wow....that's awesome, Joan! Great price and what a difference that small little curve on the arms does. It's the little details that make all the difference!

    Hugs,
    Gail

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  16. Great find Joan! I vote for a firepit too. Come see mine: http://vignettedesign.blogspot.com/2011/07/plants-that-thrive-in-mediterranean.html.
    But also, a huge round table would be great too. Just wondering what kind of gravel you have. ~Delores

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  17. Oh how nice! What a great buy on those chairs. I'd love to find some at HD here. They look beautiful in the courtyard. Great job! ~ Pamela

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  18. GORGEOUS! And those were an EXCELLENT buy! Love the detail you added! Great space Joan! When do you uncork the wine?

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  19. What a great buy!! How about a millstone for a table...I love them. I just went on millstone.com and they are WAY TOO expensive...maybe a local salvage yard. You may already have one in the yard...not sure. Enjoy this beautiful day! Mary in Ct., Ruth's YOUNGER Sister!

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  20. mercy me...there are going to be traffic jams all over the county in front of home depots everywhere...the chairs are simply perfect...shape...stain...size...of course the view is simply perfect too...one way the vista of your property...the other way the vista of your hearts (the house of course)...and how good of you to have four...two for you and dan...and two for a neighboring farmer and his wife...

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  21. I love it and it kind of cracks me up that that tiny change will make all the difference to you. if you d=hadn't made that you would stare at the arms all the time not liking them......like the crooked picture frame or the uneven curtain hem. Ugh! It's hard being this detail oriented, isn't it?

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  22. hi Mary- Ruth's YOUNGER sister! loved it- made me laugh (you get it!) How is your daughter enjoying the camp she's working at in NH?! I thought about stone (not in the form of a millstone which I do love and I agree- really expensive) but a large flat stone from the property and then I remembered the large "stone" wall and the "stone" floor (the gravel), you see where I'm going!! So I ruled out more stone. hi to Ruth for me!

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  23. What a great buy!

    Have you seen the granite well covers at Smith Zukas? I would LOVE one of those babies for a landing off my back stairs but I'm just not ready for one yet. I could see one out in this area. So many wonderful possibilities for this space.

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  24. Joan, Love your chairs and they are the perfect addition to your lovely yard. I also like the stain you used, It blends nicely with all the elements that surround the chairs. How fun to find such a great deal on something you wanted, Kudos to you for making it work YOUR WAY!! xo KATHYSUE

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  25. You have no idea how much I appreciate this post! I love your chairs and have been on the hunt for some reasonably priced Adirondacks for awhile now. Thank you so much, yours look wonderful and I will be making the 45 min drive to our nearest HD to get some!

    Kat :)

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  26. What an amazing deal! Love them! Could you share the brand and color stain you used?
    Erin (a new blog follower from Exeter, NH)

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  27. I vote for fire pit. we have one at our cottage and use it every night we are there.The iron pieces you found would be perfect. If you don't want to look at an empty pit - just set it up with wood for yur "next" fire. It's a great place to unwind and look at the stars.

    LOVE the chairs!

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  28. Hi Again,

    My daughter is loving her job at the camp (Road's End Farm). It is a very special place and if you're a girl and you love horses, this is the perfect camp! We went up this week on her day off and took her to a Hampton Inn over night for a long hot shower! On Tuesday we climbed Mt. Monadnock!! At 50, I was determined to do it. I thought it was going to be hiking but it was more like ROCK CLIMBING but worth the view! Mary
    PS. Looking forward to seeing what you choose!

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  29. Love it! You inspire me with all you do! Would you tell this newby diy'er what stain you used? I love a neutral brown and I am discouraged with how much money is wasted trying to find one!

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  30. Ah, I am in love! This is so great. I'm thinking that adirondack is the way we will go when selecting our patio furniture. It's a classic! And I absolutely love the stain you did!

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  31. I got to check out the Home Depot where I live...I've always loved these type of chairs and you certainly can't beat the price. Yours look great!

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  32. Love your chairs! I really do see a fire pit there, too. We have 4 Adirondacks in the yard, too. This fall we are going to build a round fire pit, edge the sides in stone, and put pavers on the top (for drinks or feet!). I know you have a lot of stone going on, but in my view, it would look gorgeous.

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  33. Now that is a bargain! Well Done!

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  34. .... add a couple of outdoor cushions in great colours, pretty flowers in planters, maybe a nataural stone from your area for a table (or tables)....and then, the best part....... you and Dan soaking up the view with a cool drink in hand.
    Great find.

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  35. We bought a couple of Adirondack chairs a few years ago but paid a lot more for them ;( it was before HD was around. Love the look of your terrace and you’ll find the perfect table. I hope you’re enjoying the summer on your side of the mountain!

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  36. thanks for sharing! my husband snagged 5 of these today for $14 each. Now my work is cut out for me with putting them together and staining. Do you mind sharing what stain you used? i like the look you achieved. Do you plan to put any type of poly on them? --Desseray

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  37. They are perfect and I love the color os the stain you used! I think a big round table would be beautiful! Whatever you decide I know it will be beautiful! XO, Pinky

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  38. I love these! And I love where you placed them. I agree, you don't have to have a pool or an ocean view to enjoy these beauties.

    ♥ sécia
    www.petiteinsanities.blogspot.com

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  39. You can't go wrong with Adirondack chairs and I love how you stained yours . $20 a piece - unbelievable!

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  40. gotta love the versatility of adirondack chairs. i have many around my house as well. time for relaxing and uncorking.

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  41. What color/kind of stain did you use?

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  42. Love these chairs and you got a great deal on them!!
    We have 2 in our back yard, and they both have bites taken out of them :)
    Comfy though!

    Deborah xo

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  43. An idea for your fire pit - my brother in law has a brick one and doesn't like the look of it when it's empty so he fills 3 large plastic buckets halfway with packing peanuts to take up space, then with potting mix and plants annuals in them. No one sees the plastic buckets and the packing peanuts keep it lightweight. He puts the buckets in the pit and easily removes them when its time for a fire. Wendy in CT.

    P.S. I love your house!

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  44. If you can't find the chairs in your location I have Updated the post (at the very bottom) to include a link to Home Depot on-line which has the chairs for $29.88 with Free Shipping!

    My apologies, as I meant to include the stain in the post. I actually had it on hand as it was the base coat for the walls in the barn loft/storage and mud rooms.

    It is Sherwin Williams Woodscape Exterior Stain in Charwood #3542.

    This wood is fir and it read more brown, but on the pine in the barn it was more gray. (The color and link is also listed on my sidebar under "My Paint Colors and Stain" for future reference, and I have updated this post.)

    Desseray- The stain has a sealer in it, so no need to top it with anything- which is great as that also saves a step:)

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  45. Amazing! I'm going to look for some this weekend!

    Any tips on keeping gravel looking great throughout the year? We have a small gravel area that holds a large sculpture in our front yard, right under a maple tree. Short of replacing the entire thing every year, I can't find a way to keep little bits of tree out of it!

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  46. Good call on the chair modification! Lucky you on that pricing! The staining looks great...living up north where I do we see them all the time and they are always painted. White seems to be a favorite color! They look great sitting there... :)

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  47. They look nice, and I love the idea of the millstone for a centertable.

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  48. Hey I got those! What a buy huh? I heard Martha talking about them a couple of months ago and I sent hubs after them.. when he got there they said they didn't have any.. guess what they were tucked in the stock room! Love them, don't they sit great?

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  49. Delores- forgot to respond to your question... the gravel is Pea gravel crushed at a local quarry.

    Melissa- this is the first year for this pea gravel and no trees above it;), but our gravel driveway (larger stone, not pea) is lined with maples and I haven't had any problems, except for the grass/weeds that will pop up in places. Sorry I can't be of more help.

    Beverly- which Martha??

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  50. I love Adirondak cahirs and these are perfect, great job with the arm change and stain!!

    xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

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  51. Hi Joan,

    What a GREAT look and such a great buy! The terrace looks like such a peaceful space. The combination of everything is so balanced and natural looking.

    xoTrina

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  52. Hi Joan - funny that you posted about your chairs because that is what's on my blog today too! We call them Muskoka chairs up here in Ontario (named after a cottaging area north of Toronto).

    Love the subtle colour of the stain. Mine is painted a soft turquoise as it's original home was beside our pool. Now that it sits under an old maple, I'm thinking of "browning" it down.

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  53. Hi Joan! It's Jennifer from Baton Rouge. I found 6 of these chairs from our local HD- $14.99 a piece!! I got 2 for my house and my parents got 4 for their new place. Love the stain, and thanks for the tip! You (and your sister and huband) have the neatest ideas!
    Best,
    J

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  54. Hi Joan, Dan, and Ella: I love the reworked chairs and the deal that you got is great! If you want a fire pit, would you consider making an unique one with some type of wooden top that would allow the fire pit to be used as a table when not used as a pit? Cindy

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  55. Love the chairs and your choice of stain is perfection. Hope it's cool enough for you to enjoy them this weekend. The only way we would be able to enjoy them is drag them in the house. Ha!

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  56. Once again you prove that good style doesn't have to be expensive. Put your money where it matters in select pieces; where you can scrim without it showing: DO!

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  57. What a great deal you got. Love the stain and what you did with them. I'm looking for a great buy like this and will have to check out HD. Thanks for the tip. For me, I'm thinking I would paint them red and have them nestled in our lot amongst the trees and grasses. Saw red ones in the meadow at the NaDa Farm event in the spring and fell in love with them. Now I'm a fan.
    Connie (aka Lou)

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  58. Adirondack chairs. just typing those words sends me to memories of my grandparent's summer home on Lake Erie. seeing your photos, reading your words, makes me happy we pulled up a chair and shared coffee together this morning.
    thank you. -xok.

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  59. Saw your post this am and decided to check out HD. After calling three stores only to be told they had been sold out, I finally found the chairs on clearance for $14 at a store only 4 miles from me! Woo HOO! My original thought was to order some painted chairs from one of our vendors (we have a furniture store). But I figured I'd put in a little sweat equity and paint these a custom color. Now, obviously the HD chairs are nowhere near the quality of the ones for which I would have paid $99 wholesale cost, but for what I need them for- $14 is a bargain~ Glad I visited this morning! :-) Sue

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  60. yesterday at a yard sale I found a smith and hawkins rocking adirondack ...
    I was elated!!

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  61. Sue- Lou (two comments above you) was going to paint hers red too! Love red- saw some red rockers in front of a house today and they were so charming!

    cityfarmer- I was just thinking about and missing S & H today! I would be thrilled to find anything S & H;) Congrats!

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  62. Oh gosh, great buy at Home Depot. The stain color looks great and blends so well with your graveled terrace.
    Looking forward to seeing your table, when you find the perfect one.
    Thanks for the link.
    Babs

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  63. I mentioned you in the post I did last week about our chair project. Great kid thing to do!

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  64. Joanie you are just the best!!!! We have loved everthing you've done. I miss you and Captain Dan and all the wonderful stories that go along with each thing you do. Keep up the great work and most of all the wonderful writing you do. Hugs from Dallas just a cool 105 today.

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  65. Hi Joan,
    I just discovered your blog and LOVE it. Your photos and stories about your home and life in New England make my heart ache for my previous life in small town Massachusetts.
    I wanted to throw out a possibility for your beautiful gravel terrace. I thought perhaps a LARGE potjie pot might make an interesting centerpiece in the center of your chairs...if you are not familiar with them, the potjie pot is a cast iron cooking pot used in South Africa. You can go to www.potjiepotusa.com and do a search for "cauldron size potjie pots". There are many, many sizes. Given the size of your terrace I would recommend a large size pot (14? 20? 25?) We have a large one on a wooden deck in a house in North Carolina. These pots are designed for cooking, but we use ours as a firepit, the beauty part being that they come with a cast iron lid, so when the wind whips up or the party winds down all you have to do is place the lid on your pot and call it a night; no need to wait for the fire to die down! Even the lids are heavy but we just use a crowbar to lift the lid on and off over an open fire. They are a really interesting looking piece. People love the look of ours, not to mention the functionality. During summer months I purchased a large piece of thick plywood at HomeDepot and had them cut out a 60" round that I use as a table top on the pot (with the lid not in place). I covered the wood with zinc sheeting which gives the "table" a rustic/industrial/architectural look. (copper sheeting would be beautiful also and would weather to a beautiful natural patina with time.
    Sorry to take up so much space here. Though many voted for some type of firepit I didn't see a pot idea. If you feel the pots are too expensive, I would vote for a hubby hand-built stonewall firepit.You could still use the metal covered plywood round for off season. With your obvious talents and creativity I know you could bring in other elements to warm the space and soften the appearance of "too much stone".
    Again, apologies for length (brevity is not my forte). I do LOVE your blog and look forward to each new post.
    ~Allison McCall

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  66. Allison- thank you for the link! the day I found this comment I saw a (small) potjie at an antiques shop!! I like your idea of iron top- that is great.

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Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive and read it. joan