Steel patio furniture has gotten a bad rap over the years, largely because the furniture of the past was prone to rust, eventually turning an expensive set into a pile of dust.
But today's steel patio furniture is more rustproof, thanks to new production techniques, better primer and paints and improved maintenance and care methods. With proper care steel patio furniture should last as long, if not longer, than furniture made of wood or aluminum.
The possibility of your steel furniture rusting in the first place depends upon where you live. In warmer, drier climates, rust is virtually non-existent. In the Northeast, if left to its own devices, steel rusts more easily.
The advantages of steel patio furniture far outweigh the drawbacks. Steel is far stronger than aluminum and steel can create finer and more delicate frames, due to its higher tensile strength. Of course, rust is the major drawback, or at least it has been in generations past.
New coatings have really changed all that. High quality steel patio furniture is coated with a dense layer of primer and paint, keeping rust problems to a minimum while protecting the steel from the elements and even damage from inadvertent scratches and scrapes from daily use.