Mesh outdoor dining chairs and the first seat back after rain

The shower passes at twenty to six. The sidewalk steams, the sky clears over the rooftops, and the first table of the evening is already waiting at the door. Every chair outside is wet. The question is which ones you can seat a guest in within the next few minutes.

A mesh seat lets the rain straight through. So does a perforated one. Shake it, tip it, give it a wipe, and it is back in service while a solid seat is still holding a puddle. That is the case for mesh outdoor dining chairs on a street-facing patio, and it is a strong one. The rest of the choice comes down to what the record says about frame, weight and stacking.

Mesh, perforated and grid: what we list

Our mesh and perforated chairs come in two materials.

Metal mesh is a woven or punched metal seat and back on a metal frame. This metal mesh patio chair lists 8 lbs, a 400 lb capacity, and a footprint of 20 1/2 by 20 1/2 inches. A square-back metal mesh armchair lists 12 lbs, 400 lb, and stacks. You will find both families in our metal outdoor furniture and aluminum and steel patio chairs.

Resin mesh and perforated resin are molded, frame and seat in one material, with the holes formed in. This mesh resin patio chair lists 7 lbs, 400 lb, and stacks. A perforated outdoor resin armchair lists 9 lbs, an 18-inch seat, a 500 lb capacity, and stacks as well.

Both kinds are listed for patio use. The heaviest chairs in this group are metal and the lightest is resin, which hoses off and goes in fast.

Why the holes matter after rain

Water on a solid seat has nowhere to go. It sits there until somebody with a towel gets to it, and on a busy patio that somebody is also running food. Multiply that by every chair outside and the first half hour after a shower turns into a mopping job.

A mesh or perforated seat drains by itself. Most of the water is gone by the time a server reaches it, and a quick wipe of the frame finishes the job. The slatted faux teak seats on our other chairs drain too, through the gaps between slats; the teak dining chairs guide covers that family.

Holes catch other things as well. Leaves, grit off the street, the odd bottle cap. A soft brush and a hose clear them on the weekly rinse.

Stacking, model by model

Here is the detail most buyers miss, and it costs them at midnight.

Of the eight mesh and perforated dining chairs in our range, five stack. The other three, the metal mesh side chair, its matching armchair and the black metal mesh armchair, leave the stacking line blank, so plan those as single carries.

The perforated resin pair is the easy one. Side chair and armchair both stack up to 10 high, same pattern, same 500 lb capacity. The trap is in the metal. The square-back armchair stacks, while the black metal mesh armchair beside it does not list it, and neither does the plain mesh side chair. Same look, different answer on the line that decides how long breakdown takes.

So read the stacking line chair by chair. Never assume a model name or a family look carries the answer across.

Fitting them at the table

A 36-inch square top seats four, one guest to a side. The metal mesh side chair is 20 1/2 inches wide, which leaves 15 1/2 inches of each edge open, enough for a guest to slide in without knocking the chair at the next side. The square-back armchair is 22 inches wide and 25 deep. Give it the corner tables, where there is space behind for the 18 to 24 inches a guest needs to push back.

Height lines up without fuss. The perforated resin chairs list an 18-inch seat, and against a dining top near 30 inches that leaves about 12 inches, inside the usual 10 to 12.

Running a rail as well? Our patio bar stools include metal mesh and perforated resin stools that match these chairs at bar height.

A worked terrace: 24 chairs, two ways

Say a terrace runs six four-tops, 24 chairs, and every chair comes in at close.

• Mesh resin side chairs at 7 lbs: 24 x 7 = 168 lbs, and they stack.
• Black metal mesh armchairs at 13 lbs: 24 x 13 = 312 lbs, one chair per carry.

That is 144 lbs more each way with the metal armchairs, 288 lbs more across setup and breakdown together, and every one of those 24 chairs is its own trip.

The metal chair still has its place. Heavier frames sit more firmly on an exposed corner when a gust rolls down the street, and an armchair gives a long dinner a different feel from a side chair. Choose them for the tables where guests linger, and stacking resin for the rows that turn over fast.

Rule of thumb: put stacking chairs where breakdown happens in a hurry, and single-carry chairs where they can stay chained in place overnight.

Care that keeps the holes working

Rinse mesh and perforated chairs the same way you would any patio piece: hose, soft brush, mild soap if the street has been dusty. Skip harsh cleaners. The wrong cleaning agents are on the list of things the warranty excludes, and so is outdoor furniture left uncared for.

Tip each chair so water runs out of the frame tubes and seat corners, then let it dry before you stack or cover. At season's end, rinse, dry, and store the whole set indoors or under a breathable cover. Patio chairs carry 6 months of warranty against defects at delivery.

Need a side-by-side with the woven look? The synthetic wicker chairs guide runs the same tests on a chair that takes longer to dry.

After the next shower, count chairs

Next time it rains, go outside the moment it stops. Count how many of your current chairs a guest could sit in without a towel, and how many would need one. That number tells you how much a draining seat is worth on your patio.

Then mark the chairs you want in an outdoor plan, note which ones stack, and give the single-carry models their own line in the notes so the closing crew knows which chairs stay chained by the rail. Our patio chairs list frame, weight and stacking on each page for the rest of the row.