Restrap, Re-sling or Replace? Doing the Patio Furniture Math

October 20, 2026

Every patio set reaches the same point: the frame is fine and everything attached to it is worn out. The question is whether to put new fabric and maybe a new finish on it, or replace it. On good aluminum furniture the math usually favors repair, but not always. Here is how to work it out with real numbers.

Step 1: Is the frame worth it?

Start with the frame, because every other cost depends on it.

• Weight and build. A heavy aluminum frame from a maker like Winston, Tropitone or Homecrest is a good candidate. Each states a 15-year residential warranty against structural failure on its aluminum frames, which is a fair signal of how long they expect the frame to last.
• Welds. Flex each joint and look for cracks. One cracked weld is a $50 to $150 repair. Several is a warning sign.
• Straightness. A bent frame will never take a sling or straps evenly.
• Material. Aluminum does not rust red. A steel frame rusting through is usually not worth fabric; Winston, for one, does not warrant steel furniture against rust.

If the frame fails these checks, replacing is usually right. If it passes, keep going.

Step 2: Price the fabric

Typical per-piece prices, fabric and labor included:

Cross-weave or basket-weave straps add about 25 to 45 percent. These figures come from published shop price lists and a national sling cost guide, and match our pricing page.

Step 3: Decide on the finish

If the finish is faded or chalky but not lifting, you can leave it, wax it, or scuff and recoat it. If it is bubbling, peeling or pitted, it has to be stripped before it is recoated. Typical prices:

A worked example

A common Tucson set: four sling dining chairs, two sling chaises and a table, with a finish that is chalky and starting to bubble.

Option A: new slings only.

• Four chairs at $85-$120: $340-$480
• Two chaises at $105-$160: $210-$320
• Total: about $550-$800

Option B: full restoration. New slings, plus powder coat on every piece.

• Slings, as above: $550-$800
• Powder coat, four chairs at $75-$95: $300-$380
• Powder coat, two chaises at $100-$125: $200-$250
• Powder coat, table at $170-$190: $170-$190
• Subtotal before stripping: about $1,220-$1,620
• Stripping, if every piece needs it: six chair-size pieces at $25-$100 ($150-$600) plus the table at $135-$300
• Total if everything is stripped: about $1,505-$2,520

The quote lists stripping only on the pieces whose finish is lifting or bubbling, so most sets land between those two totals.

Now compare that with the price of a new set of the same weight and build from the maker. That is the honest comparison. A light, big-box set is not the same product.

Step 4: Consider doing it in stages

Because repair is priced per piece, you do not have to do it all at once. Owners can re-sling the most-used chairs first, then refinish the set in a later season. The frames have to come apart for powder coat anyway, so the most efficient sequence is to refinish and refabric each piece in the same trip.

Step 5: Check the warranty

If the set is newer, check before paying anyone. Tropitone and Winston each state five years on vinyl straps against breakage and five years on the finish. Most warranties exclude sun-product damage, normal fading and weather.

When replacing wins

• Light frames that cost less new than the restoration would.
• Steel frames rusting through.
• Several failed welds.
• A design you no longer like. That is a fine reason too.

Step 6: Count what the warranty actually pays

Owners sometimes assume a strap warranty makes repair free. It usually does not. Brown Jordan and Winston will send a replacement strap for a break within five years, but Brown Jordan’s fabric coverage expressly leaves out labor and installation, and Homecrest’s replacements come without labor costs. In practice the maker supplies the strap and someone still has to fit it. So if a warranty strap arrives in the mail, it is worth asking for a fitting price, which for one strap typically falls under a small-job minimum.

Step 7: Weigh the frame, not the fabric

Fabric is the replaceable part; the frame is what you are deciding about. A set that is straight, with whole welds and only a faded finish, is a strong candidate for repair. A set with cracks at several joints is not, partly because welding a heat-treated aluminum joint weakens the metal beside the weld, by 30 to 50 percent according to one engineering reference. Several failed joints on one piece is our cue to suggest you price new.

Step 8: Expect a close color, not always an exact one

Even a warranty replacement may not match. Brown Jordan’s warranty says that if a color or model has been discontinued it will replace with a similar one, and notes that it or its suppliers may discontinue a component such as fabric or paint at any time. Repair has the same limit. If an exact match matters, we bring samples and you choose against an unfaded strap from under the seat; if it does not, a refinish in a fresh color makes the question go away.

A quick checklist

• Frame straight and welds sound? Repair.
• One cracked joint? Repair, and refinish that piece.
• Several cracked joints, or steel rusting through? Price new.
• Newer set? Read the warranty before you pay anyone.

Run your own numbers

The refinish or replace calculator does this per piece, and the sling and strap cost calculator prices fabric for a set. For the work itself, see sling replacement, vinyl strap restrapping and powder coating.