POLYWOOD Presidential Rocking Chair in Black

UrbanLegendUnited States

Sturdy, comfortable, 20-year warranty. Highly recommend, but read my assembly instructions to save some aggravation!

I purchased two of these rockers for our front porch to replace wooden rockers that had faded and mildewed, and worse, we had one of the wooden rocker blades on our old chairs collapse under the weight of a rather robust friend. We decided to go with synthetic materials for durability and strength when we replaced the wooden chairs. I was not disappointed! These chairs are extremely well constructed, much heavier than the wooden ones we used to have. I read all the reviews and especially problems with assembly hardware, but went with them anyway. The hardware was fine and assembly was relatively simple, but the instructions are very sketchy. I will attempt to supplement them with what worked well for me. Please note this is not the same sequence as the instructions that come with it, however there is virtually no way it would go together if you took their instructions literally and read them in the sequence provided. In my opinion, the problems are not with the hardware but with the instructions. The screws are in fact made of aluminum which is soft and the screw heads can be stripped easily if not careful. However, aluminum won't rust like steel screws would do. The only other rustproof option would be stainless steel screws which are much more expensive. The aluminum screws work fine (and the heads are painted white to match the chair) as long as you follow these instructions. 1. Get out your cordless drill and make sure the battery is charged. It will save a lot of wrist twisting. 2. Sort the screws into four shorter screws and 12 long ones. You don't want to use any of them in the wrong places or you won't have enough of the correct size later. 3. Put the supplied hex-wrench bit in the drill. When using it, always stop when the screws are not all the way in - leave about 1/4" or more to hand-tighten with the supplied T-wrench. This will prevent stripping the screw heads out by torquing too hard with the drill bit. Also, make sure the drill bit is tight in the screw heads before you start the drill or you will strip the aluminum heads. 4. Attach the seat to one of the two side-frames, using two short screws. Use the drill bit but stop when there is still about 1/4" to go. 5. Attach the back frame to that side-frame, using long screws. Use the drill bit, stopping with 1/4" left to go. 6. Attach the other side frame to the seat and back frame. Use the two remaining short screws for the seat and long screws everywhere else. Again, use the drill but stop leaving about 1/4" to go. 7. Put the curved head bar in between the two side-frames. There are no screws, it squeezes into the two slots provided. 8. Attach the two straight braces between the legs. Long brace between the two front legs, short brace between the back legs. Use the drill bit but keep a grip on the braces with one hand as you activate the drill or they will just spin. Leave about 1/4" to go with the drill bit. 9. Using the supplied T-wrench, go back and hand-tighten all screws. Be careful to turn the leg braces so the widest side faces out. 10. Flipping the chair upside down, attach the rocker blades with the longest end facing the rear of the chair. Again, use the drill but leave about 1/4" and then hand-tighten the remaining 1/4" with the T-wrench. 11. Turn the chair right-side up, lay down your tools, sit in the chair and relax. Contemplate its comfortable curved seat bottom, nice wide arms, and sturdy seat back. As you rock back and forth, take a moment to savor the satisfaction of making a wise purchase decision, and assembling it yourself. Job well done! Of the two chairs I just assembled, everything fit perfectly on the first chair, but the second one took a little help from my wife to get the seat to fit into the slots provided - one of the slots was cut slightly askew in the side frame. I got it to go together with a little pushing and pulling, but if it hadn't quite fit I would have just shaved a little of the slot with a knife or drill to make it work - it wasn't more than about 1/16" off square with the frame. The chairs are very comfortable, quite heavy, extremely sturdy, have a 20-year warranty, and should last longer than my lifetime. I highly recommend these chairs and would buy more if I needed them.

Kristen C.United States

Pricey, but they should last longer and wear better than wood or wicker. See pictures:

These POLYWOOD chairs are fantastic. Price aside (which is high), these should outlast two or three pairs of wood or wicker chairs on my front porch. These two POLYWOOD composite chairs are replacing a fourteen year old set of woven wicker rockers that were getting discolored and began to unravel. This POLYWOOD material is a vinyl composite wood, like Trex decking and it withstands the elements fantastic. My front porch, despite the shady, late-afternoon photos I attached, gets pounded with direct sun and blowing wind; anything there takes a four-seasons beating. My prior furniture lasted only a few years before it began to break down; anything wood I've put there peels and chips in only about a year. This POLYWOOD set should last much longer and it has a 20-year warranty. As for the chairs, they were easy to assemble (the directions in UrbanLegend's review were great), they are also very substantial and heavy so they will not get blown around by the wind. Plus, their build quality will withstand them being sat upon by persons of size. The chairs themselves are very comfortable to sit in; both my wife and I (who vary in size by over a foot and 100+ pounds) can relax and rock nicely in them. The backs, if I had to point to a minor downside, are at an almost 90 degree angle. As such, you sit a bit erect. They are still quite comfortable though. They look great as well. I posted a few pictures of the two chairs on my stoop with the optional royal blue seat cushions along with a POLYWOOD end table.

Julia S.United States

Traditional look, sturdy & easy assembly!

A lot of plastic patio furniture has a modern or retro look, which is fine, but I really wanted a traditional porch rocker. We live in a place that gets over 60 inches of rain annually, so it needed to be durable, too. Wood is a recipe for heartbreak in this climate. Even synthetic wicker only lasted about 10 years on our covered porch. So I was very excited to find this chair! Perfect look, and a material that will definitely hold up to the elements! Assembly was easier than I expected - it's a lot of bolt-tightening, but everything fit, there were only 2 kinds of bolts, and the tool that was provided was probably the highest quality hex wrench I've ever gotten with a piece of furniture 😅 My only complaints, and they're small, are that I wish the seat were about 1 inch higher - I'm only 5'6", but I find the seat a little low. And the texture of the material, which I had expected to be smooth, looks nice but like it might catch a little more dirt/pollen/algae than a smooth finish. Time will tell, but it will also be very easy to clean since it's non-porous. And it looks a little more natural than a glossy smooth finish would, anyway. I like this enough that I think I'm going to replace the deck furniture at our cabin with the same stuff - worth the price for the quality and durability!

EricaUnited States

Had these chairs for 5 1/2 years now

I can honestly say these chairs were worth the investment. We bought 4 chairs in total - all black in color - 2 for the front porch and 2 for the back sitting area. They’ve been outside the entire time and our porch faces the west. We live in the Midwest so they’ve been exposed to extreme temperatures - blazing sun, rain, sleet, high winds, and snow and they look as good as the day we bought them. No fading, no chipping, nothing except for one of the screws on one arm came out and actually broke part of the piece that holds the arm. I may talk to the company about it, but other than that they’re great. For reference I’m 5’9” and my husband is 5’11” and we’re not small people. We both find these chairs comfortable and a decent height. My legs are longer so yes I definitely touch the ground and can stretch them out but nothing too bothersome. Seriously, if you’re on the fence about them, just buy them. You won’t be disappointed. Are they a little pricey? Yes. But you pay for quality. I can see them lasting a really long time so I feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth already.