Aluminum sling chairs - revive or replace?

[Steverino]

We have a set of 6 sling chairs & two chaises that are 15 years old. The slings are starting to fall apart and the chair finishes are faded. In a couple of cases the finishes are actually coming off. That said, the aluminum is in fine shape overall, and we still like them. These are Garden Oasis brand, originally sold by Sears. I have contacted the manufacturer, but (no surprise) there are no replacement parts available. I am aware that one can purchase replacement slings from various third parties.

Looking for opinions on whether it makes any sense to try to replace the slings. I almost feel like if I go that route I need to repaint or powder coat the frames too. I doubt an ordinary spray paint will hold up well in the sun for 7 months out of the year, so am guessing paying for powder coating is probably the way to go. Is all of that worth it?
I know I can buy steel sling chairs for cheap, but am 100% not interested in steel. We have a couple of steel lounges and at two years old they are already starting to rust. I've not had a lot of luck finding aluminum ones - most seem to be steel, and even those listed as aluminum often turn out to be steel when you get into the details.

If you replaced / restored your slings - what did you do / where did you get them? Did you refinish the frames?
If you have a good source for aluminum sling chairs I'd love to know!

Thanks!

 

[Steverino]

Just a little nudge for visibility...

 

[jark87]

We had 3 sets of chairs and 2 tables that we had sandblasted and repainted. 2 of the sets were slings and we had new slings added. All for less than the cost of 1 new set. And the company that did it picked up and delivered - super easy. That was a couple of years ago and they still look like new. Sets are almost 20 years old. Couldn’t be happier. Here are pics of the sling sets:




I just Googled “outdoor furniture refinishing”, or something like that. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find anyone, but got lucky. You can get replacement slings online. I’ve replaced them before. It’s not super hard, but not super easy, either. Plenty of YT videos that can help. Since ours needed painting, there was no need for me to go through that process again. And you’re right, just painting over the existing finish won’t work. It will just flake off. Been there. Hopefully you can find someone that will sandblast them and then repaint/powder coat.

 

[Steverino]

Thanks for the reply and the pics - looks like the project turned out really well! I'll definitely do some googling. There is a sandblast / powdercoat shop or two nearby that I can reach out to.