How to Buy a Glider

Find a space big enough to fit the glider and plan to decorate your patio or garden room around it. Make room for side chairs and tables, baskets of peas to shell and a magazine holder.

Shop for your glider at garden centers and home stores, but don't forget the Internet for unusual and handcrafted designs. Discount stores with seasonal garden sections and shops that specialize in concrete garden sculpture may also offer gliders.

Look for a glider that suits your taste for style and upkeep as well as price. Simple wood designs may look lackluster next to elegant metals with sculpted backs, but will probably be less work to repaint. You want close slats on wood gliders and even stenciling with no sharp edges on metal models.

Choose a painted metal surface to add color and a whimsical flair to your garden room. Call attention to plants and other architecture with natural finish wood gliders that blend into the setting.

Steer away from wicker and cloth gliders unless you're using them on the porch. Both take more work to maintain and hold less weight than wood or metal gliders.

Test-drive several gliders - you'll find two- and three-seaters in several heights. Sit comfortably and see if your feet can tap the ground to keep gliding.

Stay within your budget - quality can be found at moderate prices.

Check out delivery arrangements and assembly details before buying to save aggravation when you'd rather be sitting. In general, gliders with few parts will be easier to put together and more stable.