About Patio Designs
 

Materials For Patio Furniture

Wood

Wooden Patio Furniture

Wooden patio furniture is very popular and lasting. In general, wooden patio furniture can stand up to the elements like very hot sun or summer storms pretty well. However, if you decide to use wooden patio furniture you should treat it with a water resistant coating to protect it from drying out in the sun or becoming damaged from being out in the rain.

Wooden patio furniture is good choice if you do a lot of entertaining because it’s very strong and rigid, thus can accommodate people of all different sizes. It’s also simple to change the look of wooden patio furniture with a new coat of paint in the color of your choice.

Good quality wooden patio furniture can be expensive but if you carry out regular maintenance of painting or protective coating on the wood every few years, the furniture will inevitably last for a long time. One good example are the famous Adirondack chairs.

Wicker and Rattan

If you like to change the decor of your patio frequently and don’t want to have to buy new patio furniture every time then Wicker or Rattan patio furniture would be a good and decent choice for you.

Wicker and rattan is the second most popular type of patio furniture that is made from natural materials. Both wicker and rattan furniture is durable, light weight and to a certain extent - flexible, making it great for patio furniture that needs to be brought indoors or moved frequently. Wicker is actually not a material by itself. Wicker is the end result of weaving rattan with other materials, usually bamboo slats, to make furniture.

Rattan (originated from a Malay word - Rotan) is technically a tree, although it grows like a vine along the ground. They are usually found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. The rattan vines are cut and peeled, then steamed to make them pliable, and then they are used as rattan weaving materials.

Rattan furniture can be made of stripes of Rattan that are woven together when the wood is wet. It can also be strips of Bamboo or other materials woven around straight rattan slats. Rattan easily accepts paints and stains like many other kinds of wood, so it is available in many colors and it can be worked into many styles.

Both rattan and wicker furniture is a less expensive alternative to hardwood patio furniture if you want to have patio furniture that is made from natural sources. These types of patio furniture don’t require a lot of maintenance and can be used in or outdoors all year long. It’s also possible to change the outlook of Wicker or Rattan furniture by giving the furniture a new coat of color. So, if you're inclined to change the decor of your patio frequently without buying new patio furniture every time, then wicker or rattan furniture would be the best choice for you.

Metal

Metal patio furniture is often a more economical choice compared to hard wood patio furniture especially for people who want the stability of wood but wouldn't want to spend too much on for patio furniture. Metal furniture is also great for people that want furniture that has low maintenance costs because most metal patio furniture doesn’t require the kind of maintenance that wooden furniture does. There are three main types of metal patio furniture that you can purchase. They are wrought iron, aluminum and tubular metal.

Wrought iron patio furniture is one of the most expensive types of patio furniture. Wrought iron furniture is incredibly popular because it’s stylish and adds a very classic feel to a patio but it’s also popular because of its durability. Wrought iron furniture is heavy and requires little upkeep. For instance, just a simple new coat of paint every year or so will keep wrought iron furniture looking beautiful for years. Furthermore, wrought iron furniture is sturdy so that it can be comfortable and safe for people of all sizes. It is also heavy which is good in that it won’t be blown away in strong winds but not to a point that it is too difficult to move.

Benefits of Using Iron Patio Furniture

There are many benefits of using wrought iron patio furniture and lets have a look at some of them.

You get timeless elegance. Wrought iron never goes out of fashion. It will always look good no matter what age it’s from and you can fashion yours to any age you want to achieve an antique look. You have seen pieces of wrought iron from excavations of gone generations that still look as good and as functional as when they were buried. It’s a tough material. Wrought iron allows little detail to be put in so that your iron patio furniture looks so much better. You can also add a powdery top coat to make it look even more elegant.
   
Wrought iron is weather resistant. Whether it rains or shines, you still have your iron furniture standing. Make sure that you get good workmanship so that you avoid shrinkage in cold weather and expansion in hot. Most other materials that are used to make patio furniture will age with time and fall apart. But not wrought iron.
   
You have a great deal of designs to choose from using wrought iron. If you can think of it, you can fashion it. This means that especially if you are having patio pieces custom made, there is absolutely nothing you cannot achieve. Iron patio furniture is also affordable, so that you won’t have to spend a lot of money unless you have a very complex job. If you want to save, go for standard pieces instead of custom made wrought iron patio furniture. You can make it more versatile as opposed to functional and achieve a beautiful effect.
   
Wrought iron, because it’s ageless, can be passed on. If you plan to pass on your home to your kids, go for wrought iron patio furniture so that they can get a packages deal. You will be giving them something that they too can pass on to their kids years later.
   
Wrought iron patio furniture is definitely a great choice. All you have to do is make sure that you have the right workmanship done so that your pieces looking as good as you wanted them to. If you are having a custom job done, get to know the details so that you are in the loop with whatever is being done.

Aluminium patio furniture is often used commercially because it’s so easy to maintain, light-weight and tough. Hotels, public pools, restaurants, resorts, and other types of businesses that deal with the public often use aluminium patio furniture for their outdoor patios. So if you have a patio that has a lot of traffic with different variety of people in all shapes and sizes using your patio furniture frequently then aluminium patio furniture is a great choice.

Aluminium is a very much lighter metal than wrought iron so if you will frequently need to move your furniture, aluminium may be a better choice. Most if not all outdoor bars and bistros will quite definitely choose aluminium furniture because of its weight & maintenance cost. Aluminium furniture can be a bit pricey for some people but the cost is negligible over time as aluminium patio furniture will last for a long time.

Tubular metal patio furniture is the least expensive type of metal patio furniture and easily found at discount stores. It has some of the durability that other types of metal patio furniture have although it’s not as strong as aluminum or wrought iron. Tubular metal patio furniture doesn’t require a lot of maintenance and can lasts for a long time. It can though become bent and damaged and can never quite be bent back into its original shape. It is also light enough to easily be blown away in strong winds.

Plastic or PVC Patio Furniture

PVC Patio Furniture Set

Plastic or PVC patio furniture is the cheapest option when it comes to patio furniture and can be easily found at discount/bargain stores. Stackable Plastic or PVC patio furniture can be found at any discount store, sometimes even at the grocery store. Plastic patio furniture is easy to maintain because all you need to do for cleaning is simply to wipe the dirt off. It stands up well to any natural elements except strong winds and usually will only last for one season.

Plastic patio furniture isn’t very sturdy and can break easily. There is a high possibility it becomes a safety issue if you have little children using it frequently because it tends to tip over or break. Plastic patio furniture also tends to crack and splinter very easily, which is dangerous even to adults. If you are looking for some cheap, quick patio furniture then plastic is the best choice but don’t expect plastic or PVC patio furniture to last.

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