Outdoor Living Furniture

Outdoor living furniture is great to have.  Table and chairs in your backyard are not just practical but they can also be attractive.  Ornamental pieces can enhance the atmosphere of your outdoor domain.  Still, there is a couple of issue that often gets in the way of sustaining that pleasant atmosphere.

Resilience Problems

Outdoor furniture is always more durable than indoor furniture.   Still, not all outdoor pieces are equal in their toughness and resistance to weathering.  As in most areas of life, you have to invest extra money if you want pieces that will stand the test of time outdoors.

Rain, snow, wind, and sunshine play into the equation.  Also, mildew, bugs, pets, and stains can wear your furniture down.   For durability sake, you should consider hard wood furniture such as Teak, Balau, or Ipe as opposed to softer woods such as Pine, Cedar, or wickered Palm.  Similarly, you should pick metal items like aluminum or wrought iron as opposed to cheap plastic furniture.     

Issues of Comfort

If you buy all weather resilient furniture, then often, you are now faced with how to make that furniture comfortable since it is so strong.

Cushions are the primary solution to make your outdoor experience comfortable.  However, you need to take precautions to ensure that your cushions are also resilient.  This means that they need to have reinforced stitching and well as being sealed with a water repellant coating.

Shade is another key component to be comfortable outdoors on your patio.  You will want to make sure you have umbrella or awning protection on those warmer sunny days.  A free standing portable umbrella is nice to have so that you can move it around as the sun goes across the sky during the day.

Taking care of comfort and resilience problems can really boost your desire to be outdoors at home.

There is a wide choice in the type of outdoor living furniture you can go with.  The key factors in the selection of the material are based on budget, durability, style, and comfort.   Many just cannot afford to invest a lot in their outdoor domain.  So, they usually pick plastic.  Others simply want low maintenance pieces that will last a long time.   Finally, there are the ones who want the perfect setting for their outdoor home recreation.  Let’s look more closely at the different material options available to you.

1)     Plastic – This by far is the cheapest route to go and is the most readily available.  Even local general stores carry stock of basic plastic chairs and other small pieces.   The down side is you give up durability and usually style.

2)     Wood – This is traditionally been the most common material used for outdoor furniture although plastic has really cut into the market during the last 20 years or so.  Often, wood is used to create a rustic atmosphere.   They is a wide range of the types of woods used (reference this post) and most woods used needs some form of a protective coating.

3)     Wicker/Rattan – Relative to wood is the stylish reed furniture manufactured in the wicker weave design.  Most people create a southern veranda feel to their outdoor area when choosing wicker.  The negative to wicker is that it is not very durable.

4)     Aluminum – This metal furniture is durable and economical.  It is also not a heavy material.  Aluminum, though, is prone to corrosion if not protected.  You usually sacrifice in style too.

5)     Wrought Iron – This is generally the classiest outdoor furniture material.  Wrought iron usually brings an elegance and prestige to your outdoor setting.  It’s also the most durable material of the choices.  Because of these qualities, wrought iron is expensive.   It’s also a very heavy  type of furniture.

These are your choices.  Pick the style that best suits your needs.