Outdoor Patio Furniture Materials
Outdoor patio furniture is a great addition to your back yard providing you with extra living space when the weather is nice. There are quite a variety of materials that outdoor patio furniture is made from. There are very durable man-made materials like aluminum, wrought iron and plastic resins and natural materials such as woods like teak and cedar and wicker canes.
Wood is a great natural choice for your patio furniture. Teak and cedar are both weather, rot and insect resistant so they are the most common wood materials used in outdoor furniture. Teak is the more exotic of the two and is often significantly more expensive. Both teak and cedar can be treated with sealers to maintain their original fresh cut wood colors or allowed to age naturally to lighter coloring. Cypress is another wood that has all the right characteristics for outdoor furniture but it isn’t as common as teak or cedar.
Wicker is a common material and it was originally made from natural plant material such as reeds or willow switches. Plastic fibers are also a common material used for outdoor wicker furniture. Wicker is light and sturdy and this allows for it to be easily moved. Cushions often come with the wicker furniture to provide added comfort. Wicker is most often left a natural brown color or white but it can be spray painted to match any color choice.
Aluminum is an interesting choice for a furniture material because manufactures use is for both high end pieces and less expensive ones. The higher quality furniture items are made from cast aluminum and they are very durable, light weight and can be painted any color. The thickness can be any size so they can be very solid pieces. Thin walled aluminum tubing is used on the other end of the spectrum. It is very light weight and it can be used to make foldable chairs for easy storage and portability. The down side to aluminum tubing is that it can be easy to bend the tubing rendering the piece scrap aluminum ready for recycling.
Plastic resin is another material that is used primarily for the low cost end of the market. This material is easy to clean, it is light weight and plastic resin chairs and side tables are often designed to be stackable for easy storage. The negatives of plastic is that it is often made with minimal amounts of material so the pieces aren’t very sturdy and if they take a heavy blow they can bend and end up in the scrap pile in a hurry.
Wrought iron patio furniture is a classic choice and it is a very durably material. Wrought Iron is a general descriptive term that originally referred to the type of low carbon iron that was created prior to steel making. Wrought iron is a fibrous material that has a little bit of a wood grain texture on its surface. Items that are referred to as wrought iron today are most often made of mild steel. Wrought iron patio furniture is strong and durable and takes on color through paint or powder coating. Wrought iron patio furniture is often matched with glass table tops that create an intriguing contrasting look.
With all of the different types of outdoor patio furniture materials there is sure to be an option that will meet your style and budget goals. Once you have a general idea of the type of outdoor patio furniture you are interested in, starting thinking about other additions and add-ons and how well they will match your material choice. The more durable materials choices should last you for many years of outdoor lining enjoyment.
Wrought Iron Outdoor Patio Furniture
Wrought iron is not being manufactured commercially anymore but recycled wrought iron is being used to build environmentally friendly outdoor furniture. You may be able to find wrought iron patio furniture at reasonable prices compared to other options like teak wood or wicker.
Wrought iron is malleable, ductile and easily welded so it is an ideal material to use to make patio furniture. The iron is heavy so it can be a deciding factor if you are buying a patio furniture for a windy area. Because it won’t move easily in the wind, it is ideal to buy decorative furniture made from wrought iron.
When deciding on what to buy for your new entertainment area or patio, remember that it is important to keep the surroundings in mind. Nobody likes to see a furniture set in a location where it stands out like a sore thumb. Pay attention to space, shape, size and color so that you don’t regret it afterwords. And also consider the comfort if it will be used for dining or relaxing.
Your patio or front garden is probably the best place to house wrought iron furniture. This is of course if you don’t really plan to use it as a dining area. The types of products manufactured from iron lend themselves more to being for show rather than function.
The most common wrought iron furniture you will see on somebody’s patio is probably one table and two to four chairs. It serves well as a center piece in a tiled outdoor area with a garden perimeter.
One of the best uses I’ve seen for iron furniture is as a wine rack or magazine rack. Because of the heavy weight, the material is best used for objects that are not going to be moving around a lot or which are expected to stay still and sturdy.
Plant holders and plant stands are other great examples where wrought iron is best served for patio furniture. Some bigger plants need a stable and dependable base to keep them in place. Umbrella holders, blanket racks, towel racks and CD racks are all other indoor scenarios where wrought iron products are a good option.
Keep in mind that wrought iron furniture is often recycled materials and you will be doing good for the environment by purchasing goods made from these materials.