Spending time outside relaxing is something we all like to do and garden furniture can provide seating and eating areas along with shade from the sun and a place to get away at the end of a hard day.
Some of the things that you have to look at when planing an outside furniture arrangement include:
How much you want to spend
How long do you expect the furniture to last
What materials go best with your lifestyle
Is weather and wind a consideration
Will maintenance and care time take away from your enjoyment.
Cost is a factor for everyone and buying the most expensive products even if you can afford them might not be right for you and your family. You should consider the amount of time that you spend outside and how often you have guests.
If more then 50 percent of your time is spent with your close family but you often have parties or friends over then you may consider purchasing a primary seating area with a few better pieces that you will always have in place and then some complementary seating and eating areas for guests.
Durability
If you have pets especially dogs then you can bet that there will be accidents. Along with pets are those unannounced rain storms that will throw your furniture across your yard while you are at work. And if thats not enough the simple fact that the furniture is outside in the elements will mean the suns rays and rain, dirt and mold will eventually ruin your furniture no matter what material it is made out of.
Plastics are a very inexpensive material for tables and chairs but it will also last for quite some time when compared to wood products. You can expect to get about 5 years out of plastic furniture before UV degrades the surface. You will notice the deterioration as a powderization of the plastic. To extend the life of plastic furniture you can use a special plastic paint that will give you a few more years.
Wood tables, chairs and other items that see 3 or even 4 seasons outside will have their finishes degraded by UV rays and water damage. You can expect stained and urethane or varnished pieces of outdoor wood furniture to need refinishing at least once every other year. If you bring the furniture inside during the winter you might get an extra year between refinishing. Wood also rots especially if it is on a concrete or stone patio slab where moisture is always present.
Aluminum is often used in the frames of chairs because it is light and strong. Aluminum will last for many years but the fabrics used on this type of furniture will break down in 3 to 5 years.
Glass is often used in decorative table tops and although it can provide a nice feeling you should understand the dangers associated if you have children, animals or leave your furniture out during storms.
Cast Iron is a great material but because it is heavy you might believe that it would also be good in storms. Unfortunately if you have a cast iron table with an umbrella attached you should expect that it will be airborne in the first storm.
Fabrics will only last a short period outside. You can expect to replace your umbrellas every 5 years and you may need to repair or replace fabrics used for cushions and support materials sooner. Nylon is probably the best fabric and you should look for UV rated materials that will extend the life slightly.
Now we have been pretty negative in our material descriptions and this is because once you start looking at products you are likely to fall in love with a seating set and not take into account all of the problems associated.
If you spend $3,500 on a glass top table and seating set but the first weekend you are hit by a freak storm or the dogs tare up the seat cushions that is money down the drain.
Extending the Life of your Outdoor Furniture
The most important thing is to protect the items when not in use. This can mean stacking plastic chairs and removing umbrellas when you are not outside but it also means you should have a shed or area in your garage to store your items during the winter and late fall.
Cleaning is always important but if you have fabrics you should make sure that you wash any stains and mold especially before storing for winter.
Taking care of wood even inside your home can be a problem. Outdoor wood items will need special care if you notice pealing and cracking then it is time to refinish. Limiting your use of wood to larger items like picknick tables is a better investment then trying to duplicate indoor living outside.
Special Care
If you have problems with wind blowing your items over then you should securly anchor them to the ground if you have the need to keep them setup all the time. Large storms can easily blow a wood picknick bench around and wondering if it will fly through your window is not something you want to worry about in the middle of a storm.
Always use a heavy umbrella base that will secure your table to the ground and remove the umbrella during a storm.
The YouRepair Store sells a full line of Outdoor furniture and BBQ items for your outdoor enjoyment.