What Garden Furniture Should I Buy?
If you plan to leave your patio or garden furniture outside throughout the year will need to be sure that it can stand extreme weather conditions.You would expect that all garden furniture is made to withstand such conditions but actually this is not always the case.Ironically, the less you pay upfront for garden furniture, the more you are likely to have to pay in the long run as it is likely to need replacing very soon after you have bought it.
Having established that we are now not going to buy the cheapest that we can find, what should we do next?The first step is to decide what type of Garden Furniture that you like. This you can basically separate into two categories:
Metal Garden Furniture & Hardwood Garden Furniture
Metal Garden Furniture
If you want Metal Garden Furniture, and you want it to last, then you should select Metal Garden Furniture that is only made of Aluminium.The reason for this is that Aluminium does not rust, so will last in all weather conditions.Having decided on Aluminium, you then must look at whether to go for “Cast Aluminium”, which is often solid and is made from Aluminium that has been Cast into a mould, or “Framed Aluminium”, which although lighter, is normally equally as durable.
If you are sold on metal furniture, then Aluminium is definitely the way to go as it will last for many years.
Hardwood Garden Furniture
This is my favourite, because no two pieces are “exactly” the same.This difference arises from the fact that the grain is unique to each tree.There are many different options when it comes to wooden garden furniture so I will not attempt to mention every one.
However after selling Garden Furniture for over ten years, my choice has narrowed right down to only one type, which is “Teak Garden Furniture”.Teak really is the best wood at withstanding the weather, which is especially important in the UK where rain fall is guaranteed.
Teak is more expensive than a lot of woods on the market, but this is because it will last for many years even if you don’t treat it.
Teak, like most hard woods grows at a slow rate.When it comes to purchasing your teak furniture, check that it has come from a manufacturer who takes responsibility for the forest from which it harvests trees, this is usually denoted by the FSC seal of approval.
Teak is worth the initial investment when you consider that it will last up to 25 years.