When buying patio furniture, it is important to take into consideration whether you are looking for wood furniture or aluminum furniture before you go out shopping. If you have something in mind before you go, this will prevent impulse buys that don’t match the rest of your patio décor, or are just plain not good choices for your particular lifestyle.
Aluminum furniture has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it never rusts, so it always looks new. Cleaning your aluminum patio furniture is a simple matter of wiping it down with a wet cloth. As long as you keep it clean, you can leave it out in the rain and people will think you just bought it. Plus, aluminum is a light-weight metal, so it’s easy to move your furniture around. On the downside, this means that it’s also easy for strong winds to blow away any unsecured furniture. With cast aluminum, you can get many different, gorgeous designs that would be more expensive – or even impossible – with wood furniture.
On the other hand is the wood patio furniture. This, too, has many benefits and a few drawbacks. Unlike with aluminum furniture, the pros and cons of wooden patio furniture depends on what type of wood you choose. Wicker is a popular choice, but can only be used in a covered patio. Rain will destroy it and, while it’s light and moveable, strong winds can throw your wicker furniture against trees and fences, breaking the wicker.
With soft woods like pine, you need to perform a lot of upkeep duties to keep them protected from the weather. They either needed to be painted or sealed, or both, on a regular basis. On the other hand, many soft woods, especially ones like cedar, are resistant to insect damage. They also rot more slowly than other woods, thus making your patio furniture look good for a long time.
The third choice is hardwood, like teak or mahogany. These are usually considered to be the best types of wood to use for patio furniture. They require little maintenance, and it would take some sort of natural disaster to destroy them. The one downside of hardwood patio furniture is that it’s extremely heavy. You’ll need to help to move it around. Hardwood furniture is the most expensive, due to its high quality.
The two different types of patio furniture, aluminum and wood, both have various benefits and downsides to their use. In the end, the decision comes down to what you plan on using your furniture for, how often you plan on moving it, and what your budget is.