Consumer Guide to Outdoor Furniture | Free Shipping on all Outdoor Furniture Products

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Consumer Guide

Since you are considering new outdoor furniture, there are a few factors you want to consider. We know that you have many choices available in styles and material and hope that our consumer guide will help clarify this process. Please feel free to peruse our site for design ideas!

As a general rule, it is important to narrow your choices to styles that are visually appealing to you and that will match your patio and garden decor. Secondly, determine how much furniture you need. Consider the size of your space and the number of people using it. Finally, settle on a particular type of material with your choice of teak wood, resin wicker, or metal.

Teak Furniture Buying Guide and Care Guide

Teak furniture offers unmatched durability. The strength and beauty of teak wood creates the ideal wood for outdoor furniture. Teak requires little to no care, and maintains its incredible strength and timeless elegance for decades. Your new teak furniture will appear polished when first assembled. This bright, golden color appearance comes from oil occurring naturally in the wood. After a few days of being outdoors, the surface oil will evaporate. The remaining oil below the surface will endure, enabling the wood's unmatched durability.

Teak is a hardwood evergreen from Southeast Asia: dense, heavy and durable. It naturally repels water and resists warping-an excellent wood for climates with dramatic temperature changes. Teak is more expensive than other woods; however, it is considered the best wood for outdoor furniture and its durability more than makes up for its high cost.

Teak furniture will turn a sharp looking silver-gray over time, and weathering takes approximately nine months, depending on the amount of sunlight and rain exposure. Before the wood is completely weathered a slight "checking" or lifting of the grain may occur on the top edges of the arms and legs. You may even notice a few small cracks which are natural occurrences. Teak wood slightly expands and contracts when left outdoors, thus causing checking in the grain. The wood will return to its original smooth finish after the initial weathering process and any checking will have no effect on the stability of the furniture. It is normal for water spots or other discoloration to occur during the weathering process. These marks will even out over time and your furniture will eventually become a uniform silver-gray.

Care and Cleaning of Teak Furniture

To help teak wood weather properly, simply clean the furniture with a soft bristle brush or sponge and a detergent solution. The best maintenance you can give your teak furniture is periodic cleaning. This should be done with a solution of four parts laundry detergent or dish wash soap and one part bleach. Use a soft bristle brush or sponge to clean your furniture. After finishing, rinse the entire unit to remove the dirt and any remaining solution.

For deeper cleaning and removal of stains from grease or red wine, we recommend the use of a store-bought teak cleaner. A commercial teak cleaner will remove the silver-gray patina and restore the furniture's original golden tone. If the look of weathered teak is too rustic for your taste, there are commercial teak cleaners and sealers available that will help your furniture maintain its original golden hue. These products can help maintain the teak’s original color over time and can be reapplied as needed, usually once per year.

Wicker Furniture Buying Guide and Care Guide

The word wicker means 'slender, flexible twigs or branches'. Wicker furniture is made from the careful interlacing of these pliable canes, willow branches, reeds, synthetic materials, or even spiral twists of paper.

Today's wicker design incorporates function with fashion, transgressing your grandmother's fussy-looking designs, and replacing them with large furniture with comfortable cushions and a large range of colors for both the wicker frames and their upholstery. Colors like chocolate brown, alpine green, burnt reds and warm yellows have replaced the standard cottage white wicker color in many applications. The new styles of wicker appeal to both men and women with wide seats, plush cushions and sturdy, natural sleek and simple lines. Wicker works well with upholstery, polished wood, and wrought iron. Wherever you use it, wicker adjusts to the room and makes itself at home.

Care and Cleaning of Wicker Furniture

Outdoor wicker is constructed in a more durable fashion than indoor wicker. Since reeds and canes can mildew or rot when left outside, natural materials such as these are protected with resin coatings or paints. Some outdoor wicker is made from strong paper fibers twisted around metal wire for strength. These cords are then coated and treated with paints and treatments that seal the fibers, thus ensuring their longevity. Wicker does age over time, but with proper precautions and by positioning your wicker in more sheltered areas like covered patios and gazebos, you can decrease the chance of wear.

Resin and plastic have now been perfected to look like reeds, cane and rattan, and can withstand bad weather conditions including rain and snow. The durability of these materials and the ease with which they can be cared for have allowed wicker furniture to earn a permanent spot outdoors. Bringing them in during the winter is still good for maintaining the quality of finishes and cleanliness; just hose them down in the spring to prepare them for a summer of use.

Aluminum Furniture Buying Guide and Care Guide

While blacksmiths have forged iron tools and ornaments for centuries, the use of metals in furniture making became widespread, and relatively inexpensive, during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century. Durable metal furniture comes in a wide array of styles from vintage, with its curved legs and lacy patterns, to contemporary with minimalist, angular lines. Aluminum is lightweight and resists corrosion, making it a favored material for outdoor furniture.

The process of powder coating finishing involves spraying an electrostatically charged coating onto furniture and then heat-curing the items in an oven. Made of ground pigment and resin, powder coating adheres to metal better than liquid paint. Used on many metal products including cars, the powder-coated finish is strong, long lasting and scratch resistant.

Care and Cleaning of Aluminum Furniture

With proper care, aluminum patio furniture will last for years. In general, outdoor metal furniture can be rinsed with water to remove dust and debris. Wipe dry with a soft cloth. For heavier cleaning jobs, use a solution of mild detergent and water to clean, rinse well with clear water and dry. Commercial cleansers for polished metal furniture are available as well; use a product that is specifically formulated for your furniture type.