Garden and Patio Furniture - What to Look For

Garden and patio furniture can really add a lot of appeal to your patio but it is important to choose your outdoor furniture carefully to ensure you get the best looking and longest lasting furniture.  This applies to furnishing a new patio or redecorating an established one.

When choosing your patio furniture you should consider several important points.  These are:

• 1. Durability
• 2. What the furniture is made of
• 3. Color
• 4. Size
• 5. Does it complement your patio and home?

Outdoor furniture can be made from many different materials such as plastic, wood, wicker and metal and comes in many different styles.  Before you choose your patio furniture decide what sort of look you want your patio to have and how much room there is for furniture.  This last point, how much room, is very important as you do not want all of the room on your patio to be taken up by furniture nor do you want a tiny setting in a huge space.

The most economical way of buying furniture for your deck is to buy outdoor patio furniture sets.  That way the pieces of furniture match each other and, because you are buying the furniture as a set then quite often the price is cheaper than if the components were bought separately.

Durability is very important.  The furniture is most likely going to stay outdoors.  That means it will be subject to a variety of weather conditions like rain, dust, wind, sun etc.  Even if your patio is covered the furniture will still be subject to weather conditions.  If you buy cheap plastic or PVC patio furniture you will most likely have to replace it within a short space of time, maybe in 2 - 3 years.  This type of furniture can deteriorate rapidly if left out in the weather.

Metal patio furniture is very durable but may need some periodic attention such as painting and rust removal but can look great in the right setting.  

Wooden patio furniture is the most popular.  Many varieties of wood are used for making outdoor furniture and some are more durable than others.  This means that outdoor furniture made from the less durable varieties will need regular attention like painting, staining or oiling.  With some woods, e.g. pine, this maintenance may be as regular as every year.  The more durable timbers are jarrah and teak and usually a quick oil or stain every 2 to 3 years is ample.  Sometimes, wicker furniture is painted.  However, it does not need a great deal of attention.