Choosing building materials for your outdoor furniture might be a daunting task. The furniture need to fit the rest of your house and garden in terms of style and aesthetics, while also having a demand of maintenance low enough for you to cope with. When choosing material, you need to consider all possible consequences that certain materials can come with to make sure you get outdoor furniture that fit both you and your house.
Teak
Teak is a very common material to use for outdoor furniture, as it's durable and can stand for most types of weather without being affected. As it's a hardwood, you won't have to be concerned with it breaking or denting from usage. It's, however, important to remember that teak, as other wooden materials, needs to have quite extensive and regular maintenance performed to be able to withstand moisture. You also need to have it treated for it to not change colour in the sunlight.
Aluminium
Aluminium is a great option if you move your furniture around a lot, like if your patio is a combined leisure and eating area, as it's so light and easy to carry. It's also, despite its weight, highly durable, which means you won't have to have your furniture replaced very often. You should be careful with aluminium if you live in windy areas, as the furniture might actually blow away. If you do live in such an area, you might need to take the furniture inside during especially hard weather.
Wrought iron
This material is essentially an opposite of aluminium, as wrought iron gives you furniture that is heavy and hard to move. This is an advantage if you live in an area where the weather can affect your outdoor furniture, as they are unlikely to tip over or blow away when being that heavy. Wrought iron does require maintenance to withstand corrosion and rust. However, if treated correctly, your furniture can be as long lasting as your house.
Plastic
Plastic is a common low budget option for outdoor furniture. It's easy to clean and doesn't require any certain treatment to keep looking like it did when you bought the furniture. However, to keep plastic looking good, you need to take the furniture inside during both cold and hot weather, as they might distort and break otherwise. If the furniture is used when it's very sunny outside, you might need to cover it up with fabric to make it last. You should also be aware that even if you take care of your plastic furniture perfectly, it's still not likely it'll last for more than a couple of seasons.
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