September 20th, 2012

Best Materials for Indoor and Outdoor Furniture

Choosing the right materials for your furniture is an important consideration, and whether you are choosing for indoors or outdoors makes quite a big difference. Make sure you know your materials so that your furniture will not only look great, but also last you a long time. Whether you are having custom furniture made up, are making it yourself or are buying it from someone else, the following is a brief look at some of the main things you should consider when choosing materials for your indoor and outdoor furniture.

Indoor furniture

When it comes to indoor furniture, it is pretty much a case of anything goes, because unlike outdoor furniture, your indoor items won’t have to deal with the elements very much at all. You can also get a lot fancier with your cushions and decorations on your indoor items, without having to worry about them getting rained on or blown away. As another bonus, if you are using materials for your indoor furniture that need to be cared for, such as teak or pine, you won’t need to do anywhere near as much maintenance indoors as you would if they were being used outside.

Outdoor furniture

Wood — An extremely popular choice due to its natural look and huge variety, wood is one of the best materials you could use for outdoor furniture for a lot of reasons. It is long lasting, low maintenance, and has natural oils protecting it against deterioration and rot. Some of the more popular wood furniture options include teak, pine, oak and cedar, all of which make great indoor furniture as well — but you do need to look after them.

Wicker — Wicker makes great outdoor furniture because it is light, looks good, can be used indoors or outdoors, and is a more environmentally friendly option, usually being made from cane, bamboo or rattan.

Aluminium — For a modern look that will have your outdoor areas setting trends, aluminium is a fantastic choice for your outdoor furniture. Aluminium is lightweight, easy to clean and can handle extensive exposure to the weather, so if you are in the market for some new outdoor furniture, consider changing the look of your outdoor area altogether and going with aluminium.

Wrought iron — An increasingly popular option these days, especially for outdoor cafe furniture, is to make use of wrought iron, creating classy, long lasting and sturdy furniture. Wrought iron furniture is a little heavier than most other options, but if you live in an area that gets a lot of strong wind, having your furniture be a bit sturdier might be a good idea.

Fibreglass — This is one of the newer materials being used for outdoor furniture, the benefits including high durability, resistance to fading, extreme strength, waterproofness and mould resistance — so you can understand why it has become popular. The only downside is that fibreglass furniture is extremely heavy and does require occasional waxing to help maintain it.

By choosing the right materials, you will get better value for money out of both your indoor and outdoor furniture, so don’t be afraid to invest a little more, because you will often get a far higher quality product. Consider buying second hand or using recycled materials for your furniture too, because you can often get lucky and find some incredible deals. When it comes to furniture, second hand is often just as good a new.