Garden Furniture that lasts....

Posted 12th Aug 2023

Ok so I know summer is nearly over, but preparing for our patio to be nearly finished and with our garage now built we are hoping to get some garden furniture cheap to prepare for next year. We have never had proper furniture and inherited some cheap green plastic chairs which have been left outside, never cleaned and basically are as tough as nails.

My question is can you get stylish garden furniture in the plastic type material that are as hard wearing and as tough? Some of my friends have the wicker type furniture and it looks shocking after only a few years, wicker faded and coming off and the metal frames rusting and we don't want glass tops.

I think Keter are all plastic/resin type? Are these the only ones that are all plastic/resin or are there other brands we should look at? Some descriptions of furniture I've seen don't make it clear on the material and if it's wicker or plastic made to look like wicker!

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12th Aug
We have Keter which is rattan effect but plastic, had it a good 5 or more years now and seems to have kept in pretty good condition. Got it off here on a deal from Amazon I think it was. *7 years ago (edited)
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12th Aug
Thanks we will look into Keter a little more.
12th Aug
Things are not made as they used to and they don't last as long as they are supposed to. Even the ones from good brands which are supposed to be good quality will deteriorate outside. Best thing is to keep them inside in the winter and cover all in the summer when not being used to protect from direct sun and rain. Not ideal (edited)
12th Aug
Furniture that lasts and cheap do not go together.

We bought ours from Costco last year as they're all USA/Canadian makes which means they're designed for the harsh climate. We got the Oves Decors aluminium set and it still looks like new.
It was left outside uncovered all winter (cushions in bag in shed) and it still looks like new. During the summer there is an Oxford cover that goes over the set with the cushions on and I've now just bought a marine canvas cover for the set without cushions for the winter just to keep the grime and seagulls off it.
12th Aug
I also went aluminium, it was expensive, a grand for the set, but it will last a long time. My mum still has hers from 15 years ago. Left mine outside all winter and still looks as new like you say.
12th Aug
I think whatever you get you will need a cover or a tarp to shield it over the winter. We've had a rattan corner set for about 10 years and it's been great but I have noticed some of the rattan bits are breaking now. The fading doesn't really notice too much when you have cushions on it.
12th Aug
Wicker isn't a material, it's a construction method that involves weaving strips and rods together. So real wickerwork can easily be made from plastic. It would only be fake wicker if it's an embossing or moulding made to look like it was woven.

As far as I'm aware none of the natural materials used for wickerwork are suitable for leaving outside.