Quality of garden furniture. Rattan or cheap aluminium?

Posted 24th Mar 2023

Hi, I am after some advice from people who bought some garden furniture in recent years and how does the quality fare. I would like like to spend more than a £1000 for a garden set (dining table and 6 chairs) and wanted to buy something that will last for long time. I can see on eBay that a lot of rattan furniture sold used is faded with rattan woven broken in places etc. Not sure if that is just a small proportion that I happen to see but because of that I am discouraged to buy rattan. On the other hand aluminium powder coated will theoretically last longer but will it if bought at the lowest price range for this type of furniture?

I have looked at below amongst others:
gardenstoredirect.com/ind…wcB

I would love to hear opinion from people who bought perhaps budget aluminium sets and how it look like after few years. Or perhaps you have rattan and after 5 years look as new. Will appreciate any feedback.Thanks

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aLV426
26th Mar
Oh one thing worth mentioning - Rattan is probably the best if you have a lot of sun or patio heaters - it never gets too hot to sit on, whereas aluminium can get uncomfortable when near a heat source.
Also if you buy the aluminium furniture that doesn't come with "wood accents" it's maintenance free!
With Rattan furniture it's recommended to coat it with linseed oil once a year
JasonMason
24th Mar
Have you considered wooden furniture from ikea? I bought some of their Applaro stuff a couple of years ago which has survived some harsh winters and still looks very decent, it would look even better if I stored it undercover, it assembled very easily and they have a big range, I do suspect I will need to sand down and paint/stain it either this summer or next but overall it has been a good investment.
aLV426
24th Mar
I guess it depends on personal taste. Aluminium can't rust - it will degrade over time, but the chemical process of rusting won't occur. It might look stark and some furniture has attached wood accents which do require maintenance. Rattan blends in to a natural garden better and should last a good 10 years. Although seasonal cycles will impact it's lifespan. I am fortunate that my garden is big enough to have all four types of outdoor furniture. The wood & plastic have fallen apart, the rattan is still holding up and the in-laws decided to paint some of it for us - which ruin the asthetic, but may have increased it's life span. The aluminium looks as fresh as it was when new - with the exception of the wooden parts which I was too lazy to varnish
eldaniel Author
26th Mar
Question is did you spend on budget on aluminium furniture or was it more like a £2000 region?
EndlessWaves
25th Mar
If you buy cheaper grades of anything it's not going to last.

Cheap aluminium is probably your worst choice since it generally dies to fatigue which you can't do much to protect against unlike rot or corrosion.
u664541
25th Mar
Isn’t the rattan furniture sold generally plastic and not natural rattan?
eldaniel Author
25th Mar
No idea to be honest