Garden furniture ideas

Are you thinking about buying a new garden furniture set? Tom Berry from our Outdoor Living Department has a few pointers for you to take into consideration…

Wooden furniture or zero maintenance? Nothing really beats the opulence and classic appearance of a top notch teak or hardwood set. It looks stunning and will last for 20 years, however you will need to teak oil it once a year. This is a time consuming and tedious job and even when covered it won’t stay looking pristine for very long.

Why not consider a cast aluminium or modern iron mesh set? These require very little maintenance and can be happily left outside untreated for years, which is one of the main reasons we use it in our outdoor restaurant seating area. There are cheap copies of course so check the rust-free guarantees. In the case of cast aluminium, if it’s cheap you should check whether it’s solid or if the legs are hollow, you should also check if it’s made from one piece or flatpacked.

Finally ‘all weather weave’ is rapidly establishing itself as a comfortable maintenance-free option. It is resin-based and the frames are aluminium so are light and don’t rust. The best sets will deceive even an experienced eye but sadly they aren’t cheap!