Over the years I’ve had Teak, plastic, metal. Generally at the cheaper end of the scale, although not really basic. None of it has lasted.

Post building work we are in the market for some new garden furniture. Current thinking is the Weatherproof rattan stuff, with a cover for inclement weather. Thoughts and recommendations?

I’m going DIY and a bit rustic with some new ‘sleepers’* for my next furniture. Not convinced it’ll be that comfy though!

*they are not really sleepers, or even the same size as a proper sleeper; just hefts of unseasoned green timber and sensible money.

Good quality powdercoated metal FTW. Folks have had a set that’s lived outside for about ten years, still looks as good as the day it was bought. Off the back of that we bought a set two years ago, just coming out of it’s second winter outside, still great.

All ours is powder coated aluminium. Needs a jet wash in the spring to get the green slime off it, but other than that OK…

Titanium.

This is  STW after all.

Perchy – I have 2 Ti bikes, so……………

Carbon Fibre seats / table tops obviously

Don’t be silly, this could get as expensive as one of my bikes………….

In true STW style, make your own, larch being the wood of choice:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oAcnMj]IMAG2005[/url] by martinddd, on Flickr

@dantsw13 – can’t you just nick some seats from economy class?

@qwerty – did the middle one shrink in the rain?

ElShalimo – do you really think my wife would sit in an economy seat??😝

QWERTY – very nice. Sadly I’ve got the busiest 3 months of my career coming up, so a non-starter.

Did you treat your teak ones with teak oil every autumn before putting them into the shed over winter, or did you leave them out in the rain all winter without any protection?

I’ve done the former with mine and they’re still going strong after 8 years.

Just looking at the Ikea furniture now which looks good.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/?k=sjalland

Does anyone have any experience of the outdoor Ikea furniture?

Nerd – of course I didn’t!! Starting from the premise that isn’t going to happen this time either, tha probably rules out Teak! We will, however, be getting a cover.

I’ve bought  a rattan cube set from FeautureDeco ( https://www.featuredeco.co.uk/rattan-cube-sets ).

High quality and not too expensive. On to third summer ( it was covered during winter ) and it  still looks brand new. Comfy cushions, adjustable feet, thick soft rattan weave etc … very pleased.

There are cheaper options, but then quality gets lost in transition to save pounds. And it’s British, you know?!

Pop star – a very similar cube set from Alexander Rose is currently a front runner with Mrs Dant. I like the idea it all tucks away neatly under a small cover for easy storage.

do you leave it out uncovered all summer?

This is the patio it will go on.

Fake rattan on alu frames should last, especially using a cover.

The cover probably won’t last very well though. <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>My first one did 3 years, though I did use it throughout the summer in sunny Wales so might have suffered from UV exposure.</span>

Once it starts to rain, then yeah … it goes under cover. Don’t like wet cushions after rain, see. But if it’s dry , it stays as it is. We went for that particular one, my better half likes Grey rattan instead of Brown/Black. Back then not many manufacturers offered *colours*.

If a £35 cover only lasts 3-4 years but protects the £700 set that seems a good way round!

These guys are local to us, we have a garden set on it’s second year and it just starting to weather in nicely:
https://www.churnetvalleygardenfurniture.co.uk/

Likewise, I didn’t have time to build anything myself with everything else which needed doing to the house. For the cost of this stuff I would have struggled to just buy the wood, let alone turn it into usable furniture.

We’ve tried most stuff and here’s my thoughts:

Teak:
We bought this first about 12 years ago and spent about £2k on table and reclining chairs.  Really solid but a pain to store and part of the table has warped.  Some of the joints on the chairs became sloppy so I took the apart and epoxied them so now they’re spot on.

I gave it all a good clean two years ago using proper two part teak cleaner and they looked like new.  The now spend most of the time in the barn and only get pulled out if we need extra seating.

Powder coated Aluminium (with fabric seat base and back:
We bought a table and 5 chairs for the other side of the house about 8 years ago. Light and easy to move around, all the chairs stack so it’s easy to store.  Still in very good condition.

Plastic Rattan stuff: We got a set of sofas for the other house about 4 years ago and they’re still going strong.  It’s our holiday house so they don’t get hammered but it’s probably not the most hard wearing of construction but looks cool. Pretty bulky to store but still pleased with them.

We have a cover but frankly it would be a pain to put on and I’ll guarantee it’s will blow away.  We just put all the cushions inside in a bulk bag that cost £5 off ebay.

We’re lucky enough to be able to store everything inside over the winter so hopefully we should get a few extra years out of all our outdoor furniture.

Just don’t buy anything made of steel!

In true STW style, make your own, larch being the wood of choice:

…however, nothing beats the smell of cedar..

Be careful with powder coated alu, we left ours outside one winter and it started to crack, I think it was thin wall tubing couldn’t take the contraction and expansion. It was covered so wasn’t water damage.

Our teak set is 18 years old this year and absolutely sound. But it wasn’t cheap – at the time we acquired it it was the most expensive furniture we’d ever bought.

Shark bait – thanks for the summary 👍🏻

Had plastic rattan on metal frame for getting on for 10 years now … I know that because it was bought just after finishing an extension off and our daughter was born …  Used to cover it up but haven’t bothered the last few years (the cushions go in the shed when not in use, mind) … still looks great after a spring pressure wash.

Go for it

Good luck

Good to know – ta!

Also there’s a huge variety in quality of plastic rattan from UV resistance to look and feel.

Some of the samples I’ve seen are fantastic, even up close they look very convincing but I’ve not seen any of the best ones in high street stores.

We had some hardwood furniture I bought off a neighbour when they were moving house (divorce). We got another 8 years out of it and then passed it on to a friend who was looking for some and had no money (single mum). It’s still going OK with some minor repairs to chairs, but does look quite worn. However, left out in the rain 24/7 all year round, so to be expected.

we got some custom made by the local timber man. Wasn’t anymore really than buying something from the shops. Blinking heavy, but will last for millenia

And then for something a little cheaper we got a load of this link from aldi last year (although it appears it’s back in now, so you might find some) . Normal three year guarantee.

Well, we ended up ordering some Weatherproof Rattan from Kettler. My missus had a load of JL vouchers from work, so they went towards it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.