Usually when people go to the local store to buy themselves some decent garden furniture, they return empty handed and confused. Shopping for any outdoor furniture can become critical. There are so many styles and designs and there is always the hassle with maintenance. This article helps you in choosing the best for your garden and preserving it for as long as possible. Read on.

The Good Old Solid Metal

There isn’t anything that looks more appealing that metal furniture. The best thing with them is that they’re versatile. You can use them with any style of garden. It just looks great. Not to mention that you can specialize with themes, such as a Victorian garden, using old style benches. However, they are very susceptible to damage by rust. You shouldn’t buy them if you can’t take proper care of it. Also, if you live in a coastal area, then metal garden furniture is not the right choice for you.

The Classic Teakwood

Teakwood furniture looks most elegant and classic. It is very durable and never dies on you. If you take decent care, then it might even last for a lifetime. There are many varieties of furniture available in teakwood. It is important that you get from a reliable store, as many unscrupulous merchants are involved in scamming people with fake teakwood furnishings.

While teakwood invariably lasts for decades, you do have to give some time for its maintenance. If not cared for properly, the furniture tends to lose its original shine and freshness. Wash it with a wet cloth using warm soap solution. After cleaning, let it dry off, and then apply some teak oil.

Plastic Garden Furniture

Being sensitive to sunlight, the plastic outdoor furniture doesn’t last very long. Yet, it is preferred by many individuals for their low cost and low maintenance. There are innumerable eye catching designs available in the range of plastic garden furniture.

Rattan Garden Furniture

It is the most popular category in outdoor furniture. They are available in the widest range amongst all its counterparts. It is virtually weather resistant. People from all over the world give their first preference to rattan furniture. There are two types of rattan furnishings out there: natural and synthetic. While the natural one gives a more elegant look; the synthetic rattan is easier to maintain than its natural counterpart. The only problem that you would ever face with synthetic rattan is that dust settles in between its weave. All you need to do is to wipe it off with a wet cloth. Unlike other furniture, you won’t have to use any chemical based cleaners or oils. In fact, using chemical cleaners might actually harm your rattan, especially if it contains pumice or rottenstone. However, you can occasionally use wax cleaners if you like.

Plywood is structurally stronger than natural wood and is ideal for making furniture. Whether you are making bedroom furniture or living room furniture, plywood makes strong and stable furniture that is inexpensive to build and easy to modify. If you are looking for a cheap bedroom set, your perception might be that there is plywood in it.

Plywood comes in different grades and there is an association that sets standards for grading hardwood veneer. The grading is based on how free the piece is from defects, which is important when you are creating beautiful home furnishings. Selecting furniture sets that are made with plywood should also be more cost effective because the labor involved is less. Many hours can be saved by using plywood over solid wood.

If you are selecting new dining room furniture or new bedroom furniture set, chances are the chair backs, drawer bottoms and door panels will be made from plywood. The number of layers in plywood is always an odd number and the grain pattern faces in alternate directions. This is what makes plywood so strong and durable for building furniture sets. The more layers the stronger the plywood. It is very good for holding screws and attaching various types of hardware. Because plywood is available with many veneers, it can be matched to solid wood to create beautiful tops from dining table tops to case pieces in bedroom furniture sets. When shopping at an online furniture store, it will be hard to tell if a piece contains plywood, unless it is specifically stated in the description. Plywood wont split and is very strong unlike solid wood.

In most furniture, interior plywood is used. If it is going to need to be water resistant, marine plywood is good for kitchens. It is a very high quality waterproof plywood.

Plywood is more expensive than particle board. The perception of the public is that solid wood furniture is better and you would find plywood in cheap furniture, but it actually is the best man made wood board available and is not a cheap product at all.