Summer is around the corner and that can only mean a few things in Britain — barbecues, outdoor garden parties, and good times!
It can also mean sunshine… and it probably means wind and rain. As such, when choosing your outdoor garden furniture it’s essential that you take into account strength and durability alongside aesthetics.
After all, the last thing you want is tables and chairs that blow over in the wind or quickly rust.
In this article, Lazy Susan takes a look at a few of your best options when it comes to the strongest outdoor furniture. These include the metal furniture sold by us, as well as the likes of rattan and wood furniture.
Aluminium Furniture
Aluminium garden furniture is suitable if you’re hoping to leave your garden furniture outdoors as often as you can. It won’t budge without a fight in the face of strong wind and it can brave all kinds of inclement weather.
For example, the high-grade cast aluminium furniture sold by Lazy Susan is widely known for being one of the most durable types of garden furniture there is. And because aluminium is such a strong material, the pieces can hold up against wear and tear over time without showing signs of age or damage.
Additionally, it requires very little maintenance, thanks to it being rust and UV-resistant. This means even long days of sunshine won’t harm it. The furniture also doesn’t need any special cleaning products or treatments like some other materials do, which makes caring for it even easier.
Ultimately, aluminium furniture is light enough to move around your garden — but strong enough to survive bad weather.
Wood Furniture
Wooden outdoor furniture is an extremely popular option in the UK — but some types of wood are stronger than others.
Teak, for example, is one of the strongest types of wood furniture you can get but it’s not the cheapest.
Pine and fir, on the other hand, are relatively affordable but will struggle to cope with the weather and rot more quickly. When you’re not using them, they will need to be taken indoors for protection if there is bad weather.
The easiest way to gauge how strong and durable wood furniture is is to check whether it is made from softwoods or hardwoods. Softwoods, which include the aforementioned pine and fir, might be the cheapest option but they’re not the strongest option.
And while hardwoods will still require maintenance, they are the strongest wood option. Other popular hardwood options include oak and eucalyptus.
Rattan Furniture
Another popular type of outdoor furniture in the UK is rattan.
There are two types of rattan furniture — synthetic rattan and natural rattan. Natural rattan is more expensive but it’s more durable and, when properly maintained, it can last longer.
Both examples are very lightweight, which means you can easily move your rattan outdoor furniture around your garden or even take them indoors with little hassle.
Despite being lightweight, both options are strong and hardy enough to withstand gusts of wind. For this reason, they are one of the strongest outdoor furniture that I recommend after aluminium.
However, while aluminium furniture requires very little maintenance (due in part to being rust-resistant), rattan furniture requires care all year round. The weaves may loosen and you will need to keep cleaning and coating them in order to keep out the dampness and prevent mould and mildew.
Steel Furniture
Steel outdoor furniture is both dense and strong and it would take a very strong gust of wind to knock it over. I would say that it’s probably stronger than aluminium in general but this doesn’t take into account the strength-to-weight ratio.
In other words, steel furniture is much heavier than aluminium furniture, which makes it awkward whenever you want to move it around your garden.
However, the real caveat is that steel retains heat longer, which means that it will be incredibly hot to touch on baking-hot summer days.
And while steel furniture can make an attractive addition to any garden, it’s also one of the most expensive types of outdoor furniture.
Final Thoughts: The Strongest Outdoor Furniture
Steel furniture is undeniably the strongest outdoor furniture. But when you add aluminium’s lightweight nature, it’s almost as strong as steel — and it’s also far easier to shift around your garden.
Hardwood wood furniture and rattan are also fairly strong types of outdoor furniture but they, along with softwood furniture, will require more maintenance and it’s probably easier to just move them indoors during bad weather.