Natural rattan is without doubt one of the most popular materials used in modern furniture making all over the world. Rattan is an extremely malleable material, so it is ideal for forming striking and diverse furniture pieces for the home.
Rattan is a type of long vine that grows in tropical climates, and when heated, it becomes pliable and can be crafted into furniture using traditional wicker techniques. However, as soon as it cools it returns to a hard stiff state making it an ideal durable, renewable material with which to build furniture.
Also, natural rattan is an incredibly strong and durable material that can withstand even the most difficult weather conditions. You don't need to worry about it splintering, which again gives it an added edge over other types of timber used in furniture production.
But considering the many attractive strengths of natural rattan, there are still many alternatives readily available in the market, including synthetic rattan furniture. So why if natural rattan is so good do we now have a synthetic alternative? And should you purchase natural or synthetic rattan furniture for your garden or patio?
However, the big question we've been getting from our customers since we launched our poly-rattan range is there's no obvious weaknesses with natural rattan so why is there a need for a synthetic rattan?
Rattan furniture is continuously growing in popularity and a lot of furniture manufacturers wanted achieve the distinctive look and feel of natural rattan but for a fraction of the cost.
Manufacturers have developed a synthetic rattan furniture that still maintains the general look and feel of natural rattan together with the long lasting durability of the real thing.
They usually start by making the synthetic rattan furniture with a sturdy aluminium frame then instead of wrapping the frame with the natural rattan cane they make use of plastics and resin to create the form.
The plastic material is also extremely malleable and easy to shape, plus its available in a wide array of shades and colours. And I have to be honest with you, the good thing with the synthetic varieties is that they still maintain that strength of the natural rattan too.
The plastic or synthetic rattan look furniture is strong and, if properly looked after, will last you an incredibly long time. Also, it is very easy to clean with just warm water and washing up liquid when needed and it is not susceptible to any rust like iron garden furniture or mold like the natural rattan.
The synthetic furniture is usually a little lower in price than natural furniture. It is not uncommon for people to generalize that garden furniture at a lower price does not equal quality and therefore it will not last past a few summer's. But that is nonsense and they will actually last significantly longer than the natural counterpart, without all the fretting about leaving them out in the rain.
In the UK, wicker rattan garden furniture sold for outdoor, garden or patio use tends to be constructed from the synthetic materials in order to deliver longer durability and life span. To get the best deals you generally need to buy rattan effect garden furniture sets out of the summer season, preferably in winter time.
The Lazy Susan wicker rattan furniture has been so popular this season that we've actually sold out for 2010, so we are now offering the chance to pre-order for delivery in February/March 2011 at a really great price.
For example, you can place an order today our stunning Rachel 6 Seater Rattan Garden Furniture Set for just £445 (the Rachel garden furniture set is shown above) for the table, 6 chairs and 6 seat cushions and this price includes VAT and Delivery.
You will have nothing to pay until the goods are delivered next year. This set has retailed for between £595-£495 this year, but we decided to offer this extra special deal for any pre-orders due to popular demand.
The benefits of synthetic rattan garden furniture are obvious, wide choice of style, affordability, easy to maintain, durable, and long lasting. Choosing all weather synthetic rattan garden furniture is the only choice you need to make this summer!