Comfortable and attractive furniture makes a huge difference in how much you enjoy your outdoor living experience. There are four main types of furniture to consider: wood, metal, wicker, and resin. This guide describes the advantages of each and what to look for. Furniture for Small Patios Enjoy your patio even more with these furniture and design tips. Wood furniture fits your style if you love all things natural. The best-quality wood furniture is made from center-cut heartwood lumber with consistent grain. Look for furniture built with zinc-plated or stainless-steel screws -- that way you can tighten them if they get loose. Cedar and pine are light-color softwoods that age to silvery gray unless you paint or seal them. Both cedar and pressure-treated pine last for years outdoors. Cedar is typically more expensive than pressure-treated lumber. Teak, which is harvested from tropical tree plantations, is one of the most durable -- and priciest -- choices for outdoor furniture.

Even when exposed to elements year-round, it will last at least 50 years. Like many wood types, untreated teak fades to silvery gray. Apply teak oil once or twice a year to maintain its reddish-brown color. Natural wood furniture is constructed using rough-cut tree branches. Furniture like this doesn't stand up very well to the elements, so it's best to place them under a covered porch or in a sunroom. Jarrah, like teak, is an extremely durable tropical hardwood that will last decades. Its deep, delicious reddish tones bring warmth to outdoor seating areas. Use a treatment specifically designed for jarrah to preserve its natural color. Metal, one of the best-selling materials for outdoor furniture, is prized for its durability, comfort, and versatility. The two primary types of metal furniture are wrought iron and aluminum. How to Clean Outdoor Furniture Wrought-iron furniture has its roots in the Victorian Era, evident in its elaborate curves. Its heaviness makes it a great pick for windy sites, but iron furniture can be difficult to move with ease.

You'll need cushions to soften the hard seats and to add a splash of color to the finish, which is usually black, white, or green. Many manufacturers include a finish that protects the iron from rust. Cost depends on the intricacy of the ironwork.Where To Buy Johnson Hardwood Flooring Maximize a Small PatioProm Dress Rentals In Salt Lake City Extruded aluminum furniture frames are tubular and usually feature strap or sling seats. Wholesale Nike Retro ShoesThey're lightweight, so they're easy to move, and their simple designs often make them suitable for stacking. Prices range from inexpensive at mass merchants to moderately expensive at specialty stores. Cast aluminum offers more intricate design options and heftier weight than extruded aluminum, although it's far lighter than wrought iron.

Expect to pay slightly more for cast aluminum than extruded. Both types require little maintenance thanks to powder-coated finishes applied by manufacturers. Metal chairs with decorative backs once led the way in moderately priced metal furniture. Give them an update with brightly colored rust-resistant paint. Cushions can help soften the seat and prevent you from burning your legs when you sit on the chairs in full sun. The woven look of wicker comes in two forms -- regular and all-weather wicker. Both look similar, but their uses and care requirements are quite different. Regular wicker is suitable for use only in covered areas outdoors. Use a vacuum, soft brush, or damp cloth to clean it. All-weather wicker can be exposed to rain with no ill effects. Clean it by hosing it off every few weeks. How to Paint Wicker Furniture Common wicker is made from rattan vine, cane, or bamboo. Its natural fibers are suitable for use outdoors under a covered area such as a porch.

Apply a coat of paint to the weave to refresh aging pieces. It's best not to sit on wet wicker; you might stretch the weave. All-weather or outdoor wicker is made from twisted-paper or synthetic fibers, which are woven around a frame and coated with a weather-resistant finish. It stands up to the elements and poolside use, although most manufacturers recommend the furniture be protected from prolonged exposure to full sun. Resin or plastic furniture has many advantages including durability, low cost, ease of maintenance, and portability. Besides a tendency to blow across the yard during a storm, resin's major drawback is its cookie-cutter styling -- one white molded chair tends to look like another. Demand for stylish outdoor furniture has sparked a new crop of resin products that sport chic contemporary lines and bold colors. Best of all, resin products offer designer looks at affordable prices.DEAR TIM: I purchased a used teak outdoor table from Craigslist. It was a great deal, but it needs some tender loving care.

How do I clean it? Should I just pressure wash it? After cleaning it, how should I protect it, or can I just let it weather to a natural color? I want the wood table to last as long as possible. -- Ann P., Raleigh, NC DEAR ANN: I've had great success selling things on Craigslist. Believe it or not, I used to be in a private mastermind group with the founder of that website. It's a great place to find fantastic bargains. I'm stunned at the tools, home improvement materials and furniture you can find for amazing prices. Teak outdoor furniture sets are popular where I live and I see several on the website right now. Teak is a great wood for outdoor use. Just ask any sailor about how well teak can stand up to the punishing abuse Mother Nature can dish out. Teak is a common wood found on boats that sail the high seas both as decking and as trim lumber on boats. I sail with a friend on a 24-foot sailboat and it has teak in various places on the boat. To keep teak looking like new, you should protect it with a pigmented sealer.

If you don't, it will weather to a natural gray and cracking may start to occur. Small checking cracks can allow water to penetrate deeper into the wood causing the cracks to get larger. I would avoid using a pressure washer on your teak table. Pressure washers are the easy way to clean, but the problem is they can also damage the furniture-grade teak lumber. Think what water flowing over rock can do when you look at the Grand Canyon. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out what water at 2,400 pounds per square inch can do to wood! I prefer to use certified organic oxygen bleach to clean teak. These products are readily available online and at some stores. Oxygen bleach is not harsh like chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach can whiten the teak wood fibers because it's such a strong oxidizer. I don't think you want a white table, but I could be mistaken. I've had the best luck cleaning teak wood when it's dry. Try to work in the shade, if possible. Mix up a solution of oxygen bleach.

One cup of powdered oxygen bleach for each gallon of hot tap water will cut through dirt, algae, mold, mildew and most of the oxidized wood stains or sealers that might be on the teak. Stir the powder in the water until it's completely dissolved. Pour the solution into a standard hand-pump garden sprayer. Adjust the nozzle so it applies a spray to the teak wood. Spray the entire table, including the underside, and keep it wet with the solution for at least 15 to 30 minutes. If the solution looks like it's soaking in, spray the teak again. You should see countless tiny white bubbles on the surface of the wood. This means the oxygen bleach is working and helping loosen the dirt, failed stain and sealer and other things from the wood. At the end of the wait period, use a hand scrub brush to clean the table. The brushing action takes the place of the destructive force of the pressure washer. You always need to mechanically agitate the surface of anything you clean. A standard household scrub brush will do a magnificent job on teak.

As you scrub, use a constant low flow of water from a garden hose to rinse away all the dirt and failed sealer and stain. You should see dramatic results as you scrub. The longer you allow the oxygen bleach solution to soak -- even up to an hour -- the less you have to scrub. If you have to scrub too hard to get great results, stop and reapply more oxygen bleach solution to the teak. In almost all cases, the teak will clean up very well. Be sure you rinse the table well as you scrub. Allow the table to dry in the shade. Once the table is dry, apply a synthetic-resin sealer or stain to the teak. Be sure it says on the label that it's approved for use on teak. You want a sealer that will soak into the teak wood and not form a film on the surface. Film-forming sealers will eventually peel and your table will be a mess. Realize that it's normal for you to have to clean and reseal your teak table every few years. If the table is in direct sunlight most of the time, the sealer will fail faster.