Meadowbrook-Farms

Trends in outdoor furniture have changed drastically through the years. At one time, the only lawn furniture that you would see outdoors were the plastic or web lawn chairs or loungers. While many still use varieties of plastic for their outdoor furniture, many other materials and styles are used as well.

People love spending time outside, whether on their patio, deck, porch or just in the back yard. In a recent survey, over 90% of the American population has some kind of outdoor living space to enjoy the sunshine and socialize. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as kicking back outside soaking up the fresh air. To sit back, however, we need furniture of some sort. Your outdoor furniture can be realistically simple or elegantly stylish, as the trends in outdoor furniture have proven.

For a simple style that’s not high on fashion, but still looks nice, resin makes practical yet cheap outdoor furniture. There are usually a couple of colors to choose from. Resin patio furniture comes in a few different pieces including, tables, chairs, coffee tables and even foot rests. Not only are they cheap and practical, but they also do well in all types of weather, with the only disadvantage being occasional dullness and fading with time.

Treated cedar has always been part of any trends in outdoor furniture. Originally, cedar was used in the construction of outdoor decks, but it’s easy care, durability and great appearance soon made it perfect for lawn furniture as well. Although it was more costly than resin, plastic or webbed outdoor furniture, it had a more upscale look and lasted much longer, making it a great investment. The addition of vinyl padded cushions and backs gives the lawn chairs comfort and is easy to clean. This type of outdoor furniture has remained popular for many years.

Heavy duty plastic furniture has been used by families for years and is still extremely popular and can be found anywhere you see outdoor furniture. The designs are very fashionable with heavy duty cushions on the chairs, sturdy table tops with the appearance of glass and attractive umbrellas for protection from the sun. These range in price depending on the size of the furniture set and the construction. Most of the more expensive sets are made with heavy-duty polyethylene that’s been UV-treated.

Other trends in outdoor furniture have gone from heavy duty plastic to aluminum or stainless steel. Each of these designs is made in a variety of fashionable colors and styles. Some of the outdoor furniture sets are complete with couches, loveseats, bars and stools. Today, outdoor living is very popular and homeowners want an attractive outdoor living space to entertain their guests or kick back with the family.

Teak outdoor furniture has become a favorite of many for outdoor furniture. In addition to being very attractive, it comes in many different furniture pieces and is extremely durable. While some may feel it’s most costly, with good maintenance, it will last long enough to pay for itself.

The fall is the time of year you’ll get the best deals on outdoor furniture, but spring is when you’ll find the largest variety to choose from. Many stores deal in nothing but outdoor furniture and it’s here that you’ll find all the latest trends in outdoor furniture.

Adirondack chairs can be made out of just about any wood or even plastic. So why choose cedar? Firstly, cedar is a naturally beautiful wood for many reasons (which we describe below), as well as being incredibly durable and versatile, which is why it is used to construct everything from siding to decks to furniture and even roofing shingles. The natural preservative oils and characteristic smell of cedar also make it very insect and rot resistant.Cedar is not a very dense wood, making it one of the lightest softwoods available. Cedar also boasts an incredible thermal co-efficient. That means that the little tiny “air pockets” between the cells of the wood end up acting as an insulator when the wood is dry. If it is hot outside, for example, cedar will remain at a lower temperature than most other materials that conduct heat with more efficiency (e.g. other hardwoods, metals and some plastics). The result is a cooler chair to sit on. And don’t forget, because it is a lightweight wood it will be easier for you to move it around (and store it away) than a heavy hardwood chair.

Even though cedar is a lightweight wood you will not be sacrificing strength. It is a full 80% the strength of mighty OAK! That’s tough!

Cedar also has amazing dimensional stability. More simply put, cedar naturally tries to equalize its moisture content to match that of the air around it, like all woods. However, unlike many other woods, cedar does not expand or contract very much when it is absorbing or evaporating moisture. This is very important because while other harder, denser woods will tend to crack or warp from season to season, cedar tends not to crack or warp. If you live in an area where humidity levels can vary wildly between seasons, cedar is a must for you.

Cedar has a very low flame-spreading ratio and is low on the “smoke developed” scale when burning as well. This means that it doesn’t spread fire as fast nor produce as much smoke as some other types of wood.

Finally, cedar is very decay and weather resistant. If you leave the furniture outside you have the option of either staining it every year or two if you want to maintain its fresh new look, or allowing it to age gracefully into a beautiful silvery gray color. If you choose to leave cedar permanently outside through all of the seasons, every day, every month, every year, we highly recommend treating it to protect the furniture properly and greatly extend its natural life. After all, cedar is resistant to decay but is not impervious to it. No wood is impervious to natural aging. Staining cedar just gives it an extra durability edge against Mother Nature, especially if it is left in constant contact with the ground.

Good quality cedar outdoor furniture can be found many places on the internet. The best quality, however, is carried by the Iowa Adirondack Company. We invite you to stop by and take a look at the wide selection of some of the prettiest most well made Adirondack furniture online today.

There are many things you should take into consideration when selecting your outdoor furniture. For instance, you need to figure out how much upkeep is involved with each type of furniture, and how long the piece will last before it should be replaced. You also need to research how easy the furniture will to clean, and exactly how much you want to spend on each piece of outdoor furniture. Two of the most popular types of outdoor furniture are built with cedar and teak, and each type of wood has a distinct list of advantages.Let’s start with cedar. Northern White Cedar is often used for furniture both outdoors and indoors. This type of wood is known for its strength and durability and is naturally impervious to insect attacks, general decay, weather damage, and basically anything else that Mother Nature can throw at it. Cedar has a high strength to weight ratio, meaning that while it is very strong and durable, you usually will not have a problem moving the furniture around because it is so light. If that is not enough, Cedar is also attractive. It tends to come with a natural gold, silver or tan color, but will fade to a bleached silver color when exposed to the elements, and stay that way for the next few decades.

Teak is another strong choice when purchasing outdoor furniture. Even though teak is one of the more expensive types of wood used for outdoor furniture, it is also one of the most durable woods. Teak also weathers very well. After spending season after season in the elements, teak takes on an attractive weathered look. It is a dense and hardy wood, so the weather, insects, and the sun have trouble doing any harm to it. Some folks choose to stain their teak furniture, but there are some risks involved with this approach. Be sure that you will be happy with the stain because it will be permanent once you apply it. However, applying a layer of paint or stain to teak furniture is a great way to help protect your furniture for years against the, rain, wind, and the sun.

While some people choose teak because of its strong and durable features, others choose cedar because it is a less expensive, yet very beautiful and weather proof wood that makes for an attractive piece of outdoor furniture. Basically, choosing your outdoor patio furniture comes down to your preference. Both teak and cedar make great pieces of furniture for your outdoor space.