AmericanFurniture CA

Bring a little of the tropics home to your own outdoor area with the use of wicker chairs and wicker garden furniture.

Available in a variety of styles and colors including natural, lacquered, white and red, wicker and rattan chairs and tables have been designed to meet the changing needs of outdoor entertaining. Sit back and relax in comfort and style as your rattan furniture takes you on a journey to paradise.

Now wicker patio chairs can be used all year round

Rather than continuing to just churn out cheap plastic settings, furniture manufacturers have heard our calls for something comfortable we can use all year round and so are using wicker, along with teak and cedar, to create a whole new suite of furniture for our outside living area. As natural materials, wicker and rattan chairs are the simple solution.

Perfect for a small apartment balcony, by the pool or in an outdoor patio area, natural woven chairs, like wicker or rattan and a table setting are easy to keep clean, resistant to seasonal weather and can be changed and altered with simple accessories such as plump cushions, umbrellas and rugs.

Usually hand woven, wicker material chairs and tables are a stylish addition to an outdoor area. Normally coming in standard sets of two-to-four chairs and a glass top table, they are well priced and widely available.

Wicker chairs, wicker/glass tables and other complimentary wicker furniture such as loveseats, suit many tastes and garden styles, and are an inexpensive option for regular outdoor entertainers. In fact, a very nice quality wicker or rattan chair can be found for $70 – $100, whereas a wicker patio set would generally start at around $300 – $500 upwards.

Resin coated wicker and the weather is no longer an issue

While most wicker furniture is susceptible to harsh weather, resin wicker is all weather durable, because of its weatherproofing seal. Resin coated wicker is also UV resistant so does not fade, crack or peel. In addition, wicker chairs and indeed all wicker furniture is generally lightweight and can easily be moved. This is perfect for garden lovers and entertainers who continually make changes and alterations to their outdoor areas. Now you can enjoy outdoor entertaining all year round!

Tyler Bond is a writer for Outdoor Patio Furniture, a blog which is dedicated to bring consumers reviews, tips, and comparisons of all different types of patio furniture, from Do if yourself Furniture, to Patio Umbrellas.

Patio Furniture FAQ:

Question: What’s the best way to clean water repellent fabric on patio furniture?

Answer: I wet then spray mine with one of three things, allow to sit 5 minutes, then scrub with a nail brush or shower exfoliating glove and then rinse. Comes out very cleanly. Sometimes, I spot clean with a mr.clean magic eraser though.
All of these can be found in the automotive department: Simple Green, Krud Kutter, Castrol Purple Degreaser

Question: How to clean plastic patio furniture?

Answer: Comet cleanser and scrub, will also control mildew.

Question: Will powder coated metal patio furniture scrape a painted pool deck?
When sliding the chairs in and out around the table, will the bottoms/legs scratch a painted concrete patio?

Answer: Yes, the powder coating and the metal are both harder than the paint. You might be able to glue some kind of slider on the legs though.

Question: Is wood or metal the best choice for patio furniture from a low maintenance and durability perspective? There are many different metal alloys in the market today, wondering which is better. Do they rust? Also, does metal get very hot if sun is shining on it for a whole day and we go sit on it in the evening?

Answer: After many years metal will rust. If you want metal it pays to store it in doors for the harsher weather. Wood is very durable and can last a lifetime with the proper care. Plastics is another option. A lot of patio furniture is metal but is coated with some type of faux plastic – so I doubt it rusts very easily. If you buy a decent quality set you should be able to get 10-15 years out of it. If you buy something cheap at Walmarts it will probably last half as long.

Question: How do you care for and clean teak wood patio furniture?
Our teak furniture is looking dirty or mildewy. I am wondering how to make it look clean or more fresh looking. It is only a year old.

Answer: My recommended way to clean teak patio furniture is to mix in a bucket 3 parts mild laundry detergent with one part bleach mixture with water.

Now wash the furniture using a soft bristle brush. Do not use a hard bristle brush as it may damage the furniture. After you have given the furniture a good scrub with the cleaning mix rinse the entire piece of furniture to make sure all dirt is removed.

Question: How can I prevent my dogs from peeing on the legs of my metal patio furniture?
Can I spray the furniture with Rustoleum paint and that will prevent rust? What could I do?

Answer: The rustoleum will cover rust, but not necessarily prevent it. As for the dogs? Well, if you find out, let me know. Its virtually impossible to stop this behaviour unless you catch them doing it each time, discipline them for it, and then wash down the legs so they don’t smell it. I have six dogs and have given up worrying about the outside furniture. I just wash it down on a regular basis and paint when necessary.

Question: Where can I find fabric to match patio furniture bought at Wal-Mart?
The furniture style is Palm Valley II and the brand is Better Homes and Gardens. I have extra pillows that I want to cover to match the fabric on the furniture.

Answer: JoAnne fabrics carries Sunbrella fabric and so do some other fabric stores. I don’t know if you can get the Palm Valley because that was a pattern designed for the BHG line at WalMart. But, you can get some coordinating fabric. Sunbrella is great because it won’t mold or mildew or fade or stain and it has a 5 year warranty. Especially for pillows and cushions it really is the most durable and long lasting for outdoor patio use.

Question: I’m going to paint my old wood patio furniture. Since it will be in the sun, what type of paint should i use?
Should i use a base coat? Can I use a spray acrylic? In the past, the paint has always bubbled up on the furniture I kept in the sun.

Answer: It bubbled because your furniture wasn’t dry and you trapped moisture in it or you painted in direct sun light that was too hot. Whatever you do make sure you use a water based paint unless you know what kind was put on from the start. You don’t want to put oil based paint over water based BUT you can put water based over oil, oil based paint will tend to lift the water based paint off. Use some 100 grit paper and scuff up the areas where the paint has bubbled off and you can use an acrylic spray paint or acrylic paint with a brush just don’t paint in direct sun it dries too fast. As far as curing most paints take 2 weeks to 30 days to fully cure.