What’s Synthetic Rattan Garden Furniture, Is It Any Good?
Synthetic rattan garden furniture is a modern twist and development of the traditional furniture. Traditional rattan is of course a natural vine found growing in tropical zones such as SE Asia. It’s abundance and natural characteristics make it great for crafting and weaving into furniture and generations have developed the skill into a fine art.
The problem with natural organic materials is that, although durable, they can sometimes be prone to the effects of climatic conditions. In the case of natural woven wicker rattan furniture, it can, over time, in damp or moist conditions develop moulds which slowly disfigure the rattan. As well as mould, natural rattan can be damaged by UV light if left out in the sun. The damage is limited to inconsistent fading of materials which is not overly significant, but is damage non the less.
As a result natural wicker rattan garden furniture is best used in dry environments, and may require storage space and covers if you live in a wet climate. Synthetic rattan outdoor furniture has been developed to overcome these problems. The synthetic version is often branded as all weather rattan patio furniture
Essentially the rattan is substituted by PVC, plastic or other synthetic man made materials. As these materials are man made fibres they can be made to any size and length or even colour and can be woven to produce a wicker effect contemporary rattan garden furniture. These man made fibres can often be produced in markets far from the original source of rattan and as a result are often cheaper to produce. The major benefits of furniture produced with this material, other than cost, is that it doesn’t fade and won’t go mouldy over time. Essentially you don’t need storage space as the furniture can be left out in all weathers, and you don’t have to be concerned about the weather. Other side benefits are that the synthetic outdoor rattan garden furniture sets are easier to clean and maintain.
When you check for all weather rattan garden or patio furniture you will note that most of the furniture is mounted on aluminium frames to guard against corrosion and to bring inherent strength to the furniture. Using aluminium also makes the synthetic poly rattan patio furniture light and easy to move around and reposition around your garden.
You will also notice that plastic rattan effect garden furniture comes in a tremendous variety of styles from contemporary to traditional. This is because aluminium is a versatile metal compared to traditional teak framing and because the fibres used for weaving can be specified rather than having to rely on nature to provide. The inherent benefits of synthetic rattan garden furniture are obvious, wide choice of style, affordability, easy maintenance, long durable life span, few storage concerns, and widespread availability make choosing all weather rattan garden furniture a good choice over the natural variety.
