Furniture Materials

Types of outdoor furniture construction:

Aluminum - is a bluish silver white material, which is light, strong and malleable. Aluminum cannot rust, but will show white aluminum oxide on its surface unless protected by paint or power coating.

Extruded Aluminum - is formed by forcing aluminum stock through dies. The result is a seamless extrusion of aluminum that comes in many shapes and forms. It can be bent into beautiful shapes and styles.

Cast Aluminum - is made by pouring molten metal into sand castings or precision machined molds to form component parts for chairs, tables or accessories.

Iron - is a very heavy and durable material which is extremely strong. It is formed into furniture by bending, drawing and pounding the iron to shape. Iron will rust and will show a dark brown iron oxide on its surface unless protected by paint or power coating.

Wrought Iron - is furniture made from iron bars, rods, tubing and castings, often in the elaborate decorative style first created by the original hand craftsman but also in the more simple contemporary styles.

All Weather Wicker - is wicker furniture made of various materials to various degrees of weather impermeability. Furniture could be made of cellulose covered stainless steel wires treated with resin and coated with polyester then woven into wicker and shaped into furniture mounted on aluminum frames. Another process consists of producing furniture from fiberglass strands impregnated with resin and woven on frames having the appearance of wicker. Another method is to wrap frames with "Vinyl" or "PVC" which is a synthetic resin which is chemically inert and highly resistant to sunlight and weathering. In addition, there is wicker which is treated with a patented protective sealant and then painted in a variety of decorative colors.

Wood - furniture produced from plantations that harvest dense woods which have a high oil content making them naturally waterproof and suitable for the outdoors. Teak, mahogany and jarrah are very good examples of suitable outdoors woods for furniture.

Fabrics:

Acrylic - a thermoplastic raw material with the properties of glass offering durability, transparent, fast drying and weather resistant.

Acrylic Fabrics - woven from acrylic these fabrics are lightweight, resilient, quick drying and resistant to sunlight, fading, soiling, stains, abrasion and mildew. Acrylic fabrics look and feel like cotton, but are durable when used outdoors.

Vinyl - also called "PVC" is a thermoplastic synthetic resin which is chemically inert and highly resistant to sunlight and weathering.

Vinyl Fabric - is produced by laminating two sheets of vinyl with a mesh. Outer sheets of vinyl can be solids or printed.

Vinyl Coated Polyester Fabrics - Durable outdoor fabric made from polyester yarn coated with vinyl, woven into fabric and then sealed to prevent unraveling. The open mesh construction allows air and water to pass through. The fabric provides excellent resistance to abrasion, mildew, heat, stains, soiling, chemicals, fading and sunlight.

Paint Finishing:

Anodizing - a chemical plating process which permanently seals the surface of aluminum eliminating the formulation of aluminum oxide.

Lacquer - a clear or colored synthetic coating used to give rattan and resin furniture a high gloss and seal the surface of the furniture.

E-coating - a pre-finish process for iron and steel in which the metal and the coating are oppositely charged and then fused together so that the coating forms a bond with the metal to inhibit rust and provide a base for powder coating.

Power Coating - a finishing process for aluminum, iron and steel in which the plastic coating is ground into a fine talc and blown on to the chemically cleaned and etched surface of the metal. When baked, the talc melts and fuses into the metal producing a thick durable weather resistant coating which is substantially thicker than a normal spray paint process.