Your backyard of your home provides you with a personal space to share with family and friends outside. A great addition is elegant, comfortable and practical outdoor furniture made of wicker. However, when searching for quality wicker patio sets it can be hard to differentiate between good-quality pieces and lower quality ones; especially since wicker sets may cost hundreds or even thousands. We will cover this topic so you can identify good-quality wicker immediately! Wicker Warehouse provides various furniture sets crafted of wicker for every need and space imaginable, such as seating sets made of wicker, conversational sets, tables chairs and dining tables crafted of wicker. Available in both contemporary and traditional natural rattan and wicker styles with washes these sets will enhance any space! Whether entertaining outdoors or indoors our Wicker Sunroom Furniture made of wicker is ideal for large or small events alike!
Assessing the quality of a Wicker set involves several elements. These include its material, weaving style, support mechanism and cost. While this durable style of outdoor furniture makes a statement in any yard setting, finding pieces to complete it and ensure its maximum quality can be tricky.
Synthetic Blends
One lesser-known fact about this form of furniture is that “wicker” refers to a weaving process rather than any specific material used in its creation; from rattan to polyethylene there are various substances which may be used when crafting Wicker pieces; their properties will determine if your outdoor-ready or not, with natural materials like bamboo and rattan becoming vulnerable in direct sunlight and eventually breaking down altogether.
For an attractive yet long-term structure, opt for wickers made of synthetic material. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) provide tight weaves which leave little space for dirt or moisture penetration.
Durable Frame
High-grade materials and top-of-the-line building methods are paramount to producing quality furniture. If you have ever sat on patio furniture that seems thin or unbalanced, chances are it didn’t provide adequate structural support. A strong frame inside furniture will be what distinguishes quality wicker from cheaper options. When searching for quality wicker options be sure to look for features such as high strength aluminum magnesium alloy coated with powder for increased weather resistance.
Life-Proof Fabrics
Weather is uncontrollable when enjoying the great outdoors, so to stay prepared for anything that comes your way make sure the cushions on your outdoor furniture can withstand all forms of weather damage such as spills or heavy downpours. To stay ahead of any unexpected surprises be sure that they can withstand wear and tear caused by outdoor living!
Find hand-sewn fabric that can withstand every smudge that may come its way, such as antibacterial nanocoatings to resist dirt, water and any other sources of contamination.
No matter the cause – from pets or kids to weather, spills, and weather itself – furniture can quickly become dirty over time, making knowing what signs to watch out for essential in ensuring it doesn’t need replacing!
Once you understand the advantages of high-quality wicker furniture, here are some suggestions for selecting outdoor wicker pieces most suited to you.
Materials
Most low-priced wickers are made of plastic materials that are easily damaged over time. Because plastic wickers lack long-term durability, you’ll likely have to replace it soon after purchasing it – not to mention how non-biodegradable plastics add pollution to landfills and increase our environmental impact! How can you identify this low price wicker? By taking note of its appearance; most cheap wicker appears as shiny vinyl while being extremely thin so that deception cannot occur!
Weave
High-quality wicker furniture is usually hand woven by master weavers in batches of just a few rows at a time, to reduce prices and produce in bulk. In order to increase production, 10 rows at once may be woven simultaneously resulting in patterns running either direction with uneven spacing between rows as it’s almost impossible to even out the weave in such large batches. Therefore, when looking for top-grade wicker, look for uniform weaves and symmetrical patterns as an indication that its product has excellent quality.
Support System
Companies look to cut costs by manufacturing frames at low costs to fit their wicker, which may result in bent and wrapped frames in no time at all. A higher-quality set of wicker should include an aluminum frame thick enough for extra support while still remaining lightweight for easy arranging of outdoor seating space. A powder coat finish may further prevent corrosion while adding aesthetic value – providing additional support while being lightweight enough for simple arrangement in outdoor use settings.
If the support structure is constructed with subpar materials or certain sets that need extra support don’t have it available, there will be an increased chance of seats collapsing under pressure and weave breaking when pressured upon. Be wary of stores which claim they offer solid metal frames; often this can be just a disguise for steel construction which may corrode and rust over time.
Price
A high-quality piece of wicker will typically run between $100-300. A set may cost as much as two or three thousand, and expensive furniture made of wicker may surpass $10,000. High quality brands like Sunset West and Lloyd Flanders typically range between $2-5000 for pieces that will remain top quality over 10+ years.
Keep this in mind: you get what you pay for. If your wicker set costs less than 1000 USD, chances are it is mass produced cheap set that may only last a couple years and pollute the land.
