With fall coming up, you may be thinking about spending more time outside, sitting out in your garden and enjoying our blue skies and sunshine. For that, you will need a comfy place to sit, which may be easier said than done. Choosing garden furniture can be a challenge in our hot, dry, sunny climate.
There are several considerations when choosing garden furniture in the desert. The most obvious is resistance to destructive UV radiation. Other considerations are wind, which we usually get plenty of, particularly in spring and fall. We also have rainy seasons, so your furniture should be able to stand up to soaking monsoon rains. Budget, of course, is also a key consideration.
When you’re deciding on furniture, think about your outdoor space as rooms, and the type of activities you like to do outside. Do you prefer to sit and socialize with friends and family? Do you do a lot of your dining outside? Or maybe you just want an intimate space to sit and ponder. Choose furniture that will fit your lifestyle rather than just fill up an empty patio.
You will also need to consider the outdoor space you are trying to furnish. Is it sunny and hot? Shady? Sheltered? Does it get a lot of strong winds? Is it very dusty? The answers to these questions will help you figure out the best furniture material.
Also consider whether you will use your furniture year-round. Do you have a place to put it away when you’re not using it? Or maybe you want to leave it out all year and not fuss with hiding it away. Will you want covers for it? A lot of larger furniture can be difficult to find covers for, and they can be quite expensive.
You will also need to decide on the size of your furniture. How many people will be using it? You may have a large patio, but if it’s going to be used by only two people, it may not make sense to spend lots of money on a huge outdoor sofa. Perhaps you can divide the space into more intimate seating and dining areas, or add lots of containers. Alternatively, if you have large family and friend group gatherings, you will need to spend some money on larger pieces. Make sure you measure your space and leave at least 24 inches around seating pieces or 36 inches around tables for adequate movement. Also, measure your garden gates — you don’t want to have to heft your new garden set over the wall.
You should also consider weight and maintenance. If you have a lot of wind, you probably want to stick with heavier pieces and avoid cushions — unless you want to have to put them away each time you’re finished using them. If you hate moving around heavy furniture, or are concerned about damaging your patio, go with lighter stuff. If your yard is dusty or very sunny, choose furniture that is easy to clean and that will be relatively sun-proof.
Quality outdoor furniture is pricey, but it’s not worth it to skimp. If you buy cheap plastic furniture or cushions you will be buying new sets after a year or two and adding lots of waste to the landfill. If you’re on a tight budget, your best bet is to buy a used metal furniture set and refresh it with some Rust-Oleum paint. This will be a far better bang for your buck and will last you for decades. You can also consider making some DIY benches out of cinder blocks and wood two-by-fours for durable and cheap seating.
There’s no perfect garden furniture, particularly if you have a limited budget. Below are different types of furniture to consider, as well as some pros and cons. Hopefully this will help you choose the best type of furniture for your yard. If you’re looking to add some shade to your patio, check out my article “Shade structures for your Tucson garden.”
Metal garden furniture
Metal garden furniture can be made of aluminum, steel, or iron. The main downside is that metal gets very hot in the sun, which can make the furniture unusable for a good part of the year — unless you place it in a shady spot.
Aluminum furniture is the cheapest, but it’s also very light and will be blown away by the wind. Iron and steel are more likely to stay in place, but are not necessarily going to be very comfortable without some type of cushions (more on those later).
Metal furniture is probably best for sheltered, shaded areas. It is frequently powder-coated to add color. Rust will be the main problem with metal furniture, but given our dry climate this is likely to take a while to develop. Keeping furniture out of the rain will help.
This outdoor table is made of redwood. Like most woods, redwood needs to be sealed with a UV-resistant material to protect it from damage in our intense sun.
Plastic garden furniture
There are many types of plastic furniture, and some are fine for our desert sun. For example, high-density polyethylene (HPDE, also frequently referred to as “poly”) is made of recycled plastic and polymers treated with UV resistant chemicals. It is frequently stamped with wood grain texture to make it look like painted wood. The color goes through the entire material so scratches show less than with some other products (like painted wood). It is quite heavy and usually fairly expensive. HDPE is also used to make higher-quality faux wicker furniture.
PVC plastic furniture is at the other end of the spectrum and is a poor choice for garden furniture. It is not recyclable, toxic to manufacture, and will break up in our sun after a couple of years. It’s also very light and likely to blow away easily. Some faux wicker furniture is made from PVC, so be sure to check the material before you purchase, as this will only last you a season or two. The only pro of PVC furniture is that it’s inexpensive.
Wood garden furniture
The best wood for outdoor use is teak. You will want to get Grade A teak that is FSC-certified so you can be sure rainforests are not being destroyed to provide you with an outdoor place to sit. Grade A teak has the tightest grain and the most consistent color and is the only appropriate grade for outdoor use.
Teak can withstand the elements without any treatment, but it will develop a silvery patina if it’s not sealed. Before you decide to seal it, however, consider that you will need to keep that up every year. Even teak will eventually get damaged outdoors, so treat your furniture kindly and keep it out of the sun and rain as much as possible. If you leave your teak unfinished, be aware that oily and colored foods will stain it.
You can also get outdoor furniture made from other hardwoods, such as redwood, eucalyptus, acacia, cedar and ipe. Again make sure they’re FSC-certified. These woods are not as durable outside as teak and will require regular sealing and maintenance. Wood furniture of all types needs regular gentle cleaning with soap and water. You will likely also need cushions to make it comfortable.
Outdoor fabrics for the sunny desert
For cushions, curtains, pillows and other outdoor fabric products you will need to choose something that is UV-resistant. The best-known brands for this are Sunbrella and Outdura, which are both made of acrylic fibers. Polyester fiber fabrics are cheaper but will fade and tear quickly in our desert sun. Outdoor fabrics will last longer if kept in the shade or covered.
I keep my cushions away from the rain to avoid staining. If you don’t want to fuss with putting cushions away, look for cushions made of Dryfast foam which drains water and dries quickly.
Good furniture doesn’t always have to be brand new. Sometimes it can just be new to you. Follow these tips to buy long-lasting secondhand items. PennyGem’s Johana Restrepo has more.
