How To Choose An Outdoor Sofa

We all have high expectations when it comes to buying furniture in general. We want it to be not too expensive but durable, good-looking, stylish and modern. The same rules apply to the outdoor furniture, whether you are choosing lounge chairs or outdoor sofas. You need to think about the weather conditions and materials for your outdoor sofas and chairs . The design and color are also important: how will your furniture look after a season spent outside?

Choose weatherproof materials

If your sofa has some metal elements in the design – it should definitely be galvanized so it could fight off rust and resist water. You should choose treated wood so it would last longer although wood in general is not the best choice for outdoor furniture. Some of the most durable materials to choose are: aluminum, pine, iron, mahogany, rattan, teak, and plastic. Plastic is obviously the cheaper variant, but it is not as durable as other materials.

Comfort is the #1 priority

Modern outdoor sofas should not only live long, but they should also feel great. When you think you’ve found “the one” and you’ve carefully considered the price and all pros and cons of the material, you should just try it! Sit in it for as long as you like because this piece of furniture is meant to spend long days or lazy evenings with maximum comfort. If the sofa proves worthy, don’t hesitate to buy it.

Maintaining outdoor sofas

Whatever material you’ve chosen, it certainly requires maintenance. Don’t forget to apply oils, stains and sealers to wooden outdoor sofas. Metal furniture pieces are relatively low in maintenance, but still need some looking after. Wiping with a cloth is usually enough, and for iron furniture you should also apply some anti-rust treatment. And of course you shouldn’t forget about storage: off-season it’s better to hide the furniture in a nice secluded dry place – a basement or a garage will do just great. If you don’t have enough space try looking for furniture that can be taken apart and then stored.

Use colors, but not too much!

There are numerous tips on how to choose a sofa that you will love for a lifetime, but there’s probably one main rule that never gets old – be wise with the color choice. It’s true that wooden and metal outdoor sofas are presented in a variety of fun colors to make your outdoor experience really special, but you shouldn’t forget that these bright colors tend to become tiresome over time. You really don’t want to start hating your bright-red outdoor sofa after a few weeks of usage. So it’s better to go with classic colors for wood with some variations of white, black and beige, and choose metal that looks like metal. You can later add some splashes of color by accessorizing the right way with pillows, cushions and floor rugs. Don’t forget that all these things should be weatherproof and also require maintenance so they can last longer.