There are 3 main types of fabrics used in outdoor cushions: Polyester, Olefin, and Acrylic. Natural fibers such as wool and cotton are never used in outdoor fabrics, because they absorb water and spills much more easily: a serious problem when you are dealing with the outside humidity and rain.
Polyester, Olefin, and Acrylic fibers are essentially plastic: they are made from petroleum products. In the past, polyesters were usually batch dyed, meaning they had terrible resistance to sun fading. More recently, fabric companies have been creating higher-end polyesters that are solution dyed to compete with the traditionally solution dyed olefin and acrylic fabrics. The characteristics we compare fabric types on are sun fading resistance (called color fastness), water resistance (hydrophobia), and resilience to wear and use (rub test). To rank all three (polyester, olefin, acrylic) solution dyed industry standard outdoor fabrics on a 5-point scale in each category in order of importance:
Poly Olefin Acrylic Poly (non-solution dyed)
Sun 4 4 5 1
Water 3 3 4 2
Rub 4 4 3 3
The industry consensus is that acrylic fabric is the best overall fabric to use for outdoor cushions because of its superior resistance to the sun. While we generally agree with this, one should note that acrylic fabric is at least double the price of olefin or a high-end poly, and it doesn’t hold up as well to physical wear. You should consider the climate you live in as well: if it is a place like Arizona or California where your cushions have to endure a constant onslaught of high-intensity sun, the benefit of acrylic vs poly or olefin is significant. However, if you live somewhere where there are far fewer hours of intense sunlight (*cough* Western New York), it is almost certainly not worth the extra money.
Finally, a UV or hydrophobic coating (such as Scotch Guard) can be applied to give the cushion additional protection from the sun and the rain. This could be done yourself, or done at the manufacturer level. These coatings will help with water resistance, although the coating can be toxic, and will get rubbed off over time and will need to be reapplied. Additionally, there are almost no cushions that are actually fully ‘water proof’, Sunbrella or otherwise: at the very least, water can get in through the zippers of cushions, so even if cushions are made with highly water resistant and treated fabric, there is still a point of weakness where water can enter. We have made the mistake in the past of selling Sunbrella cushions to customers as ‘water proof’, only to have them complain later that water still got into the cushions after an intense storm.
On the positive side, any high-quality outdoor fabric will dry quickly. The zipper is the quickest exit out of the cushion as well: stand your cushions upright with the zipper on the bottom, and they will dry out in the sun and air in 30-120 minutes.
Is Sunbrella worth it?
First and foremost, Sunbrella is a brand of solution dyed acrylic fabric. It is also about 50% more expensive than other solution dyed acrylics, which is already the most expensive of the base outdoor fabric types. To give an example for us: a chat-set with 5 base cushions and 6 back cushions would have to have a price-tag of about $1000 more when going from a high-end solution dyed polyester to the Sunbrella brand fabric cushions. However, Sunbrella does offer a longer warranty on sun protection, and has a coating applied at the manufacturer level which assists with water resistance.
In our experience, Sunbrella fabric is an exceptional fabric for outdoor cushions, although as most of our customers live in Western NY which gets much less sun, we no longer think it is a good use of resources as we have learned more about cushions and fabrics. As such, we are actually pivoting from our initial strategy of having all Sunbrella fabric, to an inventory primarily made up of high-end solution dyed polyester fabrics.
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Aluminum is widely considered the best metal for patio furniture. The biggest advantage of aluminum over iron or steel is that it doesn't rust. When aluminum comes in contact with air, an oxide layer forms that keeps out oxygen and water (unlike iron, which has a permeable oxide layer which water and oxygen can continue to pass through). This characteristic lets you keep aluminum furniture out in rain, wind, and snow.
Aluminum is much lighter than iron or steel, giving mobility to aluminum sets and pieces. Lastly, aluminum furniture won't heat up in the sun as much as iron or steel. Aluminum is a much better conductor of heat, which means that the air outside will do a better job regulating the surface temperature, and keep the set cooler than a set made of a different metal.
Unfortunately, aluminum is a more expensive metal than iron or steel. Also because aluminum is a softer metal, it is easier to scratch.
The vast majority of high-end metal patio furniture is made out of aluminum, and all of Flamingo's metal patio furniture is aluminum.
Wrought Iron patio furniture is usually durable, and can boast a nice rustic aesthetic. Iron furniture pieces tend to be extremely heavy because of iron's high density. Iron pieces will tend to rust very quickly when left out wet, so iron furniture has the unfortunate combination of being heavy and hard to move around, with needing to be brought in from the elements. Iron is the cheapest of the metals.
Steel patio furniture is extremely durable and scratch resistant, although it still suffers from the problems of rusting. Because steel is stronger than iron, a smaller amount of metal is necessary for a functional piece of furniture, so steel furniture tends to be in-between iron and aluminum in terms of weight.
Wicker patio furniture is created from woven wood, rattan, or resin, and has a very different look and feel from metal. Wicker furniture tends to be bulky and light, although can have a luxurious and decadent look to it. Traditional wicker made from rattan or wood can break down from exposure to moisture, thus should be brought in after the summer months. Wicker made from resin is moisture immune, and like aluminum, can be kept out all year long. Wicker furniture tends to be more fragile than metal. All of the wicker at Flamingo is hand-woven resin.
Wood patio furniture is a completely different animal. Wood furniture tends to be heavy, and can also range from cheap mass produced Adirondack chairs, to top-tier hand-crafted furniture art-pieces. Wood furniture can be weather resistant depending on the type of finish used. As of this moment, Flamingo carries no wood furniture, although if we develop a relationship with a supplier that is up to our standards, that could change.
Molded Plastic patio furniture tends to be the cheapest, as it is all mass-produced from plastic molds. Molded plastic is an extremely light material which gives it great mobility, although it is so mobile it will likely get blown around in a high-wind situation. Plastic is moisture immune, so you can feel free to leave it out in rain or snow. Molded plastic sets almost never have a luxurious feel or look to them. Flamingo currently has no molded-plastic sets, and is unlikely ever to do so.
When you are choosing the material that is best for you, you are going to have to consider both your budget, and your aesthetic. A wicker sectional will transform your outdoor space completely differently than a large aluminum dining set.
A $1600 budget will get you out of low-tier wood or molded plastic sets into mid-tier aluminum or wicker sets, but is still out of striking distance of getting a handwoven piece of wicker furniture art or a top-tier aluminum sectional set.