Walk into any furniture showroom and you'll find dozens of styles that all look great in a photo. The real question that determines whether you love your furniture in five years is much simpler: what's it actually made of? Here's an honest, practical breakdown of the five materials you'll run into most, so you can pick based on how you actually live outdoors — not just how a piece looks in a showroom.
Teak: The Long-Haul Investment
Teak is a dense, naturally oily hardwood, and it's about as close to "buy it once" as outdoor furniture gets. Grade-A teak routinely lasts 20 to 30 years — sometimes 50 — with genuinely minimal care. Its natural oils resist rot, insects, and moisture on their own, without any chemical treatment.
Maintenance: about as low as real wood gets. Left alone, teak weathers naturally into a soft silver-gray patina that many people love on its own. If you'd rather keep its original honey-gold color, an occasional oiling does the job — but it's optional, not required.
Best for: anyone who wants furniture that looks better with age and doesn't mind that character showing.
Shop our Teak collection or explore teak pieces from Skargaarden, whose entire lineup is built on solid, FSC-certified teak.
All-Weather Wicker: The Classic Look, Modern Durability
"Wicker" used to mean natural rattan — beautiful, but genuinely not built for real outdoor exposure. Modern all-weather wicker is different: it's a synthetic resin, woven over a powder-coated aluminum frame, engineered specifically to handle sun and rain without unraveling or fading for decades.
Maintenance: about as easy as it gets — hose it down, let it dry. No sealing, no oiling, no seasonal treatment.
One honest tradeoff: quality synthetic wicker is excellent for normal patio use, but it's slightly more vulnerable to sharp impacts than solid wood or metal — not a concern for everyday sitting and lounging, just worth knowing if you're rough on furniture.
Best for: the classic woven look, without the upkeep natural rattan demands.
Lloyd Flanders essentially invented modern mechanized wicker weaving over a century ago, and it's still their core craft today.
Aluminum: Lightweight and Nearly Maintenance-Free
Powder-coated aluminum is the practical, low-maintenance workhorse of outdoor furniture. It doesn't rust — a real advantage over wrought iron — and it performs well in nearly every climate, including coastal, salty air that's tough on other metals.
Maintenance: minimal. The one thing worth watching: if the powder-coated finish gets chipped or scratched, the exposed metal underneath can start to oxidize locally. A quick touch-up when you spot a chip keeps it from spreading.
Best for: anyone who wants furniture that's easy to move, easy to maintain, and holds up reliably near the coast.
Explore aluminum-forward collections like Kettler or Skyline Design.
Wrought Iron: Heavy, Classic, and Built to Stay Put
Wrought iron has a weight and presence nothing else on this list matches — which is a genuine advantage if you deal with wind, since it simply doesn't blow around. It's also, visually, some of the most timeless outdoor furniture you can buy.
Maintenance: the highest-upkeep material here. Iron needs a protective finish to resist rust — brands like Kettler use a baked-on "Electrotherm" coating specifically for this — and any chips in that coating should be touched up before rust has a chance to spread.
Best for: windy locations, and anyone drawn to a classic, substantial look who doesn't mind a bit more upkeep in exchange.
Marine-Grade Polymer (MGP): Built for Zero Fuss
If low maintenance is your top priority, full stop, marine-grade polymer is hard to beat. It's a synthetic material engineered to be left outside year-round, in any climate, with essentially no maintenance routine at all.
Maintenance: about as close to none as outdoor furniture gets.
The honest tradeoff: it's synthetic, so it doesn't have the natural warmth or variation of real teak. What you get in exchange is furniture that simply doesn't need to be thought about.
Telescope Casual is the standout name here — much of their table and seating lineup is built specifically around MGP construction.
The Quick-Decision Version
- Want it to look better with age, don't mind occasional care? → Teak
- Love the woven look, want it truly worry-free? → All-weather wicker
- Want lightweight and low-maintenance, especially near the coast? → Aluminum
- Live somewhere windy, want a classic heavier look? → Wrought iron
- Want to never think about maintenance again? → Marine-grade polymer
There's no single "best" material here — just the one that matches how you'll actually use and care for your outdoor space. If you're still not sure which is right for your setup, browse our full furniture collection filterable by material, or reach out and we're happy to point you in the right direction.
Common Questions
What is the most durable outdoor furniture material?
Teak and marine-grade polymer are generally the most durable, both able to handle years of direct outdoor exposure with minimal maintenance. Teak lasts through its natural oils, while marine-grade polymer is engineered specifically to be left outside year-round.
Is aluminum or wrought iron better for outdoor furniture?
Aluminum is lighter and rust-proof, making it a better fit for coastal or humid climates. Wrought iron is heavier and more wind-resistant, but needs a protective finish to prevent rust over time.
Does all-weather wicker actually last outdoors?
Yes. Modern all-weather wicker is a synthetic resin woven over an aluminum frame, engineered to resist fading and unraveling for decades, unlike natural rattan, which isn't built for real outdoor exposure.
Does wrought iron rust outdoors?
It can, if the protective coating gets chipped or worn. A quality finish, like the Electrotherm coating used by brands such as Kettler, is designed to prevent this, but any exposed chips should be touched up before rust has a chance to spread.