Plastics have always been the cheaper option when it comes to outdoor furniture. It is simple to replace and easy to replicate in stores a lot of the time, compared to its more high-quality counterparts.
While this is the perception of plastic furniture today, it is certainly not the case anymore.
Manufacturers have started making far more sturdy plastics that can not only stand up to the elements of the outside world, but last for years on end.
One of the most popular of these plastics is known as Polywood and in the few years it has been on the market, the demand for furniture made of Polywood has skyrocketed.
The problem that a lot of people have though is figuring out whether Polywood is much more expensive
than normal plastic.
In this article, we seek to answer this question and more about this wonderful material.
Contents
What Is Polywood?
Polywood is not wood at all but an incredibly dense plastic that is typically made from recycled HDPE (High-density polyethylene), which is a thermoplastic made from petroleum.
Although the original source is not that environmentally friendly, the fact that most Polywood is recycled is great in the long run.
The HDPE is made into what is known as poly lumber, which when the HDPE is made into a very dense log that resembles lumber.
This is then used to construct the furniture of your choice. Anything made out of Polywood is going to have many benefits that other products simply won’t.
For example, Polywood furniture doesn’t attract pests, insects, or rodents, because they have nothing to gain from eating the Polywood.
The plastic, when ingested, is poisonous to them, so you won’t have to constantly treat your furniture to keep it safe.
As such, Polywood is a great alternative material for furniture within your garden.
Is Polywood Expensive?
Most plastic furniture that you buy will be really cheap – within the $10 to $30 range – and this is because it is designed for basically a single season.
If you have cheap plastic furniture by the end of summer, then that’s great, but every summer it continues to last makes you warier of sitting on it with the potential for it to break increasing all the time.
Since Polywood furniture is a significant investment meant to last many years and through terrible weather events, then it is not going to be as cheap as normal plastic furniture.
A new Polywood deck chair, normally over the $200 mark upon purchase.
While this may seem like a lot, you should not treat Polywood products in the same way you would treat normal plastic furniture.
They should be thought of as closer to actual wood products. Since normal good deck chairs cost between $150 to $300 a piece, the price of the Polywood deck chair is not that unreasonable.
They can be compared to wooden deck chairs, due to the fact that they are made the same way.
The HDPE Polywood plastic is not set in a mould like normal plastic furniture but constructed using metal bolts and screws. This makes the overall design sturdier and easier to deal with.
Since the furniture is made in a higher quality way with higher quality materials, it is going to be more expensive no matter what.
Pros And Cons Of Polywood Furniture
Every piece of furniture has its pros and cons, with Polywood furniture being no exception to this. With that said, let’s look at them in detail:
Pros
Good For The Environment
We mentioned this earlier, but it is worth repeating – as it is one of the biggest pros. Polywood is almost 100% recycled from previously made plastic.
Since this plastic would otherwise be dumped or have a slim chance of being recycled itself, this is a great thing for the environment as a whole.
Not only does it cut down on harming the environment, but it also stops actual lumber and wood from being taken away from forests and areas of land where it is desperately needed.
This helps to stop deforestation and also helps to keep wood regulated properly.
Customizable
With a lot of different materials for outdoor furniture, you can only get one set colour or design that is going to be on them. Wood can be stained, but remains brown.
Wrought iron is silver unless it is painted a dark colour. In fact, for most outside furniture you can only do so much and even the designs tend to follow a certain pattern.
This is not the case for Polywood. Polywood comes in a veritable litany of different colours and shapes that are made with the consumer in mind.
Since plastic takes on colour well, you can easily find the colour that you want and that satisfies your design cravings.
Maintenance
Unlike other materials that make up outdoor furniture, you will not need to maintain your Polywood furniture nearly as much.
As we stated earlier, pests and insects won’t seek to eat it, and water can’t rot plastic, so it is a win all round.
Cons
Heavy
Polywood is a very dense plastic, so it is quite heavy and hard to lug around everywhere. This is great in strong wind, but it is terrible in almost all other situations.
If you wanted to go to the back of the garden into the sunny spot, you would have trouble moving it, for example.
Doesn’t Adjust To Your Body
The shape of the Polywood furniture is fixed. There is no change in its shape over time, as such when you sit down on it, you can not create a groove in your body over time.
Therefore, if you are uncomfortable in the chair now, you are always going to be uncomfortable in it.
Conclusion
Polywood is an expensive piece of furniture if you only consider the fact that it is plastic. If you think of it as the fairly decent deck chair that it actually is, then it is definitely worth the price that it is at.
