Outdoor Cafe Furniture – What’s The Best Material?

Outdoor cafe furniture comes in a wide range of materials including timber, aluminium, and polypropylene. Of course, you want furniture that is durable, sturdy, and comfortable, so what’s the best material to choose?

To be honest, all of these options are perfectly suitable for outdoor use but each of them comes with its pros and cons. So, let’s dive in and take a closer look.

Outdoor cafe furniture – Timber

Timber, in particular teak, is one of the most popular choices for outdoor furniture because of its strength and durability, particularly when exposed to the harsh Australian climate. This is in part due to the tight wood grain and the natural oil content. It’s also extremely versatile and can be used for chairs, tables, stools and more. It’s also an attractive wood that can resist termites. All things considered, it’s a good choice for outdoor cafe furniture.

On the downside, teak is one of the most expensive timbers and unless you have a huge budget to work with, is probably not the best choice for your cafe.

Aluminium

Aluminium is another popular choice for outdoor cafe furniture. Not only is it exceptionally strong but it’s also lightweight which means it can be easily moved around to meet the needs of customers. While it has a high corrosion resistance, it can be powder coated to complement your décor and has the potential to last for many years. There are two types of aluminium furniture: solid cast aluminium and hollow-frame aluminium which is the most affordable of the two.

The disadvantages of hollow-frame aluminium are that it is vulnerable in strong winds because it’s so lightweight and is easily compromised if damaged.

Polypropylene

The last on our list is polypropylene furniture. With advances in technologies, poly-prop furniture as we call it has come on in leaps and bounds. Injection moulding where molten plastic is cast in a mould has grown hugely in popularity mostly because of low manufacturing costs and fast production speeds. Fillers can also be added during the manufacturing process to make the material stronger.

Poly-prop outdoor cafe furniture has many benefits including that it’s lightweight yet strong, comes in limitless designs and a multitude of colours. Perhaps, its main advantage is its affordability, which if you’re purchasing in bulk is probably your main concern.

The only downside that we can think of is its image. There has always been a certain stigma attached to plastic furniture. However, with stylish designs and modern manufacturing techniques, this is becoming less of an issue. In fact, some designer polypropylene furniture sells at prices that would make your eyes water.

So which material is best for outdoor cafe furniture?

While we’re probably biased, we would say with conviction that polypropylene is the best choice for outdoor cafe furniture. Not only can it withstand constant use but it’s available in so many designs and colours that it’s hard not to find something that suits. If you don’t yet have an outdoor dining space, then you can set one up on a budget with polypropylene furniture. At Cafe Furniture Melbourne we stock a wide range of stylish and colourful poly-prop furniture to suit all tastes and budgets. Why not browse our online store or visit our showroom to see for yourself.