Plastic Garden Chairs and Outdoor Furniture

GARDEN · GLOBAL

Plastic Garden Chairs and Outdoor Furniture

Why plastic lasts or does not, stacking safely, cleaning and buying well

Moulded plastic chairs are cheap and everywhere, and they vary enormously in whether they survive three summers or fifteen.

Ultraviolet stabilisation is the whole question

Polypropylene left in sunlight becomes chalky and brittle, and a chair that has gone brittle can fail under someone without warning. UV-stabilised resin resists it for years.

Look for a stated UV stabiliser or a guarantee against fading and cracking, and note that white and pale colours show the change earliest.

Load rating and stacking

Check the stated maximum weight, which varies considerably between a basic bistro chair and a reinforced one. Never stand on a plastic chair.

Stack no higher than the manufacturer allows and store stacks somewhere they cannot topple, since a falling stack is heavy. Chairs left stacked in sun can fuse together.

Cleaning

Warm soapy water and a soft brush. Avoid bleach and abrasives, which dull the surface and accelerate degradation, and do not use a pressure washer at close range.

Green algae film comes off with a mild cleaner rather than scrubbing.

Winter

Store under cover or stacked with a breathable cover, raised off the ground so water drains. Water freezing in a stack is what splits chairs.

Buying well

Check the thickness where the legs meet the seat, which is where they crack, and whether replacement parts or matching chairs will still be sold next year.

Comfort and cushions

A seat pad transforms a moulded chair for an afternoon, and it must have ties so it stays put. Bring cushions in or store them in a sealed box, since they are the part that fails first outdoors.

Look for reticulated foam and a removable washable cover if they will live outside.

Alternatives

Powder-coated aluminium and hardwood both last decades and cost more. Folding chairs store flat, which suits a small balcony better than stacking.

Buying for a rental or an event

Stacking chairs suit somewhere that needs occasional seating and storage the rest of the time. Check the stacking height and that a full stack can be moved by one person.

Count the chairs you actually need rather than the maximum the room holds.

Safety

Retire any chair that flexes noticeably, has a crack at a leg joint, or has gone chalky, since plastic fails suddenly rather than gradually.

Check the chair height against your table, since bistro chairs vary considerably.

Store chairs upside down or covered so rainwater cannot collect in the seats.

Disposal

Rigid plastic furniture is recyclable at many household waste sites and is not usually collected kerbside. Broken chairs should be retired rather than kept for guests.

WHERE TO BUY

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