Short answer: teak runs 25–30 years outdoors, powder-coated aluminium 15–20, resin wicker over an aluminium frame 8–12, acacia and eucalyptus 5–8, and painted steel 5–10 before rust wins. Cushions are the weak link at 2–4 years of fabric life, not the frame. The single biggest variable is not the material — it is whether the piece spends winter under cover, which roughly doubles the lifespan of everything on that list.
Shop the pieces in this guide
Garden furniture marketing loves the word "weatherproof", which is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Nothing is weatherproof; some things are weather- resistant with a maintenance schedule attached. The honest version of the question is "how long before it looks tired", and that answer depends on four things: material, frame construction, UV exposure and how you store it from November to March.
Realistic lifespans by material
| Material | Lifespan outdoors | Annual care | Fails first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teak (Grade A, kiln-dried) | 25–30 yrs | 1–2 hrs oiling, optional | Nothing much; silvering is cosmetic |
| Powder-coated aluminium | 15–20 yrs | 1 hr wash | Coating chips at joints, then oxidation |
| Resin wicker on aluminium | 8–12 yrs | 1–2 hrs wash | UV brittling of the weave |
| Acacia / eucalyptus | 5–8 yrs | 2–3 hrs oiling | End-grain cracking, grey checking |
| Painted or galvanised steel | 5–10 yrs | 1–2 hrs touch-up | Rust at welds and feet |
| Polyrattan / HDPE | 10–15 yrs | 1 hr wash | Colour fade, not structure |
| Cushion foam + acrylic fabric | 2–4 yrs | Store dry each winter | Mildew in the foam core |
Two things stand out. First, the frame almost never fails before the cushion does — so buy the frame you want and treat cushions as a consumable. Second, the range within a material is huge: cheap acacia with unsealed end grain can check and split inside two seasons, while a properly kiln-dried and oiled acacia set reaches eight.
Climate shifts everything
A set in Arizona gets 3,800+ hours of sun a year and dies of UV. The same set in Seattle gets 950 hours of sun and 950 mm of rain and dies of moisture. Coastal salt air adds a third failure mode: salt crystals lodge in welds and accelerate corrosion on steel by roughly 3×, which is why aluminium is close to mandatory within 1 km of the sea. If you are in a wet climate, prioritise drainage and airflow; if you are in a dry one, prioritise UV-stable materials and shade.
The winter decision that doubles lifespan
Water is the enemy, and the specific mechanism is freeze-thaw. Water pools in a joint, freezes, expands about 9% in volume, and pries the joint apart. Ten winters of that is ten small prying events. Covering furniture with a breathable cover, or moving it into a shed, removes almost all of that damage. A breathable cover matters — a plastic tarp traps condensation underneath and can rot cushions faster than leaving them out. If you have no storage, stack chairs, tilt tables, and get water off every horizontal surface.
What to check before buying
Ask three questions. Is the frame welded or bolted? Welded aluminium with a 1.2 mm wall thickness or more will outlast bolted tube by years, because bolts work loose and then the holes ovalise. Is the weave wrapped or extruded? Extruded HDPE resists UV far better than cheap PVC wrap, which goes brittle and cracks in 3–4 summers. And are the cushions quick-dry foam? Open-cell quick-dry foam drains in minutes; closed-cell foam holds water for days and smells like a pond by July.
Keep reading
More dimension guides are in the collection, and the full index is on the furnolio journal.
0 comments