LITTLE ROCK — Furniture is the most important element of any outdoor room. But choosing good outdoor furniture can be a chore.

“One misconception that people have with outdoor furniture is that you can go and spend a little bit of money because it’s just outside furniture,” says Lawrie Rash of Ken Rash’s Arkansas. “The days of buying folding furniture that you get at a big box store and you throw away every year are over.”

But what makes good outdoor furniture?

“Because of the outdoor elements, you need to invest in some quality furniture that can withstand the sun, the rain and all the elements of the outdoors,” Rash says. “You should also expect to have your furniture for 15, 20, 25 years and to be able to leave it outside and not have to worry about it.”

FRAMES

One of the first things to look at when buying outdoor furniture is its frame. Frames should be sturdy and resistant to the elements. It shouldn’t fade, peel or disintegrate over time. Hardwoods, wrought iron and wicker frames are the most common framing materials for high-quality outdoor pieces.

Teak is the most common wood used for outdoor furniture. It’s an ultra-durable hardwood that doesn’t splinter,split or peel, Rash says. When you buy teak furniture, it has a beautiful golden-brown hue. The downside is that teak will fade and gray out over time, which is preferable if you have an Old English garden, but not so great for modern spaces. “Its natural state is to dry out and go to the gray color,”says Julie Fryauf of Julie Wait Designs. “If you don’t want that gray color, it requires very vigorous maintenance.”

When looking at wrought iron, ask how the frame has been treated, Rash says. “In a lesser piece of furniture, they’re just going to spray it with paint, whereas a more expensive piece of wrought iron will go through the same process that an automobile goes through for rust prevention,” Rash says.

Synthetic wicker is back in fashion. The best versions are made of extruded virgin vinyl that’s pulled over a metal frame. Virgin vinyl is ideal for outdoor furniture, according to Rash, because when it’s left out in the sun and gets warm its elasticity allows it to stretch and return to its original form.

Wicker also has the added bonus of being easy to clean, Fryauf says. “It’s a practical material for the outside because you can just hose it down,” she says.

CUSHIONS

The second consideration when buying outdoor furniture is cushioning. Not all cushions are outdoor-friendly. Most ordinary cushions won’t withstand the sun, rain and snow.

Look for cushions that are specifically designed for the outdoors. “If [regular] cushions get wet, then you get mold,” Fryauf says. “The cushioning in outdoor furniture is designed to be outdoors so that the water just wicks through instead of staying imbedded in the cushion material.”

Choose cushions covered in Sunbrella fabrics. “Sunbrella is a solution-dyed, acrylic fabric,” Rash says. “I can take a piece of acrylic fabric, put it in a jar of bleach and it’s not going to affect the color of it.” Sunbrella fabrics come in many colors and patterns and won’t fade. Fryauf recommends choosing dark or patterned fabrics for easier upkeep in the dirt and pollen, though.

Sling furniture is another option. Sling furniture features a piece of woven material stretched over a wooden or metal frame. One such fabric, sold under the name Textilene, is effectively made of vinyl-covered yarn and is growing in popularity. “It’s great for use around the pool,” Rash says. “It has the look and feel of a cushion, but it dries very quickly.”

HomeStyle, Pages 40 on 05/12/2012