The many benefits of synthetic rattan

Real rattan is gorgeous stuff. But there are so many benefits of synthetic rattan. Read on to find out why faux rattan has taken Britain by storm. Your will give you years of outdoor entertainment beautifully, with ease, in style. Let’s go.

Benefits of synthetic rattan – Beating the British weather!

Imagine a typical week in an ordinary British summer. One day it’s clear, bright and cool. The next it’s hot, humid and windy. The day after that it rains 24/7. Then there’s a day of mist… and finally, yay, a gorgeous hot day that’s absolutely perfect in every way. We’re used to it. But how does organic rattan like it?

Real rattan suffers in the UK weather

Real rattan doesn’t fare well in our unpredictable, varied climate. As a dry natural plant fibre it absorbs water and swells when wet. It can stretch, split, go mouldy, and rot. The weave can come undone, spiralling off the frame.

It can still rot when it’s painted, sealed with marine varnish, or protected with Tung oil. And when left wet, it can become smelly. You might find it hard to clean because, outside, it quickly gathers muck, mildew, and dust. If you’re sensitive to mould, dirty old rattan can even kick off your allergies.

So… organic rattan wicker furniture is neither waterproof nor weatherproof, even when treated. You can’t leave it outdoors. While it’s fantastic indoors, it isn’t a good material for garden furniture unless you’re prepared to bring it inside every time it rains, and keep it dry all winter. Chilling with the rattan-look wins!

Why faux rattan garden furniture is so much better

Let’s take a look at the benefits of synthetic rattan.

For a start, rattan-look garden furniture is completely weatherproof, even in our crazy climate. And that means there’s no need for you to struggle carrying it indoors when it rains. You won’t have to sort out a convenient storage space that’s dry, clean, and big enough for chairs, a settee, even a rattan table either. You can leave it outdoors all year, and it’ll stay looking fantastic with very little maintenance. Just give it a quick clean every now and again with a soft cloth and warm soapy water.

Stunning looks as well as tough

The look is really gorgeous. What’s not to like about a material that looks exactly like rattan but comes in such a wide variety of colours, styles and textures? Think shiny to matt, black to pale browns, calm greys and pure, clear whites and creams. It can look traditional or contemporary. Funk it up, dress it down or keep things super-simple, depending on the occasion.

Plastic rattan is most often made from Polyethylene, a light and flexible plastic. Rattan-look pieces are easy to carry and move, especially since the frames of modern garden furniture are often made from tough, light aluminium rather than wood. Natural rattan furniture can be heavy, our garden furniture looks heavy but it’s actually lightweight, easier to move around.

Synthetic rattan comes in all sorts of shapes, with profiles that can be flat, rounded, or flat with a rounded top surface. It can be woven into more or less any shape or design, simply by wrapping the warp around a frame then weaving the weft through it. The material can be pre-dyed in anything from a deep, rich brown or black to a series of lovely pale greys. It can even be spray painted.

While it looks a lot like natural rattan, which is harvested from palm plants, mostly across South East Asia, faux rattan can be made to look exactly like reed, willow, even bamboo. But it’s more durable. It’s more flexible, so doesn’t break while being woven. It tends to come with an anti-UV finish so doesn’t degrade, break or fade in the sunshine.

Unlike natural rattan, the synthetic alternative doesn’t dry out, so it won’t crack. While it might develop small spots of mould when left outside over the winter, the mould doesn’t affect the plastic. It’s a surface thing. All you do is wipe it off.

Compared to natural wicker, synthetic rattan furniture is great value. It tends to cost less than natural palm rattan. Because it lasts much longer, it’s a better deal. There’s almost no maintenance compared to all the messing about you’d need to do to keep a real rattan furniture set in good nick outdoors.

It looks like rattan. It behaves like it. The best quality stuff feels like it. But it’s so much better in every way. Longer lasting, a great price, and an awesome choice of designs. Take a look at our gorgeous rattan-look garden furniture, see which piece inspires you the most.

PS. You might also enjoy reading our garden dining special.