An Insider’s Guide To Buying, Caring For & Repairing Wicker
Wicker furniture has a long history, dating back to the early 19th century. This classic style is still a popular choice for home decor and outdoor use, as it’s sturdy, stylish, and easy to care for. But some people are hesitant to use wicker furniture because they’re not sure if it will hold up through all kinds of weather conditions.
Today, you can find it in countless shapes, sizes, and colors to suit every taste and style. From modern to rustic, wicker furniture is the perfect way to add warmth and a touch of class to your home.
Choosing the right type of furniture along with accessories is all about finding the perfect balance between looks, cost, and durability. The wicker is light and can be expensive. However, when you consider that every wicker piece is like a painting with lots of little details, it starts to make sense.
Wicker Material
Materials are an essential part of choosing your furniture. Weight and strength depend upon the materials. So if you decide where you want to place them and how you are doing, it is easy to choose the right type of wicker furniture.
Wicker is the process of weaving malleable plants into furniture, whether it be chairs, vases, seats, cushions, or even sidecars. Natural materials are used for this process, but there are times that synthetic or human-made materials are used for it, as well.
The common plants used for wicker furniture are rattan, bamboo, willow, and reed. Most people are familiar with rattan, which is why wicker furniture is often called “rattan furniture”, too. It is a common mistake everyone makes as there is a difference between wicker and rattan, in which wicker is the procedure, while rattan is the material. Wicker furniture is constructed by using rattan, which is a vine found in various parts of Asia. Due to the solid core of its vines, rattan has claimed its place as the most durable and usable of all plants made into wicker furniture.
The stems of rattan, called the canes, can also be used for making strong furniture. The cane, due to its yellowish color, is commonly used in stained wicker pieces. Although not as strong as rattan, bamboo is also found in most wicker. It grows much more quickly than rattan, allowing it to be harvested much more often. However, it lacks rattan’s strength due to its hollow core. Willow from Europe and certain parts of the United States have also been used in making this furniture. It has the fast growth properties of bamboo and the strength of rattan. Furthermore, it can stay moist for long periods of time so it can be easily woven together, making it an ideal wood for wicker furniture production.
It is a common mistake everyone makes sense there is a difference between wicker and rattan, in which wicker is the procedure, while rattan is the material.
Although it was commonly used for baskets in ancient times, wicker has now gained popularity through furniture, as it provides a durable surface while still allowing for ample amounts of comfort. Wicker furniture first took form as chests and chairs until its popularity exploded during the mid-eighteen hundreds.
Wicker furniture may cost a lot, depending upon its material. Despite that, the furniture is to be lightweight yet sturdy and lasts long. It may also boost your interior or exterior design’s appeals.
Types of Wicker
These are basically two types of wicker classified as indoor wicker furniture and outdoor wicker furniture.
Natural Wicker: Original plant materials like cane or rattan
These can be used indoors, on patios, porch, and outside when the weather is good. These give a WOW look to your guests and their attention when you select matching wicker furniture cushions and seat cushions.
Resin wicker furniture
Resin wicker made with strands of polyethylene, nylon, or PVC or sometimes with high-density polyethylene. These are best suited for the outdoors. Outdoor wicker furniture usually comes with aluminum frames, and synthetic or artificial fibers are used in weaving.
Synthetic resin wicker:
Synthetic resin and vinyl help give the furniture a wicker look. Still, the materials used are meant to keep the furniture durable and last through various weather conditions as they are water-resistant.
Wicker outdoor furniture made with resin gives better protection from harsh weather conditions like rain and water-resistant but loses the charm of the natural look that people love to see. If you plan to use it a lot, then nylon wicker furniture is the best bet as it lasts longer, durable, and best suited for outdoor living space. Make sure that you are buying water-resistant cushions to match these.
Top Wicker Furniture Brands
Zuo Modern
Zuo Modern is extremely remarkable when it comes to the creativity of their furniture designs and quality. This brand offers a lot of contemporary and modern pieces of wicker furniture sets and delivery, all of which are sure to catch not only your eye but those who visit your home, as well.
Carefully woven and crafted, Zuo Modern’s pieces can guarantee your beauty, appeal and functionality, comfort, and durability all at the same time!
Everything about their furniture pieces is worth checking out, and eventually, purchase, since they have everything for your patio spaces or for your indoor furniture needs like sofas, chairs, tables with different frames as well.
Sunnydaze Décor
Sunnydaze Décor also offers a variety of wicker (or what they call “rattan”) furniture sets, and to say that they are great would be such an understatement. The wicker furniture they have in their stock is one of their bestseller products, which says a lot.
Sunnydaze Mollendo Wicker Rattan 4-Piece Sofa Sectional Furniture Set look suitable for your house’s interior with a larger coffee table. Still, it would also look fabulous outside your home or just right by your patio.
Just like any other furniture, Sunnydaze’s are strong and gives comfort. Still, their craftiness makes their furniture with different types of frames significantly so. The set that they offer is more than sure to be worth your money.
Forever Patio
Do you feel like your patio is in lack of something you couldn’t quite put your finger on? Well, it must require some wicker furniture flare, and Forever Patio can give your outdoor wicker patio just the fit that it needs.
The Forever Patio brand is one of the best among its competitors because they use first-rate quality material frames for their furniture and their quality. And if you have a tight budget with you, expect this brand to sell all of their top-notch products at a mid-range price.
Despite its name, however, Forever Patio’s sets, the patio furniture just like the Hampton, Barbados, and Bayside, are great for both indoors and outdoor spaces.
Brayden Studio
Brayden Studio’s Huang 5 Piece Rattan Sectional Seating Group is one of the most popular and reliable products in the wicker furniture department. Easy to move around, customizable, and fantastic durability against the harsh sunlight and quality—this piece, without a doubt, would be worth buying.
Suppose you’re more of a person who doesn’t like to keep furniture in one sitting all the time. In that case, the Huang 5 Piece Rattan Sectional Seating Group is movable, which means you can have it rearranged as how many times as you would please.
Its cushions also come in 5 different colors, allowing your creative mind to play with them in whatever way you would like.
How to Care for Wicker Furniture
If you already have wicker furniture with you, you should equip yourself with the right knowledge in taking care of and preserving one. Wicker furniture is extremely valuable, and despite being well-built and strong, if you do not tend to it diligently, its usefulness will deteriorate immediately.
Find out more information on our “How to Clean Wicker furniture” page.
More information can be found in this link @wikipedia