By now there’s no denying that climate change is something we’ll all have to deal with. Homeowners in coastal areas, in particular, need to contend with the reality of more frequent and stronger tropical storms and hurricanes. As important as it is to protect the belongings inside your home, you need to consider your outdoor furniture even more so since it’s directly exposed to the elements. Before buying a new patio set, it might be good to ask yourself what’s the best outdoor furniture for severe weather?
Patio Furniture vs Hurricane – What to Consider?
There are a couple key factors to think about when looking at how well an outdoor furniture set might stand up to severe tropical storms. The essential hazards in a hurricane are the intense, powerful wind and rain.
Even if you live away from the coast, you may be located in an area prone to tornadoes. As with hurricanes, high velocity winds and intense rains are the twin dangers associated with tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
Wind damage
Hurricane force winds are the most dramatic source of damage to homes and properties in the affected region of a storm. We’ve all seen video footage of powerful, sustained winds tearing roofs clear off houses and tossing debris everywhere.
When it comes to your outdoor furniture, there is the double risk of it flying away and impact damage from smaller items hitting it.
For these reasons, furniture made from a dense, heavy wood is a good option. Compare a solid teak wood chair and a wicker chair. Which one do you think will easily get tossed about and flung half-way across the neighborhood by 100 mph winds?
Hurricanes also create lots of dangerous flying debris. While teak is not completely impenetrable, it does have a very high density that will protect it better than lighter woods.
Another good material to consider is wrought iron. It’s also quite heavy and durable, and it will be difficult to blow away or get smashed to bits by wind-carried objects.
Water damage
Hurricanes often result in much flooding. Of course, we all remember the tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina when most of New Orleans became flooded. As far as woods go, teak is probably your best choice to avoid water damage. Historically, teak has been used for shipbuilding due to the wood’s natural property to resist water damage because of its high oil content.
Conclusions
Teak and also Shorea wood furniture are logical choices to withstand damage from both water and wind.
Wrought iron is great for holding up against high winds, and is also one of the more rust-resistant metals. But if untreated, it is still susceptible to rusting.
Aluminum, wicker, and plastic furniture are all unreliable choices when severe weather rolls around. They may be cheaper initially to purchase, but durability has to be a key consideration when investing in outdoor furniture to last for years. These could be better furniture materials for other climates.
To not lose your investment when severe weather comes your way, shop for teak furniture if you like the look of natural wood, otherwise choose wrought iron furniture if you’d prefer the appearance of a metal.
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