Pros and Cons of Poly Lumber Furniture
If you have a thing for beautiful gardens, patios, and lawns, you’d know the importance of suitable furniture as well. Sure, your lawn is landscaped, and it’s beaming with color, but unless you find the right furniture to fill your outdoor space, it will feel incomplete. Similarly, the primary ingredient of eye-catching home décor is your furniture choice and the way you place it.
But the tricky thing about furniture is you’re always bombarded with options, and picking something that ticks all merit boxes is tough. That’s why you should take time with furniture selection and shouldn’t settle for anything that doesn’t live up to your standards.
Now, when you start your furniture research, you’ll see a product that looks like wood but is plastic, giving away classy vibes. This is HDPE furniture, made from recycled plastic and patented to look like hardwood. If you don’t own anything in poly lumber and aren’t sure if this is something you’d like in the long run, you should analyze its different aspects before splurging.
And that’s what we’ll do today. This quick guide sheds light on the pros and cons of poly lumber furniture to ease your decision and explain why HDPE furniture can be your next favorite thing. So, stick around, and let’s see what’s good and what’s bad about poly lumber!
Pros and Cons of Poly Furniture
Nothing is devoid of flaws; the highly-regarded poly lumber furniture is no exception. If you’re a smart buyer, you’d want to know everything about this material before you bring that beautiful set home. But since it takes time to understand anything from scratch, we have eased it for you. Let’s now enlist the pros and cons of poly furniture separately and find the outcome!
Pros
+Impressively Resistant
Who wants to see their favorite furniture fading and chipping because of whatever reason? Since no one likes that, poly outdoor furniture presents a solution to that situation. If you’ve lost some pretty wooden chairs to moths and termites, throw that concern out of the window now. Poly lumber furniture is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which can stand the regular wear & tear like a pro.
When the HDPE plastic polymer is mixed with UV-inhibiting components and rich colorants, it assumes a thick color gradient that doesn’t fade. So, even if your new poly outdoor furniture will practically live under the sun, you can be carefree of its color fading problem.
Moreover, new buyers often confuse poly lumber plastic with molded plastic and question its strength. But the good thing is, HDPE furniture is nothing like injection-molded plastic. This furniture is formed like thick boards that are later put together to form a strong unit. If you like wooden furniture’s resistance but want something even more practical, poly outdoor furniture says hi.
This corrosion-resistant material doesn’t give in to regular wearing and stands solid regardless of the weather. HDPE furniture doesn’t splinter, chip, peel, or rot, which is uncommon with other furniture types. Also, if you’re worried about moths, insects, and pests ruining your expensive furniture, HDPE is the best choice. Your poly lumber furniture won’t attract any insects and will resist UV rays alongside.
+Sturdy Enough for your DIYing
Plastic furniture gets weary in an outdoor setting, and wooden furniture cannot stand the weather, so what’s the choice then? Well, that’s when poly outdoor furniture sweeps right in and provides the best solution for both problems. If you don’t want some shoddy plastic chairs on your lawn, try your hands on the rough-tough HDPE plastic.
Since poly lumber furniture is assembled like wooden furniture instead of being molded, its hardness is truly remarkable. Thanks to these thick boards, you’ll experience wood-like hardness with your poly lumber furniture. If you like DIYing and making new things out of older stuff, you’re in luck because poly lumber totally lives up to it.
These high-density plastic boards can resist sawing, nailing, and drilling without breaking apart. If you want to upcycle an old poly chair into something new, you can do it because this material is solid enough. You won’t experience splinters coming out of poly outdoor furniture because its thick construction doesn’t wear off that easily. So, if finding the best furniture material without taking part in deforestation is your motto, poly lumber is the way out.
+Eco-Friendly and Sustainable
If you’re an environment-friendly person, you’d surely want to reduce your carbon footprint and move towards more sustainable solutions. That’s when poly lumber furniture takes the lead over other furniture materials and proves its worth. Since this plastic is made from recycled waste, it’s highly-admired for being a sustainable solution.
HDPE is mostly made from plastic waste coming from food and cosmetic packages, so you can guess that it will always be safe. When recycled plastic is melted with a few colorants and foaming agents, it assumes a fluffy appearance that looks like natural wood. This fact makes HDPE a great alternate for natural wood furniture. If you closely observe the HDPE furniture, you’ll see a label saying “2” on it; this number means the plastic in question is almost 100% recyclable. So, the next time you see a beautiful HDPE furniture set, know that it came from plastic that could have ended in landfills.
And while we’re at it, let’s address another question about HDPE plastic; is it toxic since it’s made from recycled waste? The good news is, poly lumber furniture is not toxic. Sure, it’s made from recycled waste, but its pressure-treatment and foaming steps make it safe for regular usage. When a thick-gradient plastic polymer is melted at high pressure and temperature, it becomes almost benign.
So here are two wins for poly outdoor furniture: it’s non-toxic and doesn’t harm the environment. If you want furniture that looks dashing in your home but doesn’t increase the planet’s waste load, poly lumber can be your good friend.
+Easy on the Pocket
Here’s the tricky part: we all want quality stuff but paying big bank for it is not always feasible. But what if there was a furniture material that required only a one-time investment? Yes, that’s poly lumber for you. This furniture is not inexpensive, and you’ll have to pay a good price for it, but when we look at the broader picture, the price feels worth it.
Imagine getting wooden furniture that gets attacked by moths, and you have to spend more bucks on repairing it – or owning metal furniture that needs repainting every year. Both options need regular money, something no smart buyer would like. But that’s not the case with poly lumber furniture. This hard plastic furniture is low-maintenance and goes easy on your pocket. Once this furniture is in your home, you don’t have to worry about its paint and overall condition because it’s sturdy enough.
If you want furniture that stays with you for a long time and doesn’t require extra maintenance effort, you can trust poly lumber. This practical and aesthetically pleasing furniture beautifies your home and doesn’t dent your budget after the initial purchase.
+Weatherproof and Maintainable
Whether you live in a humid region or the sun shines extra bright on your side of the world, HDPE plastic can stand both situations. Since poly lumber is made from used plastic and is pressure treated with some foaming agents to attain an even look, it doesn’t give in to everyday problems. If you’re tired of the patio chairs getting damaged from rain or you want furniture that needs no babying, this material will sit just right with you. This weatherproof and waterproof furniture is the best choice for all weather conditions.
Another perk of poly lumber furniture is its rich color gradient. This plastic doesn’t fade even after spending 2000 hours in the sun and retains its shine for years. So, if you’re worried about this plastic losing color like other plastic types, let that concern go. HDPE plastic doesn’t lose its original color and doesn’t need repainting like most other furniture materials.
+Tried & Tested for Years of Usage
HDPE plastic is the result of vigorous testing and research. The regular molded plastic has been around for decades, but since it isn’t much durable and pleasant-looking, it’s not a good choice for furniture. That’s why poly lumber furniture was introduced for decks and furniture to offer impressive sturdiness and pleasant looks.
This material has passed different laboratory tests, and it’s safe for regular use. Multiple myths revolve around recycled plastic, but you can let those worries go because HDPE plastic follows the highest quality standards. This 99% recyclable plastic doesn’t release toxins or potentially harmful gases that threaten the environment. Instead, this material considerably reduces the planet’s plastic load and plays its part in environmental conservation.
Since HDPE can be recycled more than once, even your discarded poly outdoor furniture won’t go to landfills because its polymer is intact. After spending years in your patio or by your pool, the poly boards will be ready for upcycling – so there’s practically no waster involved in making this furniture.
+Multi-Purpose & Long-Term Investment
Furniture is a long-term investment; you cannot replace it now and then. Therefore, picking a furniture material that suits both indoor and outdoor settings is smart. From wide pool chairs to the furniture for your study room, poly lumber makes good furniture for every setting.
This extremely durable and high-quality furniture looks sleek, no matter where you place it. If you cannot compromise on aesthetics and need something that sits well with your décor preferences, look into HDPE furniture before anything.
Cons
-Expensive
As mentioned earlier, HDPE furniture is not on the low-price side; it costs a good sum. If you think that recycled plastic material is cheap and you can get an HDPE set for a small price, you’re mistaken. Since poly lumber plastic goes through different manufacturing and assembling steps, its final cost is quite high. If you purchase HDPE furniture from a reliable seller, it will cost you a good sum, so only go there if you have the budget.
-Very Heavy
This can very well be an advantage of poly lumber furniture if you don’t want your plastic chairs flying around the lawn. But if you like lightweight furniture that you can easily move around and re-adjust alone, you’ll have trouble with poly lumber furniture. HDPE boards are pretty heavy, and when assembled, they require extra hauling effort. You’ll need a helping hand while moving your HDPE table and chairs around the house; be mindful of this aspect.
-Does not Adapt with your Body Shape Over Time
Here’s the primary disadvantage or downside of poly lumber furniture. If you often have a stiff back and prefer furniture that lets you relax, HDPE is not the best choice for you. This hard plastic furniture doesn’t adapt to your body shape and retains its original form.
Now, this factor sure seems good for furniture going through regular usage; it’s certainly not good for someone with back and neck pain. If you sit with a straight back and don’t seek any back support from your chair, poly lumber is good for you. Otherwise, get something softer or more arched to support your posture.
Summing Up
Furniture shopping is a big task because it’s often a one-time affair – we all seek furniture that meets the highest quality standards but can’t always succeed. If you’re in the same boat, poly lumber furniture is a good choice. This hardened plastic material offers impressive sturdiness, doesn’t let the weather affect it, and looks good.
Thanks to HDPE plastic’s manufacturing standards, it easily outplays many other materials and proves its worth. Whether you need outdoor furniture or something for indoors, this recycled plastic is equally good everywhere. The primary advantages of poly lumber plastic are its sturdiness, weather resistance, and low maintenance. On the flip side, the material’s weight and price are its main cons.
Now that we have thoroughly explained the good and bad sides of poly lumber furniture, we hope you’ll make the right choice and like your new furniture. Good luck!
