You only need to look at one or two different websites to see that garden tables and chairs come in lots of different shapes and sizes. They will also be made from lots of different materials, such as wood, metal and even wrought iron.
You will also find a lot of sets that are made from plastic. A lot of people love these because they are quick and easy to clean, you don’t need to worry about covering them up to ensure they don’t get wet, and they are pretty cheap as well.
But are they the cheapest you can get, or is that just an assumption that most of us have?
Let’s take a closer look at this to see what answers we can get. For starters, it depends largely on where you go shopping. As with most things in life, the quality between sets can vary a lot depending on the manufacturer and the quality of the plastic that has been used.
For example, let’s say we have a garden table and four chairs on sale at one shop for £20. Next door they have a similar set for sale with the same number of items in the set, and yet it costs £60. You will probably think the first shop is presenting you with a real bargain. But on closer inspection you will probably find that the condition of the plastic used in the first one is not as good as the second one. Unless of course you happen to have tripped over a great end of line bargain!
It does also depend on how many items you are getting in your set. Obviously you would normally pay more for a garden table and six chairs than you would for a garden table with just four chairs. Sometimes you may get a parasol included as well, with a stand to put it in, and other times you might get sun loungers as well with the big sets.
The style of the chairs will vary too; the more expensive ones will have arms on them, whereas cheaper ones may not do. And of course the size of the table will vary depending on where you buy it from and what manufacturer has made it.
So the answer to the question isn’t really cut and dried. If you want to buy a budget garden table and chairs then yes, plastic will undoubtedly be the cheapest option. But if you are thinking of spending a little more then you might well find you can get a wooden garden table and chairs that are very competitive price wise with the more expensive plastic ones.
Of course a lot depends on the type of garden furniture you want to buy. Some people think that you can’t beat the look of real wood in your garden. Other people just want something cheap and easy to tide them over until they find the garden set they really want to have for the long term.