What is Poly Lumber or Poly Wood furniture and what are the advantages?
To make it simple it is plastic, known as high density polyethylene. (HDPE) The high-density polyethylene (HDPE) raw material utilized in Poly lumber is derived from post-consumer bottle waste such as milk containers. This material is cleaned in a decontamination process to a high purity level, which removes contaminants such as food residue, paper and adhesives. It is then compounded into a rigid board stock material with the resulting finished product containing over 90% recycled post-consumer waste by weight.
This rigid board stock can be used just like wood to build docks, tables, chairs, benches, swings or anything else you build out to wood. Lighthouses, birdfeeders and birdhouses are and can be made out of poly lumber. These pieces will last a lifetime. Poly lumber requires no maintenance such as painting, scraping, or replacing. It is termite resistant and will not crack, splinter, warp or rot. Poly wood does not promote bacterial growth or mildew and will not weather from natural elements. It is fade proof due to U/V stabilization.
Because of poly woods properties many people prefer outdoor furniture made from it. Poly lumber furniture comes in a variety of colors. Colors that resemble natural wood, such as weatherwood and cherrywood are very popular; however there is a strong trend for Adirondack patio chairs to be in bright, bold colors, like red, lime green, canary yellow and even Aruba blue.
Even though poly lumber is more expensive than wood, many people prefer to purchase poly lumber outdoor furniture because of its advantages. It is one of the most environmentally friendly products. Poly lumber is a great use of recycled plastics, keeping them out of our landfills and it helps preserve the worlds wood forests. This blog has been brought to you by PerfectPatioTable.com
January 29th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Great article. I’m seeing more of this type of product these days and am giving serious consideration to some lawn furniture made from this polywood. It seems to me that it would be very durable and low maintenance, like my Trex deck?
January 30th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Yes Mike Poly Lumber is very durable and maintenance free. I am sure it is very much like your Trex Deck. Trex deck if I am right is made from actual wood and HDPE Polyethylene. The mixture gives you a UV protection of the plastic from the wood contained in it. In Poly lumber they put a UV protectant in the Polyethylene to keep it from fading. The Poly wood has all the same features as Trex deck and will give you years of beautiful furniture with only periodic cleaning. PerfectPatioTable.com carries a complete line of Poly Lumber Furniture hand made in Amish Country. If you have any questions please feel free to call, 772-225-5403
April 17th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
thanks, very well written post, found it through a random google search and i shared it on my facebook
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:27 am
great post as usual!