Purchasing new patio furniture from a local DIY store can be underwhelming. It all looks the same. Not only that, but you also don’t get a whole lot of interesting material choices. Most of your production patio furniture comes in either plastic, wood, or aluminum. You might get lucky and find stainless steel and carbon fiber pieces at some high-end retailers, but they cost an arm and a leg.
If you are willing to spend, perhaps you should consider concrete patio furniture. Before you gasp and roll your eyes, just remember that concrete is one of the oldest building materials on Earth. Mankind has been building with it for millennia.
You may hesitate with concrete based on it being uncomfortable. That’s fair, at least in terms of patio furniture. But there are ways around its hardness and lack of flexibility. Between cushions and appropriate design features, you can make custom concrete furniture quite comfortable.
Modern Craftsman, a Salt Lake City, Utah functional art studio, specializes in all things concrete. Patio furniture is just one of the many things they design. They suggest three reasons for considering concrete patio furniture:
1. Unparalleled Durability
For starters, concrete offers unparalleled durability that you will not get from other materials. A well designed and properly built concrete patio set will easily last for decades with very little upkeep required. Concrete will not rust like metal; it will not snap like plastic; it is not subject to pests like wood.
For the record, durability is one of the primary reasons concrete is the go-to material for bridges, skyscrapers, and everything in between. Architects and designers trust concrete to last for decades.
2. Customize Shapes and Forms
If durability isn’t enough to convince you, consider the nearly unlimited shapes and forms concrete offers. The secret here is that concrete is poured. That means you can force it to take nearly any shape you want. All you have to do is create the right form to accept the pour.
Are you looking for a rectangular patio table? Simple enough. However, maybe you want something shaped more like a teardrop. Or perhaps you want a table shaped like a piano, your favorite car, or whatever. There really are few limits. Anything for which a craftsman can make a form can be realized in concrete.
3. Colors and Textures
Finally, consumers choosing to go with concrete are often surprised by the variation in colors and textures. Perhaps that’s because most of us experience concrete as that drab, bland gray material so common to road and building construction.
Truth be told, architects do not bother with color and texture in those settings because it’s not necessary. In road and building construction, concrete is utilitarian. But as patio furniture, it becomes functional art.
Concrete patio furniture can take on just about any color you want. Colors don’t have to be solid, either. You can choose multiple colors, a gradient design, or concrete with speckles, swirls, or anything else.
Where texture is concerned, smooth is a perfectly acceptable choice. But what if you want something else? Designers can create a rough texture that feels like sandpaper. They can stamp concrete to give it the feel of natural stone or tile. Your choices for texture are almost as limitless as your color choices.
Concrete may be the last material you think of for patio furniture. Even so, it is an excellent choice. Concrete is durable, it can take nearly any form, and it can be customized with a full array of colors and textures. It is the perfect material for building custom patio furniture meant to last.
