Why We Won't Sell You a $198 Rocker

Standard “teak” dining set sold in discount stores and garden centers – it doesn’t look bad when it has just arrived at the store.

What is Wrong With Buying a Rocking Chair from a Superstore?

It is possible to buy outdoor furniture at almost any price, so why not buy the cheapest thing available? The answer is that outdoor furniture will be rotten or broken in 2-3 years unless it is made of high quality, durable, weatherproof materials – and those superstore chairs usually aren’t. The furniture usually sold at superstores as “outdoor” wooden furniture is usually made of a non-weatherproof wood which has been painted. This presents two problems:

However, within just a few months, the sealer peels off, revealing a lesser wood underneath which begins immediately to rot.

$198 Doesn’t Buy Durability

First, these woods are nowhere near as strong and durable as Robinia. Robinia is one of the world’s hardest and most stable woods and is several times stronger than oak, ash, and hickory. You can literally pick up a chair in a superstore and know the difference – those chairs normally weigh between 20 and 25 pounds, while our rockers weigh 37 pounds and up.

Close-up of Joint Rot

Superstore Discount Chairs Aren’t Weatherproof

Second, paint does not last, and so the wood underneath will soon become exposed to the elements due to the aging of the paint and its shielding properties, and due to scratches, gaps in the paint at the joints due to expansion and contraction of the wood. The bottom line is that no furniture is weatherproof unless the material used to make it is weatherproof.

Seat and back slats rotting out 

The Imitations Are Flattering, But Don’t Waste Your Hard-Earned Dollars

America has been flooded in recent years with Far Eastern imitation “teak” that is not weatherproof. You can spot this “teak” at garden stores because it usually looks pretty dreadful right there in the store’s outdoor display area – you can see that it has been coated with a “protectant” and that the protectant soon peels and flakes off in little pieces. When the “teak” underneath is exposed to the elements, it blackens and rots. Furniture like this is good outdoors for only 2-3 seasons, and it starts looking bad within months. Be especially wary when outdoor furniture and rocking chairs are displayed indoors in a store. The only way to know what you’re buying is to see it outdoors in the elements.