Whether you’re looking for outdoor seating to organize your backyard, or you want to create a welcoming space where you can enjoy some peace and quiet, outdoor benches can be the ideal option for you. However, if you are searching for the perfect bench for your outdoor space, you probably know that there are a plethora of different options that can overwhelm you and complicate the entire decision-making process. This is why we made a comparison of the two most popular choices- concrete and teak wood outdoor benches to help you decide which option is better for you.
Teak Outdoor Benches
If you want to give your backyard or patio the ultimate warmth and a nostalgic home-alike ambience, don’t hesitate to choose a teak bench for outdoor spaces. These benches are packed with a plethora of functional and aesthetical features. Let’s take a look at the most prominent ones.
Durability
First of all, teak is a noble type of hardwood that is used in multiple industries worldwide such as the flooring industry, household utensils, construction, shipbuilding and manufacturing parts for bicycles. Thanks to its high strength and durability, it’s no wonder why it’s also widely used for manufacturing outdoor and home furniture and outdoor benches are no exception at all.
Water-Resistance
Besides teak benches for outside being stiff, strong and durable, they’re also resistant to water. In other words, you won’t have to worry about your new teak bench for outdoor starting to rot, warp, shrink, swell or simply get destroyed after a slight rain, not to mention winter conditions such as snows and storms.
Pest-Resistance
In addition to being resistant to heavy weather conditions, outdoor teak benches are also resistant to termites. This is due to teak being a type of wood that features some percentage of natural oils. And even though it’s a small percentage, these oils have been shown as very successful in repelling termites and pests that can attack and destroy your outdoor furniture.
Self-Regulating Thermal Properties
Teak is a type of wood that is shown to regulate its own temperature. Thanks to this feature, your teak outdoor bench will stay cool in summer and warm in winter. This is not the case with materials such as metals, stones and other composite materials that can feel very uncomfortable in specific weather seasons.
Low Maintenance
Teak furniture such as outdoor benches has a naturally warm, golden colour that doesn’t require any extra finishes and treatments to last for many years. This makes teak garden benches very easy to clean and maintain, as you won’t need any special or expensive chemicals, but only occasional washes with soapy water.
However, if you want to keep your teak wood outdoor bench shiny and looking new, the market offers a plethora of enhancement products that will make your outdoor furniture look exactly how you want.
Quite Expensive
Teak wood outdoor benches are undoubtedly packed with a bunch of functional features and conveniences, and this is why they can be a little bit pricey.
But except for its natural properties being responsible for its high demand, teak wood is also considered one of the most endangered species in the world. So, if you decide to go for a teak outdoor bench, make sure you’re buying from legal suppliers.
Concrete Outdoor Benches
On the other side of the horizon, many homeowners go for concrete outdoor benches because of their elegant, sleek and lavish look. But except for being a very appealing aesthetic solution for your outdoor space, concrete benches also offer a plethora of other functional features.
Durability
Concrete is a composite material of fine and coarse aggregate that is bonded together with a fluid cement which hardens over time. Hence, concrete makes for one of the most durable materials in the furniture manufacturing industry, since it’s very resistant to weather conditions, chemical attacks, abrasions and dangerous UV lights.
Theft-Deterrent
One of the main advantages of concrete outdoor benches is that they’re tough and very heavy. And as much as this means that you won’t be able to move your bench anywhere once you place it in your backyard, you’ll have peace of mind that nobody would dare to steal it.
Low Maintenance
Same as teak outdoor benches, concrete ones can also be cleaned and maintained by occasionally washing them with soapy water. If you’re struggling with any stubborn stains, it’s recommended to scrub them with a mild non-abrasive cleaner.
However, make sure you don’t use excessive force while scrubbing since you can reduce the shine of the surface and in the worst-case scratch it.
Not That Comfortable
With teak wood having self-regulating thermal properties, you won’t have to worry about your teak outdoor bench feeling too hot in summer or cold in winter. This isn’t the case with concrete outdoor benches.
In fact, every concrete surface is sensitive and absorbs the current temperature of the space. In other words, you’ll get a very hot sitting surface during the blasting sun summer season, and a stone-cold one during the coldest winter days.
Except for that, concrete is a really sturdy and robust material, and therefore not that comfy if you want to spend some more time sitting on your outdoor bench.
Don’t Forget About Your Outdoor Space’s Overall Aesthetic
Outdoor benches can be a very aesthetical solution to complement your gorgeous self-watering garden pots or your sophisticated backyard statue. However, don’t forget to consider the overall ambience, style and aesthetic of your outdoor space when choosing between teak and concrete outdoor benches.
As we already mentioned before, teak benches come in golden and brown-ish shades that are typical for wooden constructions. Hence, they make for the perfect outdoor furniture if you want to achieve both, traditional or contemporary ambience while still maintaining a warm and nostalgic ambience.
On the other hand, concrete benches also come in a plethora of attractive finishes to match your overall exterior design. However, concrete tends to appear “colder” than teak, and these benches are more suitable for luxurious and sophisticated outdoor spaces.
Now that you know the advantages of the popular teak and the lavish concrete benches, don’t hesitate to hit the market and choose the perfect option to adorn your outdoor space.
