Wooden Sunroom Furniture

Specialized sunroom furniture such as wicker style and its derivatives (like rattan and cane) can seem expensive when compared to the more traditional home furnishing material of wood. So can wood furniture be used in a sunroom and if so what types of wood are best suited, what is available and how much is it likely to cost?

Can wooden furniture be used in a sunroom?

Yes it can but the strong lighting and humidity variations mean that care must be taken if you want the furniture to have a long life time.

Ideally one would want to the wooden furniture out of direct sunlight, which is understandably difficult in a sunroom, as it will cause the wood to change color and will heat it up. Darker woods tend to fade or lighten in appearance and lighter woods darken under continuous lighting. To prevent patches of discoloration appearing try rotating the furniture so that it 'ages' more naturally all over. If it is an expanding table consider keeping it out at full length or maybe throwing a cover over it when not in use. If you have blinds then partially close them to reduce the direct lighting, although this isn't ideal. Good quality varnishes applied to the wood can help reduce the level of discoloration, but not totally eliminate it.

If the sunroom gets hotter than the rest of the house or the humidity is high or too low then you have to be careful as the moisture content in the wood can change causing it to warp or even split. This can manifest itself as drawers sticking or joints opening up. Underfloor heating is particularly bad for wooden furniture, which is unfortunate as it is a popular means of heating a sunroom. Try not to place the furniture near the sunroom air conditioning vent (if you have one) or near any other heat sources such as radiators.

What types of wood can be used?

As long as the above limitations of wood in a sunroom are considered you could use any type of wood such as oak, maple or pine. However, teak is a wood well suited to sunrooms. It's high oil content means that it is less prone to changes in humidity, heat and discoloration due to direct sunlight. Remember teak furniture is often used outside on patios.

What types of furniture are available in wood?

Anything that can be bought for the home in wood can be used in the sunroom. Apart from the unusual environmental concerns of a sunroom it can be considered as just another addition to the house.

How much will wooden sunroom furniture cost?

Sunroom furniture can be bought as individual items or as sets and this effects the price. Sets are usually cheaper than buying the range individually.

Typically a good quality wooden furniture set will be fairly expensive will hopefully be of quality construction, built to last and look fantastic.

Wooden Sunroom Furniture Summary

Wooden furniture can be used in a sunroom but care needs to be taken in the choice of wood and environmental conditions if its long term finish is to be maintained.