FAQ

We have included a lot of info on our products pages but there are always some good questions that just don't show up on those pages so here is a list of some of questions and the answers that might be helpful.

If you still have a question please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to answer it and will add it to this page if need be.

Why is recycled plastic the best material for outdoor furniture?

For a few reasons,

• First it is virtually indestructible. Indestructible because it will not rot, it won't decay, bugs can't eat it, it is non absorbent, so staining is all but impossible and rain and snow will not soak in. It will not chip, split, splinter, crack, warp, or get brittle and snap like some cheaper plastics do.
• Second, it is pretty much maintenance free, this means unlike most wood products it NEVER needs to be sanded and painted or sealed. In fact the color is IN the material. In addition to this UV stabilizers are added in to help prevent fading from exposure to the sunlight. We have customers tell us that even after several years they say their furniture looks as good as the day they bought it, ever hear someone with wood furniture say that? 
• Third, it is carefree, by that we mean you can put it outdoors and leave it. No need to bring it into storage for the winter, or to run out in the rain to place a cover over it ( and the cover inevitably blows off). Because it is non absorbent rain and snow will not effect it one bit. Of course the commercial grade stainless steel fasteners also mean no worries about rusting or corroding.
  
• And finally but not least is Poly-wood is made in the USA. That means quality you can count on, craftsmanship you can see in even the  small details.

How is your furniture made and where is it made?

 Making our furniture is a 4 step process.

• First the raw material is purchased from suppliers who have cleaned it, cut it up into small pellet like sizes and then sell it in bundles or bales.
• Then Poly-Wood  can add color and UV stabilizers and "extrudes" the material, which basically means they shape into lumber like dimensions like a  2x4 or 1x6, (which is actually 1.5" x 3.5" and .75" x 4.5") At this stage the material is also given a wood like texture, but unlike wood there are no potential splinters, cracks, chips, and no knots to fall out.
• Once it is in a lumber like shape and size it is then run through various CNC machines that cut and shape it much like wood is cut and shaped in a furniture factory. The cut offs and "sawdust" are collected and added into the next batch so there is virtually no waste.
• Once the pieces are made to precise shapes and sizes they are inspected and placed with other pieces that make a complete chair or table, ready for shipment, after an inspection. You will find a tag Inspected by in the box when you receive it.
  
• The final products are flat shipped, this keeps costs down and makes handling much more efficient too.
• Poly-Wood is proudly made in the USA.
  

This seems a bit expensive for plastic outdoor furniture, what is the reason for that?

At first glance it can seem to be pricey especially if one is looking at it as typical plastic stuff, which when plastic first came out had the reputation of being "cheap" and the once popular phrase of calling something "plastic" was not a compliment. But things have changed, for one thing this is not thin flimsy foreign made plastic, we use only recycled plastic and everything is done right here in the USA. In fact our plastic is extruded to existing lumber dimensions, as a 1x4 or 2x2 for example. After that it is milled and cut just like lumber would be. But the real benefit comes from the fact that, unlike wood or other materials, our recycled plastic will last for a very, very long time. Truth is no one really knows how long it can last because there is no natural process like rust, decay, weathering and the like, that typically breaks down other matereial, none of these have an effect on the recycled plastic. That is also the beauty of being recycled. If the plastic is sent to a landfill it will sit there for a long time and never decompose. But turn it into outdooor furniture and that liability becomes an assest.  So you may pay a bit more up front, but you will NEVER need to replace it because it wore out or fell apart. You will NEVER have to sand or seal or paint it because the color faded or chipped or peeled off, you will NEVER have to replace a leg or slat because it rotted or split or rusted or cracked. You will NEVER have to store it out of inclement weather or protect it from wind, rain, snow, sleet,  cold or heat.  This means you can enjoy your outdoor furniture, not work on.  So as our tag line says, Now you can sit back relax and enjoy. If you think about it, why would you choose anything else?

If I buy something on-line do I have to pay for shipping too?

We welcome on line shopping, we have set up our site to facilitate that and we are constantly adding more info to make it easier and to help you make an informed decision. No, you do not pay for shipping, it is not added onto the price, it is FREE, we pay all shipping costs and we love it. Okay maybe we don't love it, but we do love happy customers who say good things about us and who appreciate something a little extra. Free shipping is our incentive to you to do yourself a favor and get the very best deal on a product your going to love for a long time.

So if the color is IN the material what keeps it from fading?

That's right the color is mixed right into the material not just on the surface like paint and a lot of sealants and stains. Also mixed right into the material are UV stabilizers, I think of those as a sunblock for furniture. It won't prevent fading altogether in fact nothing can do that, but it substantially slows it. So some years from when you purchased it your furniture may have lost some of it's "new car" sheen, I suggest using a bit of Armor All or similar product, same stuff you might use on your car. the great thing is because the color is IN the material it will ALWAYS have color.

What is the hardware  made of, the fasteners that hold things together?

All of our hardware the screws the bolts the nuts the washers, are made of stainless steel, a grade called 18-8 which is a marine grade suitable for wet or marine type environments. But even better than that our hardware has a Xylan coating. Now Xylan is no doubt an impressive sounding name, right, but what the heck is Xylan? Well NASA has used Xylan as a sealant on the space shuttles, as a heat protection. Now that is impressive. The space shuttles are no more, but Xylan is still used as a very reliable surface protection and Poly-wood uses it to add just that extra bit of protection to the hardware it uses in the furniture.

How long will this furniture last?

Great question, and hard to answer. Consider this. Scientist estimate that this same grade of plastic HDPE#5 sitting in a landfill will not break down for anywhere from 50, 100, 1,000 or more years. The reason there is such a huge range is they simply do not know, or put another way, so far none of this material has broken down. But when and if it does break down, the scientists expect it to justs break into smaller pieces it does not decompose because it is a manmade material.This is the same material our Poly-wood furniture is made of.

But back to what you want to know how long will it actually last. With reasonable care, which means if you don't run over it with a tank, it is something your grand kids will be enjoying, and perhaps their grand kids, and maybe...