Patio Furniture and Patio Covers

Imagine yourself relaxing in the comfort of your own backyard. Sitting, feeling great in a classic lawn chair or sprawling on your garden chaise. Having backyard patio furniture and/or a Patio cover is a great upgrade to any house and will give you and your family a new dimension of enjoyment at your home. So start shopping smart when considering buying new patio furniture. All the money you spend will pay off because then you'll be ready for casual entertaining and spur of the moment patio picnics! So take a look at the empty space on your patio, deck or out in the garden.

The first thing you are going to want to do when focusing on upgrading your backyard experience is to begin to develop a vision of chairs, benches and tables with your lifestyle in mind. After that you are going to want to measure the space and consider who will use it and for what purposes. Are you building a space so that you can have a place for quiet reading? Or are you going to need different furniture to have the kind of place that can host a barbeque and billiards tournament.

Next you are going to want to survey what's available in quality patio furniture. Think about surfing the Internet for great websites that sell great patio furniture. After that you will want to check magazines and visit local shops. When you do this, its a good idea to make notes about materials, colors and styles you like. Be sure to pre-check warranties and see if there are extra care instructions for you to need to know about and also check to see if there are necessary maintenance of materials. When you buy your furniture you are going to want to make sure the furniture you choose is durable and that parts will be available when you need them.

Another important note is that when you buy your outdoor furniture, you should choose fabrics treated with water and stain repellants or treat them yourself before using or else they won't last as long. You are going to want to plan to clean and retreat fabrics annually. Here are some key words, shop for value over price.

After you purchase your backyard furniture, the next thing you might want to think about is, how to build a patio cover for yourself. For that professional Patio Cover you will need appropriate tools. You will need a complete tool kit. The tools required will be a 3/8"" drill bit, a hack saw or electric jig saw with fine-toothed blade for metal. You are going to need a caulking gun, some measuring tape, a screwdriver, a hammer, some metal snips, a socket and shank. You will also need a crescent wrench, a level, a carpenter's square, some ladders, some heavy duty pencils. You will also need masonry and nuts and bolts. If the patio is attached to the house then the existing support system will help cover to fit easily. For a free-standing patio the cover will have to be fitted on all four sides. The building instructions will guide you step by step.

There are lots of patio cover designs available on the market nowadays. These include the wood patio cover designs. Here are some of their pros and cons to help you decide whether wood patio covers are the right ones for you. In general, wood patio cover designs are the best choices for homeowners who want natural beauty and elegance. Since patios are located outside of the home, wood naturally blends in with the outdoors and has enough of the comfortable and cozy feel of the indoors. It is also the right material to choose if you are also thinking about growing vines and/or flowers up the side or on top of your patio covers. Bushes, vines and flowers can definitely add a more exciting effect to your patio.

Also, aside from their natural beauty and elegance, wood patio cover designs are also preferred by homeowners because they can be stained or painted with any color which suits their preference. Once you've painted your patio cover with the color that complements the rest of your home, you will definitely love the more enhanced look that it will provide.

In addition, wood patio cover designs are fairly inexpensive unlike the other types of materials used for patio covers. Wood patio cover designs can really offer you lots of advantages. However, before you make a final choice, you will also have to consider their drawbacks. Wood patio cover designs require regular maintenance and have to be treated for weather and termite resistance. These also need to be repainted from time to time because wood paint easily wears off. So, if you choose this option, be ready for the maintenance that it needs and make sure that you exert extra time and effort for that.

Those homeowners in search of a more maintenance free outdoor environment may want to consider aluminum or acrylic patio covers that are on the market. While these synthetic covers may not be able to match the beauty of wood, they have the advantage of being much easier to maintain.

In fact, the best aluminum and acrylic patio covers can provide many years of virtually trouble free performance, thus allowing you the homeowner to spend more time enjoying the patio and less time maintaining and repairing it.

One of the most unique choices for patio covers is synthetic wood. Made of acrylic or similar materials, these patio covers are designed to look like real wood. This can provide the beauty and seamless design of real wood with the low maintenance of acrylic and aluminum. The major downside of synthetic wood patio covers for most homeowners is the cost. In order to provide strength and durability, the synthetic wood will have to be enhanced with real wood beams, adding to the cost and complexity of the patio cover installation.

In addition to these choices, there are many, many different varieties of fabric patio covers on the market today. There are so many different kinds of fabric patio covers, in fact, that one of them is bound to conform to the décor and color scheme of virtually any home. Matching the decorating scheme of the outside room with that of the rest of the home is a great way to enjoy a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors, no matter what the season.

Now again, imagine yourself relaxing in the comfort of your own backyard. Sitting, and feeling great in a classic lawn chair or sprawling on your garden chaise. Your backyard furniture and Patio cover is a great addition to your home! And just think, in just a little while you will be casually entertaining your good friends and family.