We love our outdoor furniture, but it is surely a pain to find enough space to store it once the season is over and the weather turns wet and cold. Rocking chairs are usually quite big and require a lot of space, but we love them too much to let them get ruined by the weather. The only solution is totally weatherproof rocking chair. Finding the difference between truly weatherproof rocking chair and what manufacturers call ‘waterproof’ requires a bit of homework. After a bit of online browsing, you will find that there is one type of rocking chairs that resists any weather – plastic rocking chairs.

A good, high quality rocking chair is an investment. We do not want to keep buying them every year. We want our rocking chairs to become a family heirloom, a piece of furniture we build family memories in. It is easy to find cheap rocking chairs. Some of them will even last a few years, with a lot of high maintenance. Treated pine, hardwoods like cypress or red cedar are fairly weather-resistant. But, to keep them looking good after being exposed to rains for any amount of time means weatherproofing. Most woods have to be treated with high quality weatherproofing material every year if you want them to last more than a few years.

There is a new material that is quickly taking over the world of outdoor furniture: recycled plastic. We are not talking about the flimsy plastic we used to see on people’s porches, which used to break if anyone with a bit of extra weight would sit in them. Recycled plastic is made of plastic milk and juice jugs that are overflowing our solid waste storage. Melted and processed, this new plastic is made into a lumber that resembles real wood in color and texture. It is also made in a range of popular, modern colors, from pastels to vivid, cheerful colors such as oranges and blues. And since the plastic lumber is colored while still in the liquid form, the color never fades, regardless of how long your plastic rocking chair sits in the sun.

If you opt for a plastic rocking chair, you can be sure that it will never get mildewed or eaten by insects, it will not chip or splinter and the color will stay the same from year to year.

Plastic rocking chairs today come in all shapes and styles. Furniture designers are embracing this new fun material and are using it to make replicas of good, old favorites such as Shaker, Adirondacks or Mid-Century Modern style rockers. They are also using their imagination to come up with more modern shapes, for those who are looking for something a bit different.

Your plastic rocking chair will never require any maintenance. A hosing down once a year to get rid of the summer dust will be enough to keep your favorite plastic rocking chair looking like new from year to year. Be prepared to pay a little more for your plastic rocking chair than you would for one made of treated pine. But, it will probably be the last rocking chair you will ever buy, so in the long run you will make a good economic decision. Your plastic rocking chair will become a part of your family fun and one day you will be able to tell stories about the times you spent in it, taking it easy or chatting with your loved ones.