Rattan Furniture FAQs...

If you are looking to buy rattan furniture then the following information should form a helpful resource.

Is the rattan fibre resistant to U.V?

Yes. We not only use a quality fibre, we use the recognized global leader from Germany (Rehau™) fibre available. The facts are the nearly all the rattan fibre sold in N.Z is not suitable to our high U.V. There are 3 brands in N.Z using German fibres. The rest use PVC which is nothing more than recycled plastic bottles. There are some Auckland vrattan furniture suppliers selling outdoor woven furniture at the same price point made from this inferior weaving material. Please do your research.

In our industry there are two brands of fibre recognised as market leaders; Rehau and Hularo. Both are German.

What is rattan furniture?

Rattan, wicker, wicker rattan, cane (in polyethelene form) and all weather garden furniture are names for the same class of product. The product was created because customers wanted to take their furniture outdoors. Natural cane and rattan will rot and break down outdoors. Hence PE rattan was created. Designs and styles of rattan furniture have moved on so quickly in recent years that our customers are now looking to buy rattan furniture for the inside of their homes. So why not have the best of both worlds? Take our Riviera - it looks stunning indoors, but with the Quick Dry Foam as standard it will also perform flawlessly outside for years. It is important to note that there is a wide range of products offered on the market from very poor plastic to top end fibres made in Germany. When looking to buy rattan furniture we advise our customers to do their research. Despite what some rattan furniture suppliers will tell you, synthetic weaving material is not all the same.

Can I leave my cushions outside in bad weather?

You can leave iola cushions outdoors in four seasons because we use marine reticulated foam. Only four outdoor furniture suppliers in the country use it and only two use it as standard. We do not use anything else. At iola we use only the best materials.

Will the Fibre Fade?

No, iola uses fabrics from Sunbrella™, Mokum, Unique™, Warwick™ and James Dunlop™. They are extremely high quality. Sunbrella, made in the US has been the leader in marine performance fabrics for 50 years!

Why do you use stainless steel feet and others use alloy?

We use Stainless Steel because it not only looks a lot nicer, it is more corrosion resistant. Ask yourself why you only find stainless steel on boats. Take our Modular range. 90% of the market uses alloy feet. Why? Because it’s cheap. Alloy corrodes. The rest of the market use 304 standard grade stainless; we are one of two rattan furniture suppliers globally who use 316 marine grade stainless. Another example of our attention to detail. When we claim to use only the best materials, we can support it!

What is the warranty?

Our warranty is the highest in the industry. 3 years on all parts.

How do I know I am getting a good product?

We get asked this question a lot. With hundreds of rattan furniture suppliers in the market place, all using the word ‘quality, just how do you know who to trust. Everyone has a price point in mind and we are very conscious of that. However, rattan furniture is a unique product which either incorporates very good materials or very poor materials. There is nothing in between. For example, German fibres are the best, Sunbrella is an excellent fabric, marine reticulated foam is a must have, commercial grade frames (1.6mm+) are superior, marine grade stainless( 316) is the best metal for exterior applications. Other considerations:
In our experience vendors will tell customers looking to buy rattan furniture just about anything in order to gain a sale. Here are a few truths about our industry:
In summary, the answer to this question is quite simple. If you are looking to buy rattan furniture and reading this entire section, you are discerning and care about the product you are purchasing. Our best advice; look at the key components of the product; fibre, frame, fabric, foam, metal fittings, weavers, design and price, before determining whether each component the vendor has chosen to use is a branded / quality material. There is a wealth of information on the internet which supports exactly what we are saying. As a rattan furniture supplier we aim to be completely transparent in how our product is made and the materials we use. We know they are the highest quality available and are happy to tell you all about them. Please do your research as a poor product in this sector will fail within 18 months in our extreme U.V.

Why buy from iola?

Any product you purchase should be durable, functional as well as stylish. It must also meet your price point. Outdoor furniture is placed in the harshest of environments where any weakness will be exposed by the elements. All weather garden furniture is the only product we deal with. We use the best materials available, our designs are striking and unique and we aim to meet a middle market price point. There are no other suppliers in New Zealand offering such a proposition. In New Zealand we are the number one rattan furniture supplier in both the retail and commercial space. We compete with all the major European brands here and actually exceed their bill of materials in the majority of cases. As we have mentioned previously there is one other brand which can match us on quality but their price is 3 times as much!

It is very easy to produce an excellent yet very expensive product. The reason for our success is down to the fact our outdoor furniture is unsurpassed yet we manage to meet the middle market price wise. We manage this as we are the designer, the manufacturer and the importer.

We are very proud of our product yet we try to remain objective. We encourage all of our customers to thoroughly research their purchase. If you are looking to buy rattan furniture then contact iola today.

If you are considering buying rattan furniture and would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly customer services team who will be more than happy to help. Call iola on (09) 570 1112 or email: info@iola.co.nz or visit our showroom.

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