What Is Poly Furniture?

Poly furniture is any furniture made from poly lumber. What is poly lumber?

Poly - short for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) - is a high strength plastic that's commonly used in plastic bottles and packaging. As you'll see, poly makes for a great material for outdoor furniture due to its durability and other intrinsic properties.

First, let's find out how poly is made. 

How is Poly Made?

Our furniture's journey starts when you recycle a plastic bottle. Most of our furniture is made with recycled milk jugs, but HDPE can be made from waste such as water and soda bottles as well! 

 

That milk jug travels to a recycling facility and starts to undergo the conversion process. First, it and other milk jugs are sorted, removing caps and other small impurities. People inspect each bottle as it travels down a conveyor belt to make sure there are no bad bottles that make it through the batch.

 

Next, the bottles are ground up into small flakes. Shredding the bottles allows the recycler to more efficiently wash and dry the plastic, removing any dirt or leftover milk residue. 

 

After being washed, the plastic is then repelletized. Flakes are melted and put through a fine screen to remove any small contaminations. After the melting process, the pure resin is mixed in a large silo - also where the color is added! This mixing process results in an ultra consistent material that is strong throughout.

So poly is made from milk jugs? But why would you use that instead of wood?

Poly lumber has a number of advantages over traditionally used materials like pressure treated wood lumber. 

• Eco-Friendly. The plastic milk jugs that are used to make our poly furniture would otherwise end up in a landfill. We are proud to use poly lumber that is made of 95% recycled material, meeting the FTC's Green Guidelines. By using durable, recycled materials for our outdoor furniture, there is no need to cut down trees or replace your furniture every two years. 
• Stronger and more durable than traditional wood. While wood may crack after years of use, poly will remain sturdy. Your poly furniture will not warp or crack like traditional wood. Also, no need to worry about splinters!
• Impenetrable surface. Say goodbye to mold and mildew! Furniture made from poly will not absorb water and will be immune to waterlogging. Ever sit on a wooden adirondack chair after it rains only to find it full of water? Unlike traditional wood, you won't have to wait hours for your furniture to dry out after a rainstorm. Your poly furniture can be used right away after wiping it down with a dry towel as no moisture will have penetrated below the surface.
• Termite resistant. Unlike traditional wood, poly lumber does not appeal to termites, nor can they penetrate the surface of the poly.
• Easy to clean. Just wipe it the surface with soap and warm to hot water. 
• Exciting, vibrant colors. We offer many vibrant and exciting colors. The great thing about poly is that it requires no maintenance to keep a bright, beautiful color. No need to worry about peeling or fading paint. Poly lumber is UV resistant and won't fade in the sun. Our furniture is also cold hardy and is specifically designed to survive the outdoor elements.
• Low maintenance. No need to repaint or reseal year in or year out. In fact, there's no need to do that with poly lumber in the first place?
• Quality, American-made material. Our partners source their poly lumber from right here in the United States. We never use cheap materials from overseas, which would shorten the lifespan of your furniture. Many of our products contain manufacturer's warranties as well.