Cane is a traditional material for garden furniture. To sit on, cane is warmer and softer than metal, because it does not conduct body heat. Cane is a natural material for use in a natural setting. Cane has a warm soft color and bends easily into elegant curves. Another property of cane furniture is its light weight, an advantage when you want to move furniture around and a disadvantage in windy conditions. Cane is used to make chairs, table, and benches.
The most serious worry with cane garden furniture concerns its durability. Providing cane is well ventilated, it will in fact last a long time out of doors. Moisture keeps cane supple and prevents cracking. Many people therefore leave cane furniture outside during the summer and place it undercover during the winter months.
Another solution is to treat the cane with a wood preservative. Some cane furniture is pre-treated and sold for outdoor use. Other cane furniture is untreated and intended primarily for use in conservatories. Paint makes cane attractive but does little for its rot resistance.
The material known as 'cane' in fact comes from two different plants: bamboo and rattan • Bamboos are a tall, woody grass. Bamboo is light strong and durable. A single bamboo clump can produce 15 kilometers of usable cane in the lifetime of the bamboo plant. • Rattan is a climbing palm belonging to the genus Calamus. It has long many-jointed stems which are widely used to make 'cane' furniture. Rattan grows wild in forests throughout Southeast Asia. It is mostly harvested by women and children, sustaining the forests in which rattan grows and providing poor people with a source of income. • Synthetic Rattan (Thermoplastic): Was invented for the purpose of replacing natural rattan (Cane) and bamboo. Preserving the natural beauty of the forest, this natural looking product resembles the real thing so closely; it will be hard to tell the difference. Synthetic rattan products offer