Choosing an Adirondack Chair Style

April 2, 2009 - PRLog -- Adirondack chairs offer the ultimate in comfort for backyard living areas.  The rustic Americana-feel combined with the relaxed seating style offer elegance and comfort that you will enjoy for decades.  But choosing among the many styles can be a daunting task.  Here are some basic considerations to make when choosing your patio set.

First, you should decide which type of wood (or polywood) you would like.  Traditional Adirondack chairs come in pine or white cedar, but are readily available in red cedar (for the western feel), teak, oak, and other woods.  Cedar is generally a great choice for outdoor wear.  Pine will work fine as well, though you won't get the same wear out of it.  Consider that a well-sealed cedar chair should last for many decades, whereas a well-sealed pine chair will last for about 10 to fifteen years depending on conditions.  

Polywood is new to the outdoor furniture market in the last few years.  It is very durable, but also requires regular cleaning.  Although it doesn't have the feel of real wood it looks the part from far away.  If you want the natural greying process that happens with wood, then stay away from polywood.  

Next, you should consider style.  A traditional style Adirondack chair has a flat slats in the back (generally between 5-7 boards), a flat front, and no fancy scroll work.  A more contemporary version of the chair is the comfort style (also known as contoured) chair which has a fan back that curves through the shoulders for comfort.  This style usually has a rounded front as well.  A western-influenced addition is the scrolled fronts and backs.

Both flat-back and comfort-back styles are beautiful.  The comfort-back style tends to be more comfortable, as the name implies.  Expect to pay more for this style however.  Regardless of which style you choose, you won't be disappointed with your choice of an Adirondack chair or rocker.

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Terry Burton is owner of http://www.AdirondackChairShop.com an online retailer of New York State manufactured Adirondack chairs, furniture, and home furnishings.