Garden Furniture Table Buying Guide (2025)
How to Choose the Perfect Outdoor Garden Or Patio Table
Selecting the right garden furniture table transforms your outdoor space into an inviting retreat for dining, entertaining, or simply enjoying your morning coffee. With British weather presenting unique challenges, choosing a table that balances style, durability, and practicality is essential for making the most of your garden throughout the year.
In this guide, we are going to deep dive into all of the different garden furniture table sets, types and standalone table options to suit all garden sizes and needs. If you are looking for a new garden furniture table, or a complete outdoor dining set, then this guide will help with your search and hopefully lead you to the ideal garden furniture table you can love, and be happy with for years to come.
Types of Garden Furniture Tables
Finding The Perfect Match For Your Outdoor Space
Dining Tables & Sets
Perfect for outdoor entertaining and family meals, garden dining tables come in various sizes to suit any size family or gathering. They will generally come in full sets, complete with chairs.
Rectangular dining tables typically seat 6-8 people, but can go much higher and bigger if you require something to accommodate a much bigger family or gathering. Round shaped garden dining tables work well for 4-6 guests. There are extendable table sets too for those wanting flexibility, but typically, rectangular and round fixed sizes are most common.
Garden Furniture Coffee Tables
Lower in height (40-50cm), these casual coffee tables complement garden sofas and lounging areas. Ideal for holding drinks, snacks, books, or tablets/phones, they're essential for creating a relaxed outdoor living space. Many feature storage options or removable trays for added functionality.
These are a perfect choice with 2 matching chairs to enjoy a nice cold drink in the warm British evening sun.
Bistro Tables & Furniture Sets
Compact and typically 60-70cm in diameter, bistro tables are perfect for balconies, small patios, or intimate garden corners. Their smaller footprint, and with a matching set of chairs, it makes them ideal for couples or solo outdoor dining, while maintaining a charming café-style aesthetic.
Garden Furniture Table Materials
What Type Of Material Is Best?
Wooden Garden Furniture Tables
Wooden garden furniture sets and tables offer traditional style, and long lasting durability. From really sleek options, including painted wood, to chunky wooden garden tables, wood offers lots of options to suit your garden aesthetic.
The most common wooden options include:
- Teak: Premium hardwood offering exceptional durability and natural weather resistance. Develops an attractive silver-grey patina over time. Minimal maintenance required beyond occasional cleaning.
- Acacia Wood: Affordable hardwood alternative with good weather resistance. Regular oiling maintains its rich colour and extends lifespan.
- Pine: Budget-friendly option requiring thorough pressure treatment and regular maintenance. Best suited for covered areas.
Metal Garden Furniture Tables
Metal garden furniture is becoming more and more popular. With a modern, sleek and smooth design, as well as being super strong, and really easy to maintain, there is a reason metal, especially so in Aluminium is becoming the most popular type of garden furniture.
- Aluminium: Lightweight, rust-resistant, and ideal for modern designs. Powder-coated finishes offer excellent durability and easy maintenance, as well as different colour finishes.
- Steel: Heavier and extremely sturdy, galvanised and powder-coated steel withstands intense use. Alongside aluminium, steel options are also really simple to maintain.
Rattan Garden Furniture Tables
Rattan garden furniture sets have been a staple for years. With many different colour options, you can find modern and also contemporary rattan style furniture sets to suit almost any colour aesthetic for your outdoor space.
There are 2 types of rattan which are:
- PE Rattan: Synthetic weatherproof material combining the natural look of wicker with modern durability. UV-resistant and easy to clean, ideal for exposed locations.
- Natural Rattan: Best suited for covered areas or occasional outdoor use. Requires careful maintenance and winter storage.
UK Weather Considerations and Maintenance
With the British climate, we unfortunately do not enjoy year round sunshine. During the autumn and winter months it is important to think about how you might store and protect your garden furniture table and sets.
Different material types require slightly different care. Firstly, most modern and well manufactured garden furniture sets across all types of materials come with weather proofing and treatments to help protect your furniture for years to come.It is important to note that cheaper furniture does come with lesser quality protection in many cases, and may wear and tear much more easily than more expensive options. The term, you get what you pay for does come into play here.
Cleaning and maintaining metal and rattan table furniture sets is relatively simple. A wipe down with warm soapy water from time to time is more than enough to keep your furniture looking great.
Wooden garden furniture table sets may take a little more care. Whilst a wipe down is often enough, it is also advised that wood sets are sanded and treated with furniture oil every so often is also important.
Think About Storing Or Covering Your Garden Furniture Table In Bad Weather
In the colder months or during stormy weather it is also important to consider how you might protect your garden furniture table and sets. This may also be worth considering when it comes to the size of table you are looking for. If you have under cover storage for your furniture, that is ideal.
Many pieces of garden furniture can be heavy and also too big to store anywhere practical. In this case, be sure to store any cushions when not in use. This can be a simple garden storage bin or box. Most premium and high quality garden furniture is manufactured to withstand the British weather, but, if you want to be extra careful, you can look at outdoor furniture covers for your table or sets.
Garden Furniture Table Sets Price Guide & Value Considerations
When shopping on a budget of £100-300, you'll find a variety of practical options including compact acacia bistro sets, durable steel mesh dining tables, and basic rattan coffee tables. Pine picnic tables also offer good value in this range, though they'll require more maintenance to keep them looking their best.
The mid-range market (£300-700) opens up more possibilities with quality aluminium dining sets that offer excellent durability and premium rattan garden furniture that combines style with weather resistance. This bracket also includes well-treated hardwood tables and versatile extendable designs that adapt to different entertaining needs.
For those seeking premium, long standing quality, the £700+ category delivers exceptional craftsmanship with solid teak dining tables that will last for decades, designer metal collections that make a striking statement, and luxury mixed material pieces that combine the best qualities of different materials. Commercial grade furniture in this range offers unmatched durability for homes that frequently entertain or need furniture to withstand intensive use.
The main thing to remember is garden furniture at all levels of budget can and does look great. But you will sacrifice quality in materials and treatment with cheaper furniture. Having a consistent cleaning and maintenance schedule though can help improve the life of any garden furniture table or set.
Making Your Final Garden Furniture Table Or Set Buying Decision
Your perfect garden table ultimately depends on how you'll use your outdoor space and what you can realistically maintain. Start by measuring your available space and considering how you'll typically use the table, whether for intimate dinners or large gatherings. Be honest about how much maintenance you're willing to undertake and whether you have adequate storage space for winter protection.
While initial cost is important, consider the long-term value – a higher quality piece that lasts years with minimal maintenance often proves more economical than replacing cheaper garden furniture sets regularly. Style and personal taste also plays probably the most important part of all in your decision. You may already have a style of table you are interested in. Whether it's a wooden dining table set or an powder coated black metal furniture set to match a modern garden aesthetic.
Here at Garden and Patio we have a diverse range of all types of garden furniture sets. Whether it's wooden or metal sets that you are looking for, or whether price is the deciding factor and you want to browse the best garden furniture tables and chairs in your budget range, we have all options on this site.
Hopefully this guide helps you when thinking about your garden furniture purchase. After all, garden furniture is the most important part of your garden, and you want to make sure you are making the right decision. If you need help deciding on which garden furniture table or set is perfect for your garden or outdoor space, then do not hesitate to reach out to our expert team for personal recommendations.
