Outer is a leading outdoor furniture brand that uses high-quality outdoor materials to make stylish, comfortable, and durable patio furniture that can last many years. They offer many great, eco-friendly patio furniture options like sofas, sectionals, chairs, ottomans, and coffee tables through their Teak, Wicker, and Aluminum outdoor furniture collections that can easily fit any backyard style. Outer offers a 14-day 100% money-back trial period and years of warranty to ensure that you truly love and enjoy your outdoor furniture from Outer.
Read more below to find out why patio furniture from Outer can be a great addition to your outdoor living space!
Overall Score
5.0
Ratings Summary
Frame Materials
Fabric Materials
Cushion Materials
Warranty
Trial Period / Returns
Delivery
Furniture Assembly
Price
Pros
- High-quality frame materials
- High-quality fabric
- Comfortable cushions with waterproof cover
- Great warranty and trial period
Cons
- Higher price than comparable brands
Some Outer Furniture Options
Outer Outdoor Furniture Overview
Outer launched its first outdoor sofa in May 2019, and the company’s popularity grew after Outer was featured during an episode of Shark Tank in late 2019. Since then, the outdoor furniture company has experienced rapid growth and launched new product lines. Not only do they focus on premium materials in their products, but they also use materials that are sustainably sourced and can be recycled. These premium products are high-quality Grade A teak, aluminum, and HDPE wicker for frame materials, and olefin fabric and high-quality foam used in its cushions.
You can find various patio furniture items like outdoor sofas, sectionals, loveseats, chairs, ottomans, and coffee tables across Outer’s three collections: Teak, Aluminum, and Wicker. These are highly stylish, comfortable, and durable options that can be an excellent addition to nearly any outdoor living space. Outer will ship these items to you without a delivery charge, and you have a 14-day 100% money-back trial period. Additionally, industry-leading warranties ensure that your patio furniture from Outer is designed to last for many years.
1. Frame Materials
For its wood furniture, Outer uses Grade A Teak, which is a highly durable and weather-resistant wood. Teak is one of the outdoor furniture materials that we highly recommend. This wood is one of the most popular wood options for outdoor furniture. It is an incredibly strong wood, and its natural oils make it exceptionally weather-resistant, making this material an excellent choice for outdoor and patio furniture. The natural oils of teak make it water-resistant, which helps prevent this wood from rotting, decaying, and cracking. Also, teak’s natural oils provide excellent protection from heat and UV rays. The oils prevent the wood from drying out over time which stops the wood from cracking and becoming brittle. The only effect the sun will have on teak will be the change of color from golden brown to gray, if not treated. Finally, teak can be very low maintenance if you don’t mind the wood turning gray over time. At most, you will need mild soap and water to clean off dust and dirt. However, if you want to retain the natural golden brown color of the wood, you will need to apply special teak oil annually.
For its wicker-styled furniture, Outer makes it wicker out of a material called High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which is another material that we highly recommend because this material can withstand nearly all outdoor conditions in any season without fading, cracking, or degrading. HDPE is a nonporous material that is very resilient against moisture, mold, and mildew. Also, this plastic is typically made with a UV treatment which enables it to withstand fading from long periods of exposure to the sun. The color of HDPE is dyed all the way through the material, so HDPE will not discolor. HDPE is a high-density material and is thus much harder compared to other materials. This high durability means it is harder to damage. Additionally, since HDPE is colored all the way through during the dying process, the color will appear the same if your furniture does get scratched or cracked. Finally, mild soap and water will be all you will usually need to clean this furniture.
Finally, for its metal furniture, Outer uses powder coated aluminum as the frame material (and also as the inner frame material on wicker furniture) on its metal furniture. Again, aluminum is another material that we highly recommend for outdoor furniture. Aluminum is an excellent outdoor material because it is lightweight, highly durable, and low cost and maintenance. We like aluminum because it is a very sturdy material that is hard to bend or dent, making it an excellent material for outdoor use. Aluminum is naturally resistant to corrosion in most environments (rust is a form of corrosion for steel and iron – bottom line: aluminum will not rust), but it can corrode if exposed to salt water or chlorine. Powder coating is a finish that protects the metal from corrosive elements like water, saltwater, and chlorine and enhances the durability of the metal. Read our post on powder coating to learn more about why you want powder coated metals for your backyard.
2. Fabric Materials
Outer uses comfortable yet highly durable olefin fabric for its cushions. Olefin is the name of the fabric typically made from synthetic polyolefin materials like propylene and ethylene, with propylene being the primary material used to make olefin fabric. Olefin is highly resistant to water and stains – any water that comes in contact with the fabric will pool on the fabric and runoff. Outer notes that this fabric is 100% solution-dyed, meaning the color is part of the actual fabric, which causes the fabric to be very colorfast and resistant to fading from exposure to UV light. Finally, olefin is a very durable yet comfortable material that is abrasion-resistant and should endure typical backyard wear and tear.
3. Cushion Materials
Outer states that its seat cushions are made out of Memory Foam, High Resiliency Foam, and its back cushions are made out of Blown Polypropylene Fiber. Customers rave about how comfortable and durable these cushions are. What we like about these cushions is that they come with the OuterShell which is a protective cover within the furniture that can wrapped over the cushions when not in use. This OuterShell provides a waterproof cover that provides extra protection to the cushions to help them endure the outdoor elements.
4. Warranty
Outer offers some of the best warranties in the industry:
- 10-year warranty on frames on legs
- 5-year warranty on wicker
- 5-year warranty on cushions
These long warranties should give you peace of mind that your furniture from Outer will last a long time.
5. Trial Period / Returns
Outer offers a great 14-day trial with free return shipping and 100% money back (or merchandise credit) that starts on your day of delivery. Additionally, after the first 14 days, Outer allows you to return the furniture up to 365 after delivery with a 20% return fee. This trial and return policy offered by Outer is better than most comparable brands.
6. Delivery
Outer offers free shipping on all of its furniture and it is delivered curbside to your location. The company used to offer a white-glove service but has paused that service during the Covid pandemic.
7. Furniture Assembly
There is very limited assembly with Outer patio furniture. The only piece that needs to be assembled is attaching legs to the furniture if required.
8. Price
We track the prices for hundreds of outdoor furniture items. We evaluate the typical cost of an outdoor sofa, sectional, loveseat, chair, dining table, coffee table, and other outdoor items and look for comparable features (frame materials, fabric materials, and cushion materials). Based on our analysis, the price of Outer outdoor furniture is typically higher than some comparable brands. However, we note that these higher prices reflect the premium materials used in the furniture coupled with other excellent features like the great warranty, trial period, and delivery.
Common Outdoor Furniture Questions
Rain: Can Outer outdoor furniture be left out in the rain?
Outer’s frame materials (Grade A Teak, Aluminum, and HDPE) are all great water-resistant materials. The natural oils of teak make the wood water-resistant, which helps prevent this wood from rotting, decaying, and cracking. Aluminum is naturally rust-proof, and the powder coating helps prevent corrosion. HDPE is a nonporous material that is very resilient against moisture, mold, and mildew.
The olefin fabric used on Outer’s cushions is known to be highly water-resistant and resistant to mold and mildew growth. While the material in Outer’s cushions may soak up water during heavy rain (olefin is not waterproof; water may get through during heavy rain), the OuterShell is waterproof and should help keep the cushions dry in most conditions.
Sun: Can Outer outdoor furniture be left out in the sun?
Teak, aluminum, and HDPE are all materials that perform really well in the sun and heat. Teak’s natural oils provide excellent protection from heat and UV rays. The oils prevent the wood from drying out over time which stops the wood from cracking and becoming brittle. Aluminum will not degrade from sun exposure, although it may get hot to the touch from prolonged sun exposure. The color of the HDPE is dyed all the way through the material, so HDPE will not discolor from sun exposure like other plastics might. Additionally, HDPE is typically made with a UV treatment which enables it to withstand fading from long periods of exposure to the sun. Finally, the Olefin fabric used on Outer’s cushions is solution-dyed, which means the color is part of the fabric, not simply applied on top of the fabric. This helps prevent the fabric from fading from UV exposure
Winter: Can Outer outdoor furniture be left out in the winter?
The frame materials of HDPE, teak, and aluminum used in Outer’s patio furniture perform very well in winter conditions. We rate HDPE as the closest material to a ‘set and forget’ type of furniture that can endure nearly all seasons and climates. Teak and aluminum are also known to weather winter conditions very well without any extra protection. The olefin and Outer’s cushion materials, including its OuterShell, can likely withstand mild winter conditions without degrading; however, extra care should be taken if you expect snow or freezing conditions. In all, we recommend that outdoor furniture always be covered or stored in winter conditions or during extended periods of time that you do not expect to use the furniture.
Maintenance: Does Outer outdoor furniture require much maintenance and cleaning?
One of the great aspects of the materials used in Outer’s outdoor furniture is that all the materials used in the patio furniture require little maintenance. Teak, Aluminum, HDPE, and olefin typically only need mild soap and water to clean most dirt and stains away. If you would like the color of the teak to remain its initial golden brown color, you should consider applying special teak oil as required. You may need to let the cushions dry for a day or two if they are exposed to heavy rain and they soak up water.
Eco-Friendly: Is Outer outdoor furniture environmentally friendly?
Yes! one of the many great features of Outer patio furniture is the many eco-friendly qualities of the furniture.
- Outer’s Grade A teak is FSC-certified, a Forest Stewardship Council certification, which means that wood was harvested from a sustainably managed forest or plantation.
- The HDPE is made from 30% recycled material, and the HDPE wicker is 100% recyclable.
- The aluminum frames are a recyclable material.
- The olefin fabric is manufactured without dye running off into wastewater, and the fabric is 100% recyclable.
Options: Are there many style options for Outer outdoor furniture?
Outer has many patio furniture options to shop. Outer has three main collections that are named after the frame materials: Teak, Aluminum, and Wicker. Within each of these collections, you can choose from outdoor sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, ottomans, tables, and more. Additionally, you can choose between “Pacific Fog Gray” and “Palisades Cream.”
Our Evaluation Criteria
Any furniture you place outside will face much more wear and tear than your furniture inside. As a result, you will need to find furniture that can handle the wear and tear and the elements of your backyard: rain, sun, heat, cold, spills, humidity, wind, scratches, excessive use, and anything else that may happen in your backyard. So, when we evaluate any type of outdoor furniture, these are the features that we look for in furniture materials:
- UV or Fade Resistance: If you expect your outdoor furniture to be exposed to the sun at any point, you want an item that is designed to withstand degradation or fading from the sun.
- Water or Spill Resistance: If you expect your furniture to be exposed to rain (even if it is under a patio) or get spilled on, you will want a material that can resist staying wet or holding water.
- Stain Resistance: Your outdoor furniture will get dirty at some point. So you will want to find furniture that can resist staining if you want it to continue to look like new for a long time.
- Mold and Mildew Resistance: This goes hand-in-hand with water and spill resistance, but you want to make sure that your furniture won’t have mold or mildew growth if it does get wet.
- Durability: Your outdoor furniture and other items will experience a high amount of wear and tear being outside. So, items that promote being scratch, tear, crack, dent, etc. -resistant or -proof are always a plus.
- Low maintenance: Manufacturers may not always directly state if a piece of furniture is low maintenance. But, you can look for phrases like “mild soap and water” is only needed to clean the furniture or “machine washable” for fabrics to give a good indication of low maintenance requirements. Review manufacturers suggested maintenance and balance those recommendations with your expectations of how much maintenance you see yourself performing on your outdoor furniture.
We have evaluated numerous outdoor materials against these features and detailed our ratings for each material in our Complete Outdoor Furniture Materials Guide. We highly recommend that you use that guide as your reference and that you review our recommended materials in our Ultimate Outdoor Furniture Shopping Guide.
Using the features described above and based upon our experience of purchasing outdoor furniture, we rate outdoor furniture on these aspects:
- Frame Materials: We look for high-quality weather-resistant and durable materials to make the furniture.
- Fabric Materials: Just like frame materials, we look for fabrics that can withstand the wear and tear of backyard use.
- Cushion Materials: Some cushions are just better for outdoor use, especially those that dry quickly.
- Warranty: Ideally, you should find outdoor furniture with some kind of warranty.
- Trial Period / Returns: Some manufacturers offer a trial period to return the furniture without penalty if you are unsatisfied with your furniture.
- Delivery: Some brands and manufacturers offer delivery incentives, either as quick or free delivery.
- Furniture Assembly: The last thing anyone wants to do is spend hours setting up their new furniture. So, we look for furniture that has minimal or no assembly requirements.
- Price: Price is typically indicative of quality: higher price usually means higher quality; lower price usually means lower quality. However, some brands can offer great quality at comparatively lower prices.
