Aluminium garden furniture

[mnmnddddd]

Any thoughts on aluminium garden furniture?
My comcern is it getting hot if it's been sat in the sun, but I can't find many opinions on this online.

Depends what you are considering as an alternative. For instance cast iron would be a lot worse with its high density and thermal capacity.
Also aluminium can be used in much lighter weight structures - hollow, light bars for instance so there isn't the quantity of metal and thus heat you'd store using cast iron which is used as solid castings.
Aluminium heats up faster than iron but also cools down very quickly so if you could pop your chair in the shade (very light so easy to do) or throw a cloth over it for a minute or two I expect it would quickly be comfortable.

Thanks @Kilroywashere , but I'm looking for real world, human experiences, rather than theory redolent of ChatGPT.

We had aluminum table and chairs (victorian style), the heat wasn't a problem as we had to have round cushions on the chairs otherwise you got a flower embossed on your bum. The only other issue was that it was white and in bright sunlight the glare was uncomfortable, so we painted it a pale green.

DH is a materials scientist. That is the kind of reply he would give without the "help" of AI.

my late in-laws had an aluminium patio set which was designed to look like the traditional cast iron sets and was black - it was made by a brand called Hartman which seems quite popular. It was indeed hot to sit on if left in the Sun, the only obvious advantage over cast iron was the fact it was significantly easier to move. I’d also had it was quite tricky to keep black looking as it was affected by the Sun.. On the upside, when I came to sell it on Facebook marketplace after they passed, I had an insane amount of enquiries!

Thanks.
Some might see the embossed flower being a bonus. 🤭

My last two outdoor dining sets have been aluminium and I wouldn’t buy anything else. It needs no maintenance - just a quick power hose in the spring. You can leave it out all year and it looks good. I do have cushions on, so no sticking to the seat ( or embossed bum!). Most of the designs are quite classic, so although it probably isn’t trendy, it doesn’t go out of fashion. Like pp, it’s a Hartman set. Was expensive, but at least we don’t have to replace it every 3-4 years.

LOL. I am a scientist, so I suppose I do sound like a robot🤖!
OK - from personal experience... we have a set of light weight aluminium furniture on a very sunny balcony and also a heavy cast iron garden table (painted dark green, which probably makes it hotter) on a sunny patio. The iron table stays very hot a long time, the aluminium quickly cools.
We also have a couple of wooden benches in the garden - they hold heat too and can be uncomfortable though it's not shocking like the iron table but their main drawback is needing regular maintenance.

Bloody hell, did you mean to be quite so rude?

I would have given an answer very similar to that, without using AI.

@Kilroywashere I'm glad you saw the humour, rather than taking offence, like @Whenindoubthugitout did on your behalf. (I've an engineering background and I'm aware my humour sometimes gets lost when reduced to ASCII. 🤣)

I'm replacing teak, so would you say aluminium is any worse or better for getting hot? ie All things being equal, if both had been sat in the sun all morning, which would be hotter?

Heh - wood and aluminium are both going to be the same temperature to start with if there is no wind, I assume, as they will have achieved equilibrium with the air if left for hours.
If you then touch the surface of a chair the aluminium will feel hotter than the wood because it has a much higher thermal conductivity. But after a couple of minutes shielded from the sun by your recumbent body I would think that the aluminium seat will not be noticeably hot but the wood seat will act like a storage heater and keep you cosy for at least half an hour.

We also have Hartman cast aluminium bistro set and really recommend it. Extremely low maintenance and durable. Not had any problem with it being hot to sit on - though we tend to move them to shady spot /under tree or parasol anyway. Anyway - would definitely buy them again if/when they need replacing (5 years old now and still in great condition)

Having given this more thought, it's an interesting point about reaching the same temperature as the air, but I'm wondering whether aluminium absorbs more IR energy from being in the sun than wood does? Or is it just about conductivity?
Disappointingly, a neighbour has told me her aluminium chairs get very hot. Certainly the wooden chairs I currently have feel colder than the paving on the patio.