If you’re starting a rental business, you might be asking yourself what kind of chairs to stock your inventory with.
With so many different choices of materials, colors, and styles, how do you choose the best items for your business?
Folding chairs are a great place to start in terms of style, as they’re the most portable and versatile chairs out there. But what kind of folding chair should you invest in, with so many options out there?
Let’s dive into some pros and cons of wood, plastic, and resin folding chairs and find out!
Wood
Wood folding chairs are a timeless, traditional option for event seating. These chairs are used in casual settings, or can easily be dressed-up for upscale events.
Wood folding chairs are great as rentals because they are very easy to touch-up and refinish. Over time, the chairs are going to likely get scratches, dings and dents. People party, it happens! Get a little wood stain and a quick brush over will have them looking brand new.
These chairs are the heaviest folding chair, weighing in at 12 pounds each. They are on the heavier side for a folding chair, but this can easily be combated by using a chair dolly for transportation!
Another great thing about wood folding chairs, are their removable cushions. This feature makes them extremely easy to clean, and even replace when kids start picking at the corners during those long wedding services.
Resin
Resin chairs are similar to wood folding chairs in the style and overall look. They withhold that desirable traditional look that wood chairs have, but still holds its place as a heavier-duty chair compared to the wood.
Resin folding chairs are made from a hard plastic-like substance that is derived from organic materials. The durable resin makes this chair much more scratch and ding resistant than the wooden chair.
The downside here is that if and when they DO scratch, it’s not as simple as just staining over the blemish and covering it up. Although, the resin is the same or a similar color throughout, so scratches are not as noticeable as they are on wooden chairs.
The resin material is smooth, which makes it extremely easy to clean and wipe down. (Great for outdoor events if you’re worried about mud!) However, being smooth, they lack the wood grain look that a lot of people desire with the wooden chairs.
These chairs are only 10 pounds each, ringing in slightly lighter than the wood chairs- making them a bit more portable! These cushions are also easily removed and replaced, just like the wood chairs.
Plastic
Plastic folding chairs are a great option at a low price-point. If you’re just starting out a rental business, this might be the place to start for you!
Plastic folding chairs are great for casual events, and can easily be dressed-up with chair sashes or bows. Plastic folding chairs are also a great choice for outdoor events, as they’re easy to clean and easy to move!
Plastic chairs are much thinner and more portable than their resin and wood counterparts, allowing you to stack twice the amount on our Folding Chair cart.
Our plastic chairs weigh in at only 6.4 pounds per chair, making it our lightest folding chair option! These chairs have a much more casual look than the wood and resins, which actually opens up the opportunity for a wider range of events to service, from conferences and lectures all the way up to weddings and Quinceañeras!
Overall, folding chairs will always be a key-item in a rental company’s inventory. The material they are made out of, is ultimately subject to preference!
Looking for something heavy-duty that is going to last for years on years of events?
Maybe you want something lightweight, easy to move and easy to clean?
Either way, EventStable has a folding chair for everyone!
Author: Breanna Williams
Breanna is a Customer Service specialist on the EventStable team. She lives on the sunny Central Coast of California with her bobtail cat, Jackie. Outside of work, you can typically find her at the beach or playing video games with her friends! Oh, and she really loves soup.