Two tables, same deck, same ten years. One is a teak outdoor dining table that started out honey-gold and has settled into a soft silver. The other is powder-coated aluminium that still looks close to the day it arrived, apart from a chip near one leg where the whipper snipper got it. Which one actually cost more to own? Almost nobody works it out, because the answer is not on the price tag.
This guide compares the ten-year cost of a teak table against a powder-coated aluminium one: what each asks of you, what fails first, and how the Australian coast changes the maths. Prices come from our current outdoor dining tables range. Where a number would be a guess, we tell you what to price up yourself instead of inventing a figure.
What ten years of ownership actually costs
Cost of ownership is the purchase price, plus everything you spend keeping the table usable, minus whatever it is worth when you are finished with it. Written out: purchase, plus consumables, plus repairs, plus your time, minus resale.
Only the first line can be quoted exactly, and we have quoted it below. The rest depends on your climate, your standards and local prices. So this guide gives you frequencies, failure points and the quotes worth getting.
What a teak outdoor dining table costs up front, and what aluminium costs
At the entry end the two materials sit closer together than most people expect. Our Teak Dining Tables start from $697 and come in ten rectangular and square sizes, all hand made from FSC certified plantation Indonesian teak. The comparable aluminium option, the Mudgee Dining Table Range, starts from $750 in four sizes with non-rusting powder-coated aluminium and adjustable feet for levelling on paving.
Step up to extension tables and the gap opens. The Teak Extension Table is from $1,820 as an eight or ten seater, with mortise and tenon joints that are glued and dowelled, and a slatted top that lets rain drain straight through. The Nebraska Extension Table is $2,299 and runs from 205cm out to 265cm on an aluminium frame with a 12mm ceramic top. If the surface itself is what you are weighing up, our outdoor table top materials comparison covers heat, stains and glare across timber, aluminium and ceramic.
Upkeep: what each material asks of you every year
Teak asks for a decision rather than a chore. Left alone it silvers, and the timber underneath is unaffected. If you want to hold the honey colour you clean and oil it. In full Australian sun that means once a year for a shaded table, twice for one that bakes all summer.
The job is a wash, a full dry, then oil applied with a cloth and the excess wiped back before it goes tacky. In shaded, humid spots you will also deal with black mould spotting, which scrubs off with a timber cleaner. Every few years a light sand resets the surface.
Aluminium asks for less thought and more discipline. Warm soapy water and a rinse handles the dirt, and there is nothing to oil or seal. The real task is inspecting the coating, because a chip or deep scratch is a breach, and corrosion starts underneath the powder coat rather than on top of it.
Both materials last longer under a cover. A fitted outdoor furniture cover keeps mould off timber and grit off a coated frame, and it is the cheapest line in this whole comparison.
What fails first, and what it costs to fix
This is where the materials genuinely part ways. Teak degrades cosmetically and stays sound. Powder-coated aluminium holds its looks until the coating is broken, and then the damage is progressive.
| Cost line over ten years | Teak | Powder-coated aluminium |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front, this range | From $697 to $4,354 | From $750 to $2,299 |
| Yearly routine | Wash; oil once or twice a year only if you want the colour held | Wash and rinse; more often near salt |
| Consumables to price yourself | Teak oil or sealer, timber cleaner, sandpaper | Mild detergent, touch-up paint matched to the finish |
| What usually fails first | Black mould in shaded spots; joints working loose; greying, which is cosmetic | Chipped or chalking coating; corrosion creeping from a chip; plastic feet and glides |
| Can you reverse it? | Yes. Clean, sand and re-oil brings the colour back | Partly. Small chips touch up; a full recoat means stripping and re-coating, so get a quote |
| At year ten if ignored | Silver-grey and structurally fine | Faded and chalky, with corrosion where the coating was breached |
Before you choose, price two things in your own postcode. First, a litre of teak oil against the coverage printed on the tin and the top area of the table. Second, a trade quote to strip and re-coat an aluminium frame that size. Those figures decide this comparison more than anything on a product page.
Coastal or inland? The Australian variable that changes the maths
Within a kilometre or two of the surf, salt is the whole story for coated metal. Aluminium itself does not rust, but the powder coat is the protection, and salt reaching bare metal through a chip lifts the coating from beneath. A fresh-water rinse every few weeks and prompt touch-ups make the difference. Check the fasteners are stainless too.
Teak near the coast has a different problem. Salt does not attack the timber, but humidity encourages mould on shaded surfaces, so a Sunshine Coast table needs scrubbing more often than a Melbourne one. If you want the full routine, or the case for letting it silver, our guide on whether to oil teak or let it go silver covers both.
Inland, the enemy is ultraviolet light and heat. Dark powder coats facing north or west chalk and fade first, and timber greys faster in Mildura than in Hobart. The routine does not change, only the frequency.
Weight, wind and resale: the practical differences
Solid teak is heavy, and on an exposed deck or a high balcony that is a feature rather than a fault. Light aluminium tables can walk in a strong southerly, so they need weighing down or moving under cover. The trade-off runs the other way at cleaning time, when one person can shift an aluminium table.
Resale is the line most buyers ignore, and it favours timber. A tired teak table still sells because the next owner can sand and oil it back to new, while a faded powder-coated frame is harder to move. Rather than invent recovery percentages, search your local marketplace for the same style at ten years old.
Teak vs aluminium outdoor tables: frequently asked questions
Is a teak outdoor dining table worth the extra money?
It is worth it if you plan to keep the table for a decade or more, because teak can be restored and coated metal generally cannot. If you expect to move or restyle within five years, the lower up-front price of aluminium is usually the better call.
How often do you need to oil a teak outdoor table in Australia?
Once or twice a year if you want to keep the honey colour, and never if you are happy for it to silver. Tables in full sun all day need the higher end of that range, while a table under a pergola can go longer between coats.
Does powder-coated aluminium rust near the beach?
Aluminium does not rust the way steel does, but it corrodes where salt reaches bare metal through a chip or scratch in the powder coat. Rinsing with fresh water and touching up damage early keeps a coastal frame looking right.
Which is better for a windy balcony, teak or aluminium?
Teak, in most cases, because the weight keeps the table where you put it. If you prefer the lighter frame for easier handling, plan on securing or storing it whenever strong winds are forecast.
Shop the range
Want the whole look in one go? The Calibri Teak Dining Set starts from $4,354 in four configurations, from a nine piece set down to a bench set. Compare materials side by side across our outdoor dining settings range. We deliver Australia-wide, delivery is free on orders over $100, and installation is available on request.
