Garden Furniture Care

Owning outdoor furniture creates an extra room for relaxation and leisure activities that can be enjoyed for all seasons if proper preventive maintenance is applied in an easy to keep routine. From springtime romance among the budding trees and ornamental plants, to summertime barbecues with sunny afternoons and balmy evenings. Crisp autumn air is enjoyable while sitting under a canopy of fiery colored leaves, and even winter is enjoyable when a portable fireplace is warming your mittens as you drink hot chocolate and tell stories around the crackling hearth.

You may be wondering how these idyllic images of romantic leisure-time activities can relate to the potentially daunting task of furniture maintenance. I’m pleased to tell you that there are a few simple and easy ways you can enjoy outdoor furniture for years to come without spending much time cleaning, fixing, or worrying about how the weather is affecting your beautiful investment.

The main theme in outdoor furniture preventative maintenance is focused on keeping the surfaces of your outdoor furniture clean and sealed against water infiltration. Clean and dry outdoor furniture is furniture you’ll enjoy using that will last for many years.

The main materials used in the construction of outdoor furniture are wood, metal, plastic, and glass. Although plastic and glass share a natural resistance to water, wood and metal must be shielded against the effects of fungal growth and rust. Waterproofing, therefore, is an essential and easy step to take toward long lasting furniture.

Wood furniture is usually stained or painted and those surface treatments provide an amount of water resistance, but both can be overwhelmed in prolonged moisture situations that backyard furniture commonly endure when sprinklers and kids spray water in the wrong direction. An application of water-sealant commonly available at your home and garden center will provide the extra protection that outdoor furniture deserves. Horizontal surfaces and those that touch the ground are at extra risk and deserve a second layer.

In contrast to wood’s inherent ability to absorb water, metal furniture will shed water quite readily and may seem to survive for years without suffering from water damage. This seeming strength, unfortunately, is only surface deep. Many painted-steel chairs and tables will be rusting themselves from the inside out and still look great on their surface. To ensure the longevity of your furniture, you must therefore be diligent when purchasing to look for thick-wall tubing and corrosion protection when available.

To further provide water resistance, silicone caulking can be applied to any holes in the tubes and at all junction points where water will enter the metal structure. The effects of temperature changes and freeze/thaw cycles can not be overlooked on metal surfaces. When paint begins to crack and separate from the underlying metal, the cracks must be filled with either more paint, or caulking to prevent water infiltration under the paint thus preventing rust from bubbling the paint away.

After you have completed waterproofing your outdoor furniture, the other main concern is cleaning. Since you’ve spent the time to provide your furniture with water resistance, you can now feel confident that your best tool to clean outdoor furniture is your hose and a couple of old towels. Simply spray down the furniture and wipe it down with the towels once a month to ensure everyone wants to sit in your chairs and eat off your table. Congratulations! Those two easy tasks are all there is to proper preventative maintenance of outdoor furniture. Now grab a paperback and some iced tea for a relaxing Saturday afternoon on the patio.