This article tells you how to maintain wooden furniture such as a garden bench, wooden chair or table, it is fairly straight forward and easy to do just requiring a little time and plenty of elbow grease!! Sadly unless you have purchased a low maintenance solution made from resin, plastic or other durable material, this process will need to be repeated annually, but don't despair as it only takes a short time.
Wooden furniture at the premium end of the scale tends to be manufactured from hardwood such as teak, oak or iroko all of which are hard wearingand weather even acold wetwinter fairly well, however a lot of budgetmodern wooden garden furniture can be made from softer woods such as pine which is then treated with preservatives and stains to stop water ingress and rotting. This doesn't mean that softwood sets need to be avoided, they just need a little more TLC to get the best from them.
Ideally garden furniture should be wintered under cover if possible, however in many cases due to the size and weight a lot of the time this isn't an option. If this is the case then it is cheap and easy topurchase a waterproof cover to keep the worst of the weather at bay.
The tools needed to clean a patio set are simple, and in a lot of cases you probably have most of them already - you will need a stiff scrubbing brush (or pressure washer if possible), washing up gloves, teak oil or water based wood stain depending on wood type, a bowl of hot soapy water, several paint trays and a paint brush.
The first step is to remove any loose grime and dirt which has accumulated over the Winter. This is easiest achieved with a pressure washer, however if you don't have one of these, a scrubbing brush and soapy water will suffice. If you do use a pressure washer then try not to soak the wood too much and remember to use a residual current device (RCD) for safety reasons - water and power don't mix!! Remove as much of the dirt as possible, a lot of pressure washers have brushes suitable for this very purpose, and try to get into all the nooks and crannies to get as much out as possible.
Step two is to allow the furniture to dry out fully. If you apply the preservative or teak oil too early before the wood has fully dried, not only will the finish be poor but you will also be sealing in the moisture which can cause blistering of the finish. To fully dry outcan take several days so if outside make sure you cover it unless the weather forecast is good.
Step three is to apply the teak oil or preservative. Hardwood furniture such as teak is typically more expensive but is naturally more durable so it does not need any wood preservative to protect it from rot, however, to improve its appearance you can rub in teak oil or apply a water-based woodstain. Left untreated teak will age and fade to a lighter, almost silvery tone. Some peopleapply yacht varnishes - if you do, be prepared to repeat this process regularly, additionally it is hard to remove and can require thinners or solvents.
Softwoods such as pine are vulnerable to rot, particularly through the endgrain of the wood and where the feet rest on the ground. Protect the furniture by putting each leg in a small tray of wood preservative overnight (do not leave the pots where children or pets can gain access to them as the chemicals can be toxic), also brush on a wood preservative to the other wooden parts - the chemical will not penetrate as well as it does when being drawn up the endgrain of the wood, but better than not treating at all. Finally if desired you could use a water-based woodstain instead to improve the appearance and help seal the wood from moisture.
Once this has been done, leave the furniture to dry before using.
Simon Cliffe is a keen amateur gardener and fan of all things outdoors. Currently the owner of http://www.patiofurniturecheap.com a website dedicated to helping people get the most from their outdoor patio and garden areas he spends as much time as possible in the garden during the Summer months, and is a particular fan of BBQ and al-fresco dining with friends and family.
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