Caring for your Wooden Garden Furniture

Many people are unsure how to best care for wooden garden furniture during the winter months. Garden Furniture Scotland has a number of ideas which you can put into practice whether you have keruing, balau or jarrah wood furniture.

As the weather starts to deteriorate, we begin to worry about how to best care for the furniture we have enjoyed using throughout the summer but which, for the most part will stand idle all winter. If possible, you can store your wooden garden furniture indoors during the winter. Many garden furniture sets come flat-packed and so can be stored in the attic or garage - or even under the bed! If it is not possible to store it indoors, you are best to use a good quality breathable weather cover to cover the set.

Regardless of how you store your furniture in the winter, the appearance of the wood will change as it acclimatizes to being exposed to the atmosphere during the summer months when you are using it. There is a naturally occurring process of protection which the wood undergoes and as it does, it changes to a silver-grey colour, or patina. If it is stored under a tree, you might discover dark spots appearing on the furniture as sap and excretions from aphids fall on its surface and dry in the sun.

Another common problem which can spoil the look of your garden furniture is when small amounts of sap resin will appear on the surface of the wood. Dark spots may occur if the furniture is placed in the shady spot under a tree due to falling sap and excretions from aphids. Crystallised resin can be removed using a stiff brush. While the resin is still sticky, a sharp knife can be utilized to remove most of the resin and white spirit can clean the affected surface.

Hardwood also protects itself by changing colour to a sliver-grey and this patina as it is called is purely cosmetic. Again, it does not affect the quality of the furniture and is not an indication of an inferior product. The exact colour of patina depends on the atmosphere in which the garden furniture is stored. You cannot stop this from happening but you can take some action to limit the effect of the process.

As has already been stated, this patina effect cannot be avoided. However, you can take some action which will help to slow the process. If you would like to maintain the original colour of your furniture for longer, teak oil could be applied once or at most twice a season. This should be applied sparingly with a lint free cloth. This form of treatment will slow the weathering process and could also minimise surface cracks.

In hot weather, cracks may appear in the wood. This is natural and should not worry you. It does not affect the durability of the garden furniture nor the strength of the wood. Cracks will close again once cooler and damper weather returns.

In the sun, you might find that sap will appear on the surface and the sun might cause it to harden. Dousing it in soapy water and then scrubbing it with a hard brush will bring your furniture back to its former glory. Sticky sap can be scraped off and then an application of white spirit can remove any residue. This will help your garden furniture stay looking better for longer.

If you have the space, it is recommended that in order to best protect your wooden garden furniture that you store it inside during the winter. If this is not possible, cover the set with a good quality breathable weather cover, and make certain that the centre is higher than the sides to ensure the rain water runs off.

To summarise:

* Brush with warm soapy water to remove any dirt

* Dry the furniture completely

* Remove additional sap with white spirit

* Sand away roughness

* Use a lint free cloth to apply teak oil sparingly

* Wipe away excess oil

* Dry your furniture thoroughly before use

* Repeat once twice each season

All the staff at Garden Furniture Scotland join me in hoping that these tips will help you to enjoy your furniture and to maintain it well throughout its lifetime.
About the Author

About the author: John Duff is an expert in buying and selling Garden Furniture. See more of his stuff at Garden Furniture ScotlandThis article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.