Summer is the prime season for sitting outside in your garden or on the patio. The warm weather, as well as the long summer evenings, mean that you can enjoy eating, drinking or just relaxing outdoors.
Nelson Potter supply outdoor garden furniture to customers across Suffolk, including bespoke benches and tables, as well as rounds and half rounds that can be adapted to serve the same purposes. Here are our top tips for ensuring your timber products stay in pristine condition all year round.
Watch the Sun…
It may be tempting to leave your tables and chairs out in the sun, especially to dry out after a shower. However, the sun’s rays can fade and warp the wood over time.
The best thing to do is to ensure that your garden furniture doesn’t stay in one position for too long. One tip is to move them around between the sunny and shady parts of your garden. You can also consider umbrellas and awnings if you want to keep them in the same position.
…and the Rain
Wood can rot if it’s left outdoors in prolonged periods of rain. The same applies if you leave any of the legs of a table or chair on wet ground, although the process may take a bit longer. It depends on the climate as well as the type of wood too, as hardwood should cope better with lots of rain than any furniture made from softwood.
Again, you may want to move the furniture to a part of the garden which is more sheltered, or consider a protective cover.
Keep it Clean
You can wash wooden furniture with a soft brush and soapy water. Again, softwood will need a little more regular treatment than hardwood. And, if you are using the furniture as an eating and drinking area, deal with any spills or stains as quickly as possible. Don’t be tempted to leave it until the end of the meal or later.
Treat it With a Preservative
As outlined above, the sun can cause the wood’s natural colour and grain to fade, while rain and moisture can lead to mould, mildew and rotting. The best way to protect and prolong the life of your wooden garden furniture is to use a preservative before you start using it or bring it out of storage.
Ideally, you want a warm day with a little wind as well to accelerate the drying process. Don’t forget to clean the timber and brush away any dust before you start applying the preservative. At Nelson Potter we stock Protek Shed and Fence wood treatment.
And Put it Away for the Winter
Only certain types of furniture such as rattan and light aluminium are likely to survive being left outside all year round. Wooden furniture is best left indoors over the winter months in a shed or conservatory, or at least covered up.
If you do opt for the latter, it is also worth bearing in mind that weighing it down to stop it blowing away in the worst of the winter weather can cause the wood to warp in the changing temperatures.
Outdoor Garden Furniture in Suffolk from Nelson Potter
To find out all about our full range of garden furniture, which includes swing seats (which children will particularly enjoy) as well as heavy-duty chairs, arches and arbours, individual tables and chairs as well as complete sets, follow this link.
If you would like any advice, feel free to contact us on either 01394 460199 (our Bromeswell base) or 01473 311905 (our Dodnash yard). You can also click here and fill in the online form and we will get back to you.