Making your Garden Furniture Look Great for Longer

Garden Furniture Scotland expert, John Duff, has a put together a simple strategy which can be applied to keruing, balau or jarrah wood furniture.

Our customers often ask us how they might best care for their newly purchased wooden garden furniture when winter begins to set in. Remember, wood is a natural product and, as such will react to the environment in which it is store. 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, ensuring that the centre is higher than the sides so that rain water runs off.

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.

This patina or silvering is unavoidable. However, the process can be slowed and the original colour of the wood maintained by applying teak oil sparingly once or twice a season. Applying teak oil with a lint free cloth will slow the process of weathering and might help to minimise surface cracking.

As it is exposed, wood naturally wants to change colour to a sliver-grey. This is known as patina and the exact colour the wood will become depends on environmental conditions in which it is stored. You can allow furniture to silver and not make any attempt to slow the process. Most furniture continues to look good even when the original colour has disappeared.

To keep the original colour of your furniture longer, you can apply teak oil can be applied sparingly using a lint free cloth once or at most twice a season. This treatment will slow the weathering process and could also minimise surface fissures.

Before re-applying teak oil, it is essential that any accumulated dirt is removed by scrubbing with a stiff brush and soapy warm water. When the furniture has dried completely, rough areas may be lightly sanded. If the dirt is not removed before treatment, black areas will appear on the surface where the oil and dirt have mixed.

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.

To recap:

* Remove any dirt which has accumulated by rubbing with a stiff brush and warm water.

* Scrape any sap off the table with a small knife. You could also use white spirit to remove sap

* Scrape sap off the table using a knife

* Apply teak oil sparingly using a lint free cloth

* Pay close attention to the end of the grain and to the joints

* Wipe of excess oil

* Wipe away excess oil

* Dry 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.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

About the author: John Duff is an expert in buying and selling Garden Furniture. See more of his stuff at Garden Furniture Scotland

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