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Looking After Your Wooden Garden Furniture |
By:
John Duff |
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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.
The first thing to remember is that wood is natural and the appearance of wood will change when left outdoors. This is part of the natural process of protection which the wood undergoes as it acclimatizes to being exposed to the atmosphere.
Do not use a cheap plastic cover as this will be counter productive and will, in fact, cause more harm than good. When using a cover, please be sure to arrange it so that the centre of the cover is higher than the sides so that rain water runs off.
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.
Re-applying teak oil can only be done when the dirt which has built up over the season is completely removed by with warm soapy water and a good brush. Once the furniture has dried, you could lightly sand any rough areas. Black areas may appear where the oil and dirt have mixed if the dirt has not been removed prior to application.
In applying teak oil, you ought to pay particular attention to the end grain and to any joints. Any oil which remains on the surface must be removed with a cloth and please make sure that the furniture is fully dry before you use it! We have known people to ruin a lovely set of clothes by sitting on newly oiled furniture!
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.
Finally, pay particular attention to the end grain and to any hidden surfaces when applying the oil. Also look carefully at any joints or services. Excess oil should be wiped off with a clean lint free cloth. To protect your clothing, please ensure that the teak oil has dried fully before using the furniture!
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:
* Scrape any sap off the table with a small knife. You could also use white spirit to remove sap
* Dry the furniture completely
* Sand rough surfaces
* Use teak oil sparingly, applying it with a lint free cloth
* Wipe of excess oil
* Wipe off excess oil
* Dry your furniture thoroughly before use
* Repeat once twice each season
Following these handy tips that John of Garden Furniture Scotland has outlined, will help you to keep your garden furniture looking super for longer and ensure that you make the very most of your garden.
About the author: John Duff is an expert in buying and selling Garden Furniture. See more of his stuff at Garden Furniture Scotland Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article53705.html |
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