How To Choose Your Garden Furniture And Make It Last

Learn how to choose the right garden furniture and treat look after it properly.Garden furniture is now a fashion item as the patio and garden increasingly become an additional functional space to the home.

Be sure to do your research before buying garden furniture.If you choose the right set for you it will bring you much enjoyment and longevity.Here are some important tips to bear in mind.

Firstly decide whether you want stackable or foldaway furniture that will be put away in the shed or garage in winter or if you want permanent solid garden furniture that remains in situ all year round.For permanent garden furniture, consider hardwood, aluminium or rust proof wrought iron.Choose good, hardwearing materials, which will last for ages so save you money in the long run.

You will benefit greatly from choosing the best materials and design for the purpose.Choose a material that will complement you garden or patio garden.Select a material that will stay in balance with your garden.

Wood is the firm favourite for garden furniture it has all the necessary attributes but it will need some maintainance.Choose a tropical hardwood which is high in natural oil content like teak, iroko or courbaril.These woods are weather resistant and can be left outside throughout the year.

Joints should be mortice and tenon, be wary if they are just metal bolts as these have the potential to corrode.If there are metal nuts and bolts, make sure that they are made from rust proof materials namely: aluminium, stainless steel or brass.   

Check that teak garden furniture has been made from premium grade teak, this will ensure that there are no cracks or defects in the wood.Premium manufacturers dry the wood in a kiln to seal in the moisture and avoid cracks forming.

Teak garden furniture that is assembled using epoxy based glues tend to have the best performance and durability of all the types of joints as the epoxy resin used will not be affected by rain or frost.

If your teak garden furniture becomes dirty it is easy to clean with warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush which will enable you to restore the beautiful silver grey weathered look.

For more intensive cleaning, you might want to use a pressure hose at no more than 80 bar (1200psi) and no close than 30cm.To stop algae growing on the surface and enhance the colour, you can scrub it with bleach once a year.

You can remove any grease spots by washing immediately with light detergent, or just leave nature to take its course.

You may notice hairline cracks in the surface when the weather is dry.This is natural and no action needs to be taken as when the moisture in the atmosphere increases the timber will return to its original condition.

It is not necessary to use teak oil or varnish as these will not extend the life of your garden furniture and are purely cosmetic. However, if you wish to preserve the as new appearance of your teak garden furniture the application of teak oil when the furniture is new will give a more lustre finish than leaving untouched.Please ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions as usually this is a three stage process.Unless you want a very black finish, be sure to apply teak oil to dry wood only.