Your wooden outdoor furniture can lose a lot of its charm over the seasons. Subject to temperature variations and humidity, wood – even rot-proof – loses its colour and deforms, thus losing its beautiful warm appearance. But this is not inevitable! 

Are you looking for simple and effective methods to protect and maintain your wooden outdoor furniture? The following advice should be adapted according to the type of wood in your garden furniture.

Protect your wooden outdoor furniture winter and summer:

If you have the possibility, do not hesitate to store your garden furniture indoors during the time of the year when you are not using it. Stored in the dry, they will spend the winter without suffering from humidity, their worst enemy. 

Even if these pieces of furniture are made with rot-proof and naturally resistant wood, they do not emerge unscathed from a rainy season. The wood turns gray; the humidity swells the fibers.

 Certainly, your furniture keeps all its solidity, but it loses its beautiful new appearance. Let’s admit that an armchair has a lot less charm when it has gone from warm brown to a dull grey.

If you can’t put your wooden outdoor furniture undercover, you can at least cover it to protect it from the rain. Their maintenance will be easier. 

Once firmly covered, install your furniture sheltered from the wind, and they will pass the winter without a problem.

In summer, wooden furniture suffers from the sun! Yes, it is above all the sunshine that causes their unsightly discoloration. It is better to install them in a shady corner protected from UV rays.

What type of wood is your outdoor furniture?

Wooden outdoor furniture is designed in different resistant wood types, native or exotic. They do not all react in the same way to bad weather. Their maintenance follows different methods, respectful of their essence.

Teak, a solid but sensitive exotic wood:

Teak is a particularly resistant and durable wood outdoors. Despite everything, this exotic wood requires regular maintenance. Teak garden furniture lasts a long time, but its exterior appearance can change over time, tending towards a dull gray.

Have you just bought a teak garden furniture set?

Save time in the future! On new wood, apply a protective waterproofing oil with a brush. By nourishing the wood, the oil protects it from stains and delays the grayish appearance of teak. Let dry 24 hours before using your wooden outdoor furniture. This protection will keep your furniture in its beautiful golden honey colour for a long time.

Is your teak furniture already old?

Its maintenance begins with cleaning with water and black soap. So wet from time to time, the teak fiber regains vigor. With a hard brush, clean the soapy wood by going well into all corners (with a toothbrush if necessary!).

Rinse your wooden outdoor furniture with water, preferably with a simple water jet rather than a high-pressure cleaner which risks damaging the wood.

 Or use it at low pressure (100 bar maximum). Allow to air dry to prevent black spots from appearing. Once the wood is perfectly dry, apply teak oil (preferably) with a brush.

Avoid applying it in direct sunlight or strong heat. This oil will nourish the wood, protect it and waterproof it. You will renew this treatment as soon as the colour begins to fade.

Your furniture is grey, how can you give it back its colour?

There are two methods to achieve this. The first is to sand your furniture. By sanding the wood in the direction of the grain with fine grain sandpaper, you will find the colour of the wood hidden under the grayness. 

Sanding also allows you to remove stubborn stains. Rinse the furniture with a sponge after sanding to remove dust. To apply the second method, get a sobering product or regenerator. The sober application once or twice a year allows the wood to regain its golden appearance. 

After application, leave for a quarter of an hour and rinse thoroughly. The silver-gray patina that raw teak takes on as it ages is sometimes sought after for its particular charm. Suppose this is your case; just sand off the stains. And let your teak furniture get gray naturally.

Want the best possible protection?

Do you live by the sea? opt for a marine varnish if your furniture is subject to strong sunlight or regular bad weather. You will apply it on dry furniture after having cleaned and dusted it. Thus varnished, their honey colour will resist the vagaries of the weather for longer.

Pine, a softwood to be protected

 Outdoor pine furniture is usually autoclave treated (in-depth treatment against biological attacks). But that does not exempt you from regular maintenance, especially if you want to avoid taking on a grey-green tint – which takes away a good part of its natural charm.

Is your pine living room brand new?

Don’t delay: protect your wooden outdoor furniture as soon as you buy it. To do this, apply a stain to your pine furniture with a brush, respecting the direction of the fibers. 

This product has the merit of providing the pine with double protection (fungicide and insecticide) and preventing it from turning grey. 

Not content to embellish the wood, the stain eliminates humidity. It turns out to be much more effective than varnish, which tends to crack and yellow over time.

Your pine furniture is old and a little dull:

There is nothing more normal; untreated, pine changes colour as it ages, like teak. This does not call into question its qualities and solidity, but it is aesthetically sad. To remedy this, nothing beats annual maintenance.

The pine must be covered regularly with a protective product, a wood oil, a layer of stain, a varnish or a micro-porous paint. But first, a thorough cleaning is required. 

Soapy water and a stiff brush, and you’re armed for the big spring cleaning! Rinse with water (not too much water) and dry with a cloth.

 When the pine is dry, take the time to sand it to remove stains and damaged areas. After removing the dust with careful polishing, it’s time to apply the coat of stain or protective product.

To give a new shine to a very gray piece of furniture, you can use a grayer. Apply the product with a brush to restore the original colour. Please note that the sober can only be applied to raw wood, not varnished or treated.

Wicker and rattan, elegant but fragile woods:

Natural wicker and rattan need very regular cleaning. A dusting each season will do them the greatest good. And don’t forget to feed the wood as needed.

Are your rattan furniture new?

On new wood, you can apply linseed oil. Your furniture will be nourished and protected, ready to face external aggressions. After applying the oil with a brush, pass a soft cloth to shine and let your furniture dry in the shade.

For your antique furniture, regular maintenance:

Have you noticed that rattan furniture tends to collect dust? Remember to dust regularly with a damp cloth. Then let your furniture air dry. If necessary, use your vacuum cleaner.

 When the rattan is stained, clean it with soapy water and a stiff brush. Then rinse with water, but take care not to soak the wood. The most stubborn stains can be removed with a sponge soaked in soda crystals.

 Once the grime is off, rinse and let dry in the shade. On clean, dry furniture, apply linseed oil that you can polish with a soft cloth. Sufficiently for deeply nourishing wicker or rattan, Linseed oil brings an elegant patina to your furniture.

Once the wood has been nourished, let your furniture dry for a few days outdoors, away from the sun.

Do you want to paint your old rattan chairs?

It’s a good idea; a coat of paint will provide additional protection and a nice colour. Just be sure to use spray paint rather than a brush. And if it is a question of repainting an already coloured armchair, it would be better to apply a new coat over the old one. Wicker and rattan are too fragile to withstand stripping.

Acacia and eucalyptus easy to maintain

These exotic woods, as resistant as teak, require very little maintenance. A wipe with a dry cloth every day is enough. No cleaning product is needed. In case of dirt, wash the wood with a brush and soapy water. And if a stain is encrusted, a light sanding overcomes it. This type of gasoline is appreciable outdoors.

For all wood, use natural products.

Clean your wooden outdoor furniture with black soap or Marseille soap. Stubborn stains can be removed by sanding, but sometimes also by baking soda or white vinegar. It’s up to you to try, depending on the nature of the stain.

All woods like to be waxed. A good natural wax nourishes the wood and keeps it looking new. Apply the wax once a year with a soft cloth (especially not in spray or aerosol). Choose a matt colourless beeswax and apply it in the direction of the wood grain. Nothing beats keeping your outdoor furniture warm in its natural colour.

 

What is ArcBazar:

ArcBazar is a business model that connects space owners and designers through architectural competitions. Space Owners benefit because they get multiple design solutions at an affordable cost. Designers benefit because they win cash, improve their portfolios, and step into the professional world through real and exciting design challenges.

How ArcBazar Works:

A renovation job, an addition to the home, modelling of retail space, design of an entire family home, a landscape project, a mixed-use development, or any other architectural design project. The Space owner describes the project, uploads images, and provides basic dimensions.

At ArcBazar, designers can sign-up to participate in these enlisted design challenges. Clients eventually set the award money, the project timeline, and rank all design submissions. ArcBazar then distributes the award money among the first three ranked winners.

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