If you purchase beautiful garden furniture, you will undoubtedly want to ensure your garden furniture can withstand the weather. If there is one certainty, it is that your outdoor furniture will experience high heat, extreme colds, heavy rain, snow, and the sun’s harsh UV rays.
This cycle of weather extremes means that even high-quality, heavy-duty wooden garden furniture will benefit from at least annual weather-proofing.
Weather-Proofing Your Outdoor Furniture
The weather-proofing approach and schedule depend on whether your outdoor furniture is crafted for softwood or hardwood. Hardwood requires treatment less often, but it can be costly.
Our Swedish redwood offers the best of both worlds, with the realistic price tag of softwood and the durability of hardwood. We recommend annual weather-proofing using four products:
- Organowood 01 Protection – An eco-friendly product that creates flame and rot protection by mimicking the natural fossilisation process.
- Organowood 02 Repellant – An environmentally friendly dirt and water repellant that does not contain toxic heavy metals or biocides.
- Organowood 03 Cleaner – A bio-based environmentally labelled detergent you can use before treating and as often you like after that.
- Osmo End Grain Sealing Wax – A natural and breathable end-grain sealant that does not crack, flake, or peel.
Garden Furniture Storage & Cleaning
If you pack your outdoor garden furniture away for the winter, then this is the ideal time to give it a deep clean before applying any preservatives or treatments. However, you can clean and treat your items on a more regular schedule if it takes heavy use or following bad weather.
First, you should brush away any surface dirt. Do this step before washing with mild dishwashing detergent diluted in water; otherwise, you will likely end up turning dry dirt into muddy water and wiping this over the entire surface. The most effective approach is to wipe or scrub in the direction of the wood grain. Don’t forget to rinse with water after completing the detergent step.
If you intend to cover your furniture outside rather than store it in a shed, the way you cover it can help prevent the formation of mould or mildew. While the cover must be securely fastened, so it does not blow away, a loose-fitting cover allows sufficient airflow around your wooden garden furniture to prevent the moisture that mould, fungi, and mildew thrive on.
Maintenance Tips
Our additional tips for preserving the beauty and extending the life of your garden furniture include:
- Avoid getting sun cream on the timber because this can make it turn black
- Stand and store your garden furniture on a hard surface such as patio stones or decking to prevent rotting where the legs meet the ground
- Avoid using high-powered pressure jet washers, which might dig in or chip the wood
- Check fixings are tight and secure when conducting your annual maintenance
Please get in touch with our team for further advice, to order wood furniture weather-proofing treatments or wooden garden furniture, or for a bulk discount on commercial garden furniture.