Looking After Your Wooden Garden Furniture

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.

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!

Here is the process:

* Remove any accumulated dirt by scrubbing with a brush and warm soapy water.

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.

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

* Allow the furniture to dry completely

* Sand any rough areas

* Apply teak oil sparingly using a lint free cloth

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

* Use a lint free cloth to apply teak oil sparingly

* Allow to dry thoroughly before use

* Repeat once or at most twice a season

NOTE: If the dirt is not removed before treatment, black areas will appear on the surface where the oil and dirt have mixed.

So, if you want your garden furniture to avoid the worst ravages of the weather, then the ideas John Duff of Garden Furniture Scotland has outlined might help.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

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