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Caring for your Wooden Garden Furniture

By: John Duff

Garden Furniture Scotland expert, John Duff, has a put together a simple strategy which can be applied to 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.

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!

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.

In the sun, you might find that sap will appear on the surface and the sun might cause it to harden. Dousing it in soapy water and then scrubbing it with a hard brush will bring your furniture back to its former glory. Sticky sap can be scraped off and then an application of white spirit can remove any residue. This will help your garden furniture stay looking better for longer.

* Any sap on the table can be scraped off using a small knife

To summarise:

* Brush with warm soapy water to remove any dirt

* Sand any rough areas

* Apply teak oil sparingly using a lint free cloth

* Use teak oil sparingly, applying it with a lint free cloth

* Wipe of excess oil

* Wipe away excess oil

* Repeat once or at most twice a season

* Repeat once twice each season

All the staff at Garden Furniture Scotland join me in hoping that these tips will help you to enjoy your furniture and to maintain it well throughout its lifetime.

Article Source: Main Articles

About the author: John Duff is an expert in buying and selling Garden Furniture. See more of his stuff at Garden Furniture Scotland
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