Garden furniture care thru winter

 

Hi

I've recently bought a garden table and chairs [wood variety] but have
limited space to store the table in my house. I've treated the items
with teak oil, but would the table survive the winter without any
damage if left covered outside?

Unfortunately, I cannot disassemble the table for storage. The table is
in a reasonably well protected courtyard shielded from the wind, but
obviously not rain/snow

 

nonymouse wrote:

Depends what wood it is (teak and oak are fine; and I have a bench of
some kind of mahogany which has lasted ten years or more so far), and
if there are any steel screws or nails. If it was sold as garden
furniture by a reputable firm, it should be all right with the oil
treatment. Covering may actually do more harm than good, though:
condensation not allowed to dry out may be worse than rain which is
allowed to dry naturally.

--
Mike.

 



I've a picnic bench that has stayed outside for 15 years and is still in
good condition. Only the colour gives away it's age. Yes give it a good
going over with teak oil before winter and again in spring.

I bought the proper cover for another table and that became covered in black
fungus spots by spring. So I recon that leaving them uncovered is second
best to taking them in and covering them is worst.

Slatts

 



   Hardwood or softwood?

   We have hardwood teak and mahogany garden furniture that's been left
outside year round  for up to 25 years  (Scottish winters) and still
perfect. Once a year in spring, I scrub it thoroughly with warm soapy
water and a hard-bristle hand scrubbing brush then rinse it with the
hose. That maintains a lovely silvery colour and removes any incipient
lichen moss or slimes (don't miss the underneath bits). I only oil  it
maybe once every three or four years; more frequent oil encourages black
mould ime.

   Janet

 


nonymouse Wrote:

You don't mention what type of wood your furniture is made from but as
you have treated it with teak oil, we will assume it is teak. In which
case, you do not need to worry about winter storage, you can leave teak
outdoors uncovered all year round. Teak is a very hard wood with a high
natural oil content that means it will last outdoors for 30 years +

Many teak manufacturers do not recommend treating teak with teak oil as
the UK climate being what it is, it can mean you are sealing in moisture
which can cause mould to form. Teak Oil treatment is more for cosmetic
value than for protecting the timber. Teak naturally fades to a silver
grey colour over time but if you want to maintain the 'new' look, treat
it in summer when the timber has thoroughly dried out.

If you want to cover your teak, use a good quality breathable material
but again, this isn't actually necessary. If the furniture gets dirty
over winter, just give it a blast with the pressure washer in spring.

Garden Oasis
www.gardenoasis.co.uk


--
GardenOasis