How do I protect wooden furniture from the elements?

Wooden Garden Furniture is known for its classic style and timeless charisma; however the British weather is known for making life a little more difficult. When it comes to protecting your wooden garden furniture from the British elements, there are a few easy rules you can follow to help prolong its life.

Cover or Store Your Furniture

When it's not in use, it's a good idea to think about covering or storing your wooden furniture.

If you choose to use a cover for your furniture, it's ideal to choose weatherproof covers to protect the wood. By choosing a weatherproof cover, you are limiting the amount of exposure and damage which could be caused by rain, snow, moisture and wind. In addition to this, choosing a cover the allows air circulation is the best way to limit the chance of mould and mildew growth.

If you want to further protect your furniture then the best thing you can do is store the furniture indoors or under a roofed area. This could be anything from a shed, garage or any other roofed area. The benefit to this is that it is reducing the exposure from the elements.

It is also important to consider the conditions of the storage where your furniture will be stored. For example, you should avoid storing your furniture somewhere which is prone to temperature fluctuations, or severe moisture; this can cause equally as much damage as storing the furniture outside, if the conditions are severe enough.

Regular Maintenance

It's important to inspect your furniture frequently, to ensure you undertake any cleaning or maintenance at the earliest opportunity.

You should start off by brushing down your wooden furniture to remove any debris or dirt; this is important as this can have damaging effects on the wood if left for long periods of time. In terms of cleaning the wood, you can use a simple solution of warm soapy water and clean the wood with a sponge, cloth or brush.

For more information on cleaning and maintaining your wooden garden furniture, take a look at our previous guides.

Treating Your Furniture

There are multiple options when it comes to treating your wooden garden furniture; the most common three options are painting, staining or oiling. Each of these treatment has their advantages and disadvantages; they also give a different end result. It's important to consider these factors when deciding how to treat your wooden garden furniture. For more information on these factors, take a look at our guide here.

We are passionate about wooden garden furniture and that's why we want it to last. It's important to remember the importance of proper care and maintenance, and how this can extend the life of your wooden garden furniture.