Protect Outdoor Patio Furniture From Winter Aging
When you hear the words ‘aged furniture’ what do you think of? Great antiques that have been around for a long time? Well this is one way that you can picture this type of furniture. But when it comes to your outdoor patio furniture, it can quickly become aged, and not in a good way, if you don’t protect it during the winter.
Winter weather can have a number of adverse effects on your patio furniture. In this article we are going to take a look at a few of them and the type of things you can do to protect them from this impact.
The Problem – Cracking
One of the major problems that winter weather can cause is a cracking of furniture. This is especially the case when it comes to wood furniture. Wood furniture is prone to the drying effect of winter, just as your skin is. If left out in it enough, the wood fibers will dry out and can crack. This will not only be an ugly thing to see, but can also weaken the structure of the piece.
The Cure
The cure to cracking can be a multi-tiered approach. First you need to nourish your wood. If you usually oil your wood pieces, this would be a good time to do that. This will help your wood get a little more moisture and keep it from drying out as quickly, you may also want to put a new coat of finish on it as a protection.
Next you want to try and keep your furniture out of the weather. While it is outdoor patio furniture, it may be best if you can cover the pieces or put them inside, say in the garage.
The Problem – Wearing Finish
Another threat from winter weather is the wearing away of the finish on your furniture. There are a couple of reasons this happens. First you have to think about the impact of those winter winds. They will not only make it feel colder outside, but they will also throw dirt and debris into your furniture pieces and cut away at the finish. It is almost like they are being sanded down by the weather.
It only takes a few days of this kind of weather for some furniture pieces to start showing the impact of this type of wind. It may start to remove any polish or varnish that has been on the furniture or even start to crack and chip away at the paint.
The Cure
The best way to prevent this from happening is to keep your furniture from having to deal with this kind of weather. This can be done by purchasing covers for your furniture. These covers are placed over the furniture and tightened in place and will keep the wind out. Another option is to take your outdoor patio furniture pieces out of this environment completely. Once winter comes around it may be best to put them in a shed or garage until the weather is calmer again.