What to be careful about?

Although outdoor furniture is water-resistant it doesn’t mean that it’s waterproof. That means that it can get wet but eventually water will do some damage.  This goes especially for wood since it is most vulnerable by water. If your patio furniture is made out of wood then you have to make sure that your table and chairs have no cracks on them. If they do have any cracks then the water will penetrate into them and do some damage.

You can still leave your wooden furniture outside but just make sure to cover up the cracks beforehand with applying 1 or 2 layers of protective coating on it. I would suggest that you use furniture oil, and if your wood has faded you also might want to repaint it first. Before you do any kind of renewal, please make sure that your garden set is clean. If it is not, then you might be brushing paint over a spot of dirt which will eventually fall off.

Which materials are the most vulnerable outdoors?

Wood and iron. While it is true that over time patio furniture did gain on quality of protection it is still a fact that wood will require the most attention when it comes to “keeping it fresh”.  Like I have stated above, you should check your wooden furniture pieces every year to see if they have any damage. Leaving the damage alone and paying no attention to it will have bad results. I’ve made a mistake about 2 years ago when I bought a wooden bistro set and didn’t winterize nor protect it and guess what… I had to buy a new set this year because the damage was at this point beyond the possibility of repair.

So please take care of your wood! No pun intended. It might seem like a lot of work but trust me it is really not. And also I guarantee you that learning a new useful skill is always really fun and rewarding. We all know someone that is “the guy” for a certain thing. This is your chance of becoming “the guy” when it comes to patio furniture. People will ask you what they should buy, how to take care of it, etc. You will most definitely gain authority in this field and who knows, you might even get a free beer or two because of it.

 Iron, on the other hand, is not going to get cracks on it but can start to rust. While yes, it is true that most of the iron made furniture out there is probably protected by a coat of some sort of a protector, that does not mean that it still can not rust. The two most dangerous factors that will make your iron bistro set start rusting are physical damage, because it will also most likely damage the protective coat and leave a part of your table or chair exposed to water and the other one, believe it or not, are bird droppings. Yes, you’ve read that right. Bird droppings contain acid, that will eat through your iron furniture’s protective layer, which will then leave it exposed.

Which materials are the least vulnerable outdoors?

Aluminum, stainless steel and synthetic resin are the materials that I would recommend that you get if you think that your outdoor furniture is going to get wet. Plastic would also be a good choice but I do not recommend it anymore since it is not nature-friendly and also the furniture pieces that are made 100% out of plastic are usually really light and therefore do not support heavyweight and can get blown away by the wind really easy.

That being said, you should still take care of your patio furniture. Well, at least you should if you want to last as long as it possibly can. Like I’ve said they are the materials that are the least vulnerable by water but over time they too can get destroyed if not provided with proper care. I think that it is always a good idea, no matter what material your table and chairs are from to get a protective cover and an outside cushion box (if you have cushions of course).

How to protect your outdoor furniture from getting wet?

There are several methods to do this but some may work better than others. If you want to keep your furniture for as long as possible, you will have to spend some money on a cover for it, but it is worth it on the long run because instead of buying 2 furniture sets in a period of 10 years you will just have to buy one. This means that even though buying a cover will cost money, it will save you even more in the future. So how exactly do you protect it?

Get a protective cover

Like I have talked about above, getting a cover is a number one priority especially if you have really fancy and pricy patio furniture. A fitting cover should at least double the life expectancy of your set or even more when it comes to wooden pieces. You can get them online for a low price but you have to make sure that you get a size that will fit your needs. In some cases, you can even leave your set outside if your cover is good enough. But keep in mind to cover your set! Your cover is no good if it is safe and sound indoors while your table and chairs are left outside in the rain.

Wrap it with plastic foil

If for some reason you can not or do not want to buy a cover, then you should at least wrap it with plastic foil. This goes for winter only because it is pretty useless to wrap your furniture every day during the season when you will be using it. This solution would be okay for people that can put their patio furniture under some sort of roof every day during the season. If not, then I would suggest that you get a cover.

Apply a protective coat or two

If your set is made out of wood or iron then you will definitely want to apply a protective coat whenever you have to. If you have just bought a new set, then you might not have to do this but it would be a smart idea to check for any possible damage every year before and/or after the season. By wood, you have to look for cracks on the surface, while with iron it is the rust that you should watch out for. As soon as you find it, you should take action, because it will only get worse if you don’t.

What about winter?

If you can you definitely should store your patio furniture over winter. Winter is even more damaging because of its low temperatures and ice. If you can not store your set then you should at least cover it or wrap it with plastic foil so you prevent water from getting to it. If your set is a bit weak, then you should also prevent too much snow from getting on it.

Are snow and ice as dangerous for your patio furniture as water?

Even more. The main reason that the most damage gets done during the winter is that water will reach into every little crack or hole that your table or chairs might have and when it turns to ice it expands, making the holes or cracks even bigger and wider. With bigger holes and cracks, there is more room for water to get in during the season when you are using your patio furniture. If you notice any damage at all you should act upon it as soon as you can, otherwise, your table and/or chairs might not live to see another season.

Conclusion:

Patio furniture can get wet but just because it is water-resistant does not mean that it is water-proof. You should be careful, especially if your set is made of either wood or wrought iron. If yours is made out of aluminum, stainless steel or synthetic resin, then you do not need to pay so much attention to it, but it would still be a wise decision to get a cover to protect your furniture set during the winter if you can not store it anywhere indoors. Just make sure that there is not too much snow on it, because of its weight that can break your table, especially if it is made out of plastic.

Thank you for reading and if you have any thoughts on this article feel free to drop a comment down below. Have a nice day!