How to Care for your Hardwood or Softwood Garden Furniture

Our range of hardwood furniture is supplied in a factory applied stain, but over time, this will fade and become grey in colour. To best maintain the original finish, you should treat the product with a suitable branded furniture stain – we recommend doing this once a year. Similarly, softwood furniture will also fade eventually, and the best way to keep it looking fresh and new is to apply a good quality softwood preserver.

Before applying any stain or preserver, lightly sand the surface in the direction of the grain, then clear away any dust, and finally apply the furniture stain or softwood preserver according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This takes a little bit of time, but it is highly effective in ensuring that your wooden outdoor furniture continues to look its best.

When not in use, or if you have nowhere to store your furniture, we would suggest that you cover your valuable set with a good quality waterproof furniture cover. This will protect the surface of your furniture from the elements, with the added bonus that it will mean that the set will require less cleaning as it will not get as dirty as if it was left in the open. It is also essential that the cover is breathable, as this will avoid any moisture from being trapped underneath and causing the wood to “sweat”, so make sure it is clean and dry before covering.

In an ideal world, when the summer ends and the weather of autumn and winter begin to creep in, best practice in caring for your garden furniture is to store it away in a garage or shed over the winter months or for periods of prolonged wet or adverse weather. This provides complete protection and peace of mind that your garden furniture will be in good condition when the sunnier weather returns. However, a good waterproof, breathable cover is also an option if you have nowhere else to store your furniture over winter or periods of prolonged bad weather.