- With the experience of working directly with Indonesian suppliers for teak garden furniture since 2013, we often get asked by customers about care and treatment of their teak outdoor furniture. This series of 3 guides focusses on recommendations for taking care of your teak garden benches, teak garden chairs, and teak garden tables as well as parasols and outdoor cushions during the winter and autumn in the UK.
- Can I leave my teak garden furniture outside all year round?As a natural material teak, it is an ideal wood for outdoor furniture. The grain construction and naturally occurring oils in teak protect against insects and provides durability against the weather. However as with any natural material it will weather with use and exposure to the environment. During the autumn, and winter months all outdoor furniture, including teak outdoor furniture is likely to weather more than during other times of the year and require less preparation when come to be used again in the Spring (see our teak treatment and Spring preparation blog).
The same is true of your garden parasol, and outdoor garden cushions whose fabric will maintain its colour and durability for longer if stored away over the autumn and winter period. Outdoor cushion filling, whilst man made will keep its shape and comfort for longer if not left outside all year round.
Taking care of outdoor furniture and accessories during Autumn and Winter
There are different ways in which you can take care of your teak garden furniture, parasols, and cushions during the autumn / winter (as well as periods of inclement weather). Here are some of our recommendations if you put your outdoor furniture into storage.
Keep outside but covered
If you do not have an appropriate location to store your teak outdoor furniture, parasols, and cushions then they may need to remain outside during the winter months. If this is the case, then we would recommend using a waterproof, breathable cover to protect your items.
Garden Furniture – There are a range of shapes, and sizes of cover available for all type of outdoor furniture, including rattan outdoor furniture, and teak garden furniture. Selecting the right size, and type of cover is important to ensure that the garden furniture cover provides the protection for which it was intended. Covers are great all year-round investment. Here are a few tips.
Choose a breathable furniture cover. Many outdoor furniture covers are not made from materials that allow the furniture underneath to breath, including many standard plastic covers. Non breathable covers can lead to a build-up of moisture between the cover and the outdoor furniture / parasol / cushion and the deterioration of the very material that it was intended to protect through mildew growth and black spots on the wood. Breathability is particularly important for teak garden furniture to allow the natural qualities of the wood to be effective.
Top tip – help create further air circulation by using a small, upturned plant pot in the centre of a table underneath the cover.
Choose a waterproof furniture cover that is fit for purpose. If breathable, check that cover also provides sufficient waterproof protection, including zips and seams. Has the material been tested and designed for use with outdoor furniture and garden accessories.
Choose the size and shape that best fits your garden furniture. Too small and your outdoor furniture will still be exposed to the elements. Too big and water may collate in the excess material or be able to be lifted off in high winds. Find the cover that best covers your teak furniture size and shape. If you have a teak garden set decide if you are going to cover chairs separately or with the table so that you find the right sized cover. Check to see if the cover has a draw string to tighten the cover around your teak garden furniture which will help protect the cover from being lifted off the teak garden furniture when it gets windy.
Top tip – It is usually better to go to big than too small as the cover can be tucked outdoor table legs and chairs.
Similar considerations should be used for garden parasol covers and outdoor cushion bags.
Garden parasol covers often provide information on the maximum canopy size that it will fit over. Also consider for large parasols how you will get the cover over it and off it. Look for covers that have poles to assist with this.
Outdoor cushion bags also come in a range of sizes to enable cushions from dining chair seat pads to outdoor bench cushions and sun lounger cushions to be stored away from dust, damp, and insects. Find the right size cushion bag according to the dimensions of your cushions and number that you want to store. Note that it is common for outdoor cushion bags to not be waterproof guaranteed due to the zip so you may still wish to consider storing cushions under cover, even if in a bag.
How Field & Hawken Can Help Customers Protect Garden Furniture During the Winter
Aerocover Range at Field & Hawken
At Field & Hawken we stock the outstanding Aerocover range for outdoor furniture, parasols, and cushions. Available in a huge range of options for most teak garden furniture, rattan garden furniture and outdoor accessories each cover comes with a 2-year guarantee as standard.
The Aerocover range waterproof and breathable material technology means that it is the only range of outdoor furniture covers and cushion bags that we have ever made available to our customers on our website.
Delivered in just 2 working days, find the whole range at Garden Furniture Covers | Outdoor Furniture Covers | Field & Hawken (fieldandhawken.co.uk)
Treatment
Any treatment for teak should allow the wood to breathe whilst enhancing its natural weather resistance properties and natural beauty. Burgess Hydrosol Woodsealer is “once a season” treatment and is a non-toxic, non-flammable alternative to teak oil or other treatments. Also used on marine vessels it protects against UV and water degradation and provides a matt appearance allowing the wood to breath.
Delivered in just 2 working days, find the whole range at Teak Woodsealant Treatment Non Toxic – 1 Litre Bottle – Field & Hawken (fieldandhawken.co.uk)
