We invest in outdoor patio furniture to make our outdoor living spaces comfortable to spend time in and pretty to look at.
Some pieces of outdoor furniture can cost a lot of money too. However, you may find that if you leave your new purchases exposed to the elements, they can soon lose both their new sheen and also their functionality.
In this comprehensive guide, we explore the most common outdoor patio furniture issues. We look at everything from rain and sun damage to not choosing the right materials.
If you’d like extra support with protecting your perfect outdoor furniture, why not get in touch? We operate a free 24-hour helpline and live chat service. You can also write to us here. If you have a question, we’re more than happy to help.
The Most Common Outdoor Patio Furniture Issues And Fixes
There is a wide variety of outdoor patio furniture issues that could arise. The good news is that most problems are preventable and easily fixed, as we explore in the following sections.
However, a failure to take action could see you having to bin your furniture and get new ones. The last thing we want to see is you waste money.
An important thing to bear in mind is that not all outdoor patio furniture is weatherproof. This means you can’t leave it lying around in the wind, rain, sun and snow and expect it to look as good as new.
So, depending on the materials used to construct the patio furniture, some form of protection or coverage may be required.
Let’s look at some of the most common outdoor furniture mistakes and how you can fix them.
Water Damage
Some of the most common outdoor patio furniture issues are those caused by water.
The US has a very varied range of weather conditions and climates. In the southeast of the US, states like Mississippi and Alabama experience the most precipitation per year (rain or snow), whereas desert states like Nevada experience the least amount.
Not all outdoor patio furniture is waterproof, so if you’re expecting rain, it’s easier to know how to prepare.
Outdoor patio furniture can be made of materials like wood, which can rot over time and gather algae and moss in the rain. Metals are often used for frames, such as wrought iron chairs, but these can rust if exposed to too much rain. Plastic furniture can be more durable in wetter climates but even certain types of furniture can suffer damage caused by heavy and persistent rainfall.
Outdoor cushions may also be destroyed by intense rainy days.
How To Protect Outdoor Patio Furniture From The Rain
Not everyone possesses the outdoor space for a garage or shed where you can store your furniture. Plus, it isn’t much fun scrambling to move all of your furniture into shelter at the first drop of rain.
One of the simplest and cost-effective ways to protect your outdoor patio furniture from the rain is to use patio covers, such as those we sell on our site.
While this might seem a biased thing to suggest, we say it because we know they work.
The materials used in patio covers include thick polyester. Our 600 Denier Polyester, for example, is extra resistant to rain and snow. So if you have a lovely wooden table in your outdoor area that you want to protect during the winter, our range of table covers could do the job.
Damage From The Sun
In certain states in the US, such as New Mexico, Arizona and Wyoming, the sun can beat down in those clear blue skies all day long.
Certain types of patio furniture, depending on the material used, are simply unable to withstand such heat pressure.
Some types of plastic patio furniture, for example, might begin to melt, weakening their frame or misshaping them.
Metal framed furniture may also retain heat, running the risk of you burning your rear end when you go to sit on them, for instance. The sun can also cause damage to wooden furniture, particularly paintwork.
How To Protect Your Patio Furniture From The Sun
Given how the sun can cause so many outdoor patio furniture issues, it’s important to take steps to avoid throwing your investments down the drain.
For large outdoor spaces, you may want to invest in a permanent patio cover, especially if the sun is present year-round. A good material for this could be aluminum for its heat-repelling properties.
However, if you’re tight on space or budget, our patio furniture covers offer an excellent alternative. Affordable and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they’re also heat resistant, meaning your outdoor patio furniture stays cool all year round.
If you’d like some help buying the right patio covers for your furniture, head here. You can find lots of useful advice on UV-resistant covers.
Snow And Ice Damage
As well as damage inflicted by the rain and snow, the cold biting chill of ice and snow can also wreak havoc on your outdoor patio furniture.
Plastic furniture, for example, can freeze in cold weather. The process can cause cracks and breakages that may leave it unusable.
Some metal and wooden pieces of furniture may also incorporate glass into their structures. For example, some outdoor tables have a glass table top. Things like this can crack and shatter in particularly cold weather.
How To Guard Against Snow Damage
If you’re expecting cold weather, it’s best to move your outdoor furniture into a garage or shed if you have one. This will keep it all safe from the worst of the weather.
However, as we mentioned before, this might not be an option available to some people. In these cases, our patio covers could come to the rescue. Not only do they keep out the rain and heat, but they also keep out the biting cold of winter.
Learn More About Patio Covers
Jan Craig
Writer
PatioCover.com
