If you have patio furniture that starts to look a bit old and worn, think twice before deciding to throw it away and get new pieces of furniture. With just a little labor and minor cost you can make that old furniture look as good as new.
The three most common patio furniture materials
Plastic
Plastic furniture restoration is limited. The only thing you can really do with the plastic furniture is give it a good (power)washing. Usually using dish soap, hot water, and a scotch bright pad will do the trick. If it doesn’t there really is much else to do but to buy new furniture for the patio.
Wood
Wood patio furniture should be checked to make sure all screws or nails are secure. If the furniture’s finishing is fading, or the wood is giving way to splinters you should sand the furniture.
When sanding the patio furniture it is best to sand it in steps. There are packs of sandpaper that have three courses in them: rough, medium, and smooth. It’s better to start with the tougher one and work your way up to the lighter one in order to better manage the sanding process. This usually gets rid of unwanted splinters and prepares the wood for stain or paint.
Now we need to stain or paint the patio furniture. Remember that if you use stains often you will need to add a sealer coat to give it the finish or shine you desire.
Metal
Metal furniture is usually held together with nuts and bolts. To refinish metal patio furniture sometimes it is easier to disassemble them and then reassemble once the pieces are sanded and painted.
Whether you disassemble or leave assembled you need to get rid of all rust and flaking paint. The easiest way to achieve this is by using a wire brush or either a drill or 4 ½ inch grinder. You don’t need to get all the paint off. However if you don’t take all the paint off, the remaining paint should all be feathered in with the bare metal. The result is that you don’t see bumps in the paint. Using fine sandpaper will feather the paint nicely.
Extras: cushions and pillows
Of course, you want your furniture to last long and the first step to that is regular maintenance and usage of protective covers. But also, on top of those three main materials that compose your garden furniture, there are also cushions. It’s pretty common to find pillow/cushions on top of garden furniture to make it cozier. They look great and are comfortable, and they are actually a first step in trying to cover up some aging furniture.
There are a couple of things that can be done to improve the look of the cushions. One option is to buy cushion covers. These covers act like pillow cases. They simply get pulled over the old cushions. A second option would be to refinish the cushions yourself. If you can sew you can make your own cushion covers, or completely redo the material on the outside of the patio furniture cushions. If there really is no alternative, there are a number of manufactures that make replacement cushions and you can get new ones.
Conclusion
Patio furniture is usually long lasting. As you don’t carry it away like a portable chair, it tends to stand the test of time in a better way. When you equip your patio with some beautiful tables, chairs, sofas and you invest in some quality outdoors furniture, it will likely last you for several years. But everything gets old, and when that happens to your outdoor furniture, those restoration techniques will come in handy.