A helpful guide to choosing the right garden furniture and how to make it last.Make the most of your garden by choosing some gorgeous garden furniture to go in it.

Before you buy any garden furniture it is strongly recommended that you do some research.This research will pay off when you have the right garden furniture that will last a lifetime.The following guide will help you to choose the right furniture.

The first thing that you will need to decide is whether you want furniture that you can store away over winter or that you can leave outside all year round.If you have made the decision to keep the furniture in the garden throughout the year, it will need to be made from hardwearing materials like hardwood, aluminium or rust free wrought iron.Choose good, hardwearing materials, which will last for ages so save you money in the long run.

You will benefit greatly from choosing the best materials and design for the purpose.The best material will work in harmony with the materials already present in your garden.Try to avoid materials that will upset the balance of your garden.

Wood is the best all round as it is lightweight, aesthetically pleasing and comfortable but requires some maintenance.The most common hardwoods used in garden furniture are teak, iroko or courbaril because of they are have a high natural oil content.These woods are weather resistant and can be left outside throughout the year.  

Make sure that mortice and tenon joints are used for your teak garden furniture and not bolts which corrode.Any fittings that are metal should be made from aluminium, brass or stainless steel so that they don’t rust when exposed to the elements.   
 
All teak garden furniture should be made from premium materials so that it there are no surface defects that could affect the integrity of the material.Additionally, Make sure your teak garden furniture is kiln dried to optimise moisture content and ensure shape is maintained and cracks are eliminated.   

To ensure that the joints won’t fail in cold weather or rain, check that they have been glued with epoxy resin based glues.   

Once weathered, your teak furniture will have a greyish/silver colour to it, if it does need a bit of a clean, scrub it with some warm soapy water.   

If required a pressure hose can be used at 60-80 bar [900-1200psi] at a distance of no less than 30cm.Add a small amount of bleach to the water once a year.  This will stop algae growing on the surface.   

You can remove any grease spots by washing immediately with light detergent, or just leave nature to take its course.   

In dry weather small cracks will appear in the end of the grain timbers.There’s no need to do anything about this as the wood will correct itself once the moisture has returned to the air. 

Teak oil improves the look of the furniture rather than the lifespan, apply it to new furniture for best results.Please ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions as usually this is a three stage process.Make sure the timber is completely dry when you apply the teak oil, otherwise the furniture will blacken.