You must care for your outdoor picnic tables not only to prolong their life but to keep them looking great. The easiest strategy to keep them in good condition is to protect them from the weather. Buy a protective cover that you can slip over the table when not in use. If you live in an area that gets fantastic climate, don’t forget that the severe sunlight can cause wood to discolor. If you do not want to put a cover on the table invest in a patio umbrella.

Its not only the sun you have to watch out for. Wood doesn’t mix well with water unless it is properly sealed. Even the best sealant will ultimately wear off so pay attention to the care guidelines and maintain the piece accordingly. Anybody could apply a sealant therefore there’s no excuse for not keeping the piece correctly sealed.

Always read the instructions when using sealants. Some of the old fashioned ones are extremely poisonous and should be used if you’re wearing a mask and hand protection. Keep the children away and only apply outdoors. Don’t place outdoor picnic tables in garage when applying sealant as the fumes can be serious.

The modern sealants may not last as long but they’re kinder to the environment and must be the ones you use particularly if children will be eating at the table. We know more about the risks of chemical exposure but that does not mean that paint products are automatically safe today therefore always read the label.

Apply the sealant with a brush or a spray gun if the mixture is suitable for using with a gun. Try to achieve the greatest finish possible so your outdoor picnic tables could add character and style to your outdoor space.

Find out what ELSE you don’t know about finding the best outdoor furniture tables for your patio. Join us on our website: http://www.outdoorfurnituretables.com/

Here’s how to accurately measure your pool furniture before replacing its PVC straps. If you fail to measure the right way it’s likely that they will fail to be tight enough and they will sag and be uncomfortable, or worst case, you may not be well placed to install the straps at all without tearing them.

But first, let’s discuss how NOT to measure the vinylstraps for your restrapping job!

An absolute no-no is to take off one of the straps and use it as the gauge for the new ones. You see, the straps aren’t simply fitted onto the chair frame — they need to be heated and stretched on, so that when they cool off, they tighten to a degree that would not be possible otherwise. Not installing them in this way will make sure that your straps will be saggy.

Having stated that, let us now talk about the right way to do it. There are several steps:

1. Take off all of the old straps. This can occasionally be a little complicated to do. I have found the easiest way is to utilise a pair of heavy snips, garden shears, or a very sharp knife and just cut them all right through the middle.
2. After cutting the straps, pull out the fasteners. There are 2 main sorts of fasteners: plastic rivets and metal clips. The plastic snaps can just be jerked out by pulling on the cut end of the strap in a jerking motion. Metal clips can usually be pulled off the chair frame, but now and then you may have to encourage them with a screwdriver.
3. Once all the straps and fasteners are fully removed, this is the best time to scrub the furniture frames.
4. Now for the details of measuring. For this you’ll use a cloth tape measure, like a tailor would use. You can get by with a flexible metal (builder’s) tape measure, nonetheless it is much easier to do with a fabric tape. Start at the rivet hole on one side of the frame. Then wrap the tape measure round the frame in the same way the strap was wrapped. This may suggest you will have to go twice round the frame in the case of double-wrapped strapping. Then continue taking the tape over to the opposite side of the frame and again wrap it the same as the strap was wrapped. The measurement is taken at the rivet hole at this side. For our example, let’s imagine it was 24″.
5. You are not finished yet! You have to make allowances for the stretching you are going to do. Deduct roughly 10% off the first measurement. In our example, 10 percent of 24″ is 2.4″ which I change to 2-1/2″. Subtracting this from 24″ leaves 21-1/2″ and that is about how long your straps have to be.

Get additional info on the right way to install vinyl strapping and order your strap from our website. There are videos and illustrated guides there to assist you with your vinyl strap project.

Donna Thompson is employed by Pipefine Patio Furniture, which has been in the outdoor furniture business in Florida for over 40 years, both as a manufacturer and retailer. The company sells replacement patio cushionsand patio umbrellas and vinyl straps. This is one of a series articles on replacing vinyl straps. Full guides for accurately measuring and installing straps can be read at the organization’s web site.

The main difference between standard indoor furniture and outdoor furniture is that the latter is constructed with the weather in mind. With changes in weather, especially humidity, factored in the design, successful products will last through the years. Let us find what some of the things are that master craftsmen do when making these products.

Through the years, it has been found out that there are species of wood that are better suited for exterior applications. Such are tropical species such as mahogany and teak. These species are naturally impregnated with oils that repel water and also discourage growth of rot-causing organisms.

When naturally-resistant wood is hard to get, pressure treated lumber is a good alternative. Treated wood are injected with poison. The wood becomes unpalatable to fungi and bacteria that causes decay.

When selecting pressure treated wood, be aware that there are different levels of treatment. A level rated LP-2 is sufficient for furniture but is not suitable for water immersed applications. In this case, LP-22 or higher is recommended when the wood must be submerged in water.

Moisture in wood, aside from causing decay, will corrode attached metals such as nails, hinges, and screws. For outdoor use, metals should be treated accordingly. Everyday nails and screws will only rust and discolor wood and worse, will eventually weaken the structure. A common treatment for metals to make them suitable for exterior applications is galvanizing. A coating of zinc is applied to the metal. This makes them resistant to corrosion but only in applications exposed to freshwater

For furniture that needs to be exposed to salt water, more robust materials are required. Stainless steel and brass are the most common metals for wood fixtures in environments exposed to salt. This is only natural because these kinds of metals are used in nautical applications.

An effect of moist wood is expansion. For every 12 inches across the grain, wood expands a quarter of an inch. Wood expansion should be incorporated in outdoor designs. When such is not accounted for, it will surely lead to disastrous results.

Another design consideration is to never directly expose end grain. Wood is very porous at the ends and will surely suck in moisture. When such is unavoidable, cut the ends at an angle in order to shed wetness faster.

Good examples of construction show spaces between wooden boards. These spaces allow wood to safely expand and permit water to drain rapidly. For tabletops, common spacing range from a quarter to half an inch.

End grain of legs of tables and chairs will always come in contact with the ground. It is a good idea to seal them so that water will not wick up through the wood fibers. Common seals of end grain are varnish and wax.

The techniques mentioned have been acquired by craftsmen of the past. They have been found to be effective that is why they are still practiced today. You should use them in your projects to ensure that future generations will enjoy them the same way you do today.

Find which patio furniture Woodbridge and/or Toronto resin wicker patio furniture will suit your needs. At hot tubs we carry a variety of products and brands that suit your needs.

For most of us who live in the temperate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres, summer cannot come quickly enough. When summer does come, if it is not raining, we like to spend as much time as we can out of doors and as much time as possible in the garden, which is why so many of us have patio furniture.

There are several types of patio furniture and some are more comfortable than others, but the most hard-wearing and the most popular is garden furniture manufactured from hardwood. Unfortunately, hardwood is exactly what it says it is – hard wood. It can be fairly uncomfortable to sit on hardwood furniture for more than an hour.

The easiest way to get round this is to use outdoor throw cushions. These outdoor throw cushions can be simply indoor throw cushions, if you remember to take them in each day, otherwise they will soon start to rot after the first time you leave them out in the rain. It is easier said than done to take the cushions in each night.

Therefore, it is worth giving some consideration to making special cushion covers for your outdoor cushions. These cushion covers have to be waterproof and the zip fastener must be protected as well so that water cannot enter through there either.

This can be achieved by covering the zip with a flap, as used on normal bed pillows, and sealing it with Velcro. You could use poppers, but Velcro is simpler and better.

If you are buying new garden furniture, you may get throw cushions supplied with the package. If not, and you would like to purchase outdoor cushions at the same time, check them for waterproofness as talked about above. The other thing to look out for is that the cushion covers match the style of the furniture and the type of garden that you have.

The covers of the garden outdoor throw cushions can be patterned or plain, but do take into account the colours already in your garden. Is there a lot of colour from flowers or is green the predominant colour? And do not forget the colour of your garden furniture either.

You will also want to make sure that these cushion covers are washable, because they will get unbelievably dirty quite frequently, if you leave them outside. They will be rained on, splashed on, cats and dogs will sit on them and they may even blow around the garden unless you tie them down, which is not a bad idea. You could sew short ties onto them to keep them on the furniture whilst you are not using them.

If the covers are washable, then make sure that the colours on the cushions are permanent and will not fade or run. Lastly, a lot of materials will tolerate a couple months of sun, but some will not tolerate the freezing temperatures of winter, so remember to take them in for the winter months.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with Marriott bedding. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.