Wind, rain, and hail erode rocks and scar trees. How is patio furniture supposed to stand a chance? In the heat of summer, you want to be outside. Yet if your outdoor furniture is beaten up, it may not be as enjoyable. How can you make your seats and tables look new? It's easier than you might think.
Pressure Wash Your Patio, Deck, and Furniture
The most important part is to get things clean. Rely on pressure washing to get dirt, grime, and grit that's dug in. Winter can freeze a lot of moisture and debris into all those corners of your furniture. When it warms up, that debris can expand – damaging some furniture. It also retains moisture, which can start mold and mildew issues.
The same can happen to your patio or a deck itself, so it's a good idea to have the whole area pressure washed. A professional can do this quickly and inexpensively. The benefit of this is that they won't miss the nooks and crannies that wouldn't occur to you. They also know how to adjust pressure to clean patios, decks, and furniture effectively without risking any damage from the water.
Reupholster When Cushions Look Ratty
Anything that needs upholstering can get pretty disgusting after a few storms. If it retains moisture and takes a long time to dry, you could be sitting on mold and mildew growth factories. Of course, you try to bring these in or cover them during storms, but life is distracting and people aren't always able to cover or protect them 100% of the time.
Luckily, it's easy to reupholster most patio furniture. You need fabric and a staple gun. That's it. Remove seat pads off chairs and replace them with your new choice.
Re-Seal Your Wood Furniture
Wood furniture is just like your deck. It needs replacing every now and again. Decks are even hardier than furniture, so if you notice the look of your wood seating and tables isn't what it used to be, you can clean the wood off, sand the surfaces, and reseal them. Teak is the wood that probably needs resealing most often.
Spray Paint It!
Metal and plastic furniture, tables, and stands are pretty easy to re-color. All you have to do is spray paint them. This is inexpensive and fun. Don't just go with boring, old colors. You don't have to match the original color if you don't want to. Test out bright colors and pastels.
If it's metal furniture, start by removing rust and paint that's flaking. Use a wire brush to get this done quickly, and make sure you don't let pets get into what flakes off. Then, metal or plastic, wash the furniture and let it dry thoroughly. Where grit sticks and later breaks off, it will leave patches that didn't receive the new paint color, so this is important.
When you spray paint, do it well away from your home. You don't want to accidentally paint patches of the side of your home in a different color. Set up some cardboard underneath to absorb paint that goes through or around the elements of the furniture.
You can even apply painter's tape in stripes or designs to get different colors on different sections of the furniture. This is a really fun way to create unique looking outdoor furniture.
What about Wicker?
Wicker is refreshed by oiling, but not just any oil! Wash the piece with soap first to clean off any grit or dirt. Wicker absorbs water, so you'll want to let it dry 1-2 days. Once it's completely dry, apply tung oil. Set aside some time because you want to get every surface and the inner edge of the furniture.
The effort will be worth it once the oil dries and hardens, though. Your wicker furniture will look much deeper in color, it will look newer, and the oil will help protect the furniture.
Cover it Up
What if your furniture is still solid and well-built, but you just don't have the time to get it to look beautiful again? That's why slipcovers were invented.
Tie these onto the furniture and you have a nice, bright slipcover rippling as the wind passes over it. You can always take it off and clean up the furniture later. This at least lets you still use the furniture in a way that's visually appealing until you clean it up on your own time. If the wind is a little too fierce, just set a cushion or book on the slipcover's seat to help hold it down. This makes it even more inviting.
If you need help giving new life to your patio furniture, contact Mobile Magic today! With expert pressure washing, we can get the job done so you can get back to enjoying your porch, patio, deck, and yard.
