Caring for Your Furniture

How should I look after my furniture?

Oak & Cedar furniture in the garden needs no special treatment, though we do recommend a good wash once a year to get rid of the Winter build-up of surface dirt.  Oiling oak furniture is not necessary, and just encourages dirt to accumulate.  As the furniture ages, weathering to a lovely silver hue, the very top surface layer of the wood can show surface cracks - checking - as weather dries, which then close up again in damper weather. These should not be of any concern, they are quite natural, and the strength of the furniture is not affected.  The furniture should not be left standing in a very damp spot. If an area of lawn, for example, is prone to be boggy at certain times of year, we recommend a flat pebble or something be placed under the furniture leg to allow it to dry out a little.

 The Early Days

Tannic Acid is one of the main reasons why Oak & Cedar is so durable and it can produce certain side effects in the early days.  For example, black patches may appear and these should cause you no concern, they are a natural part of the process and they will dissipate.  When it rains the tannic acid will leach out a little at first and can stain on a light coloured surface so a piece of old carpet or cardboard placed underneath will absorb this  and after a few downpours this can be removed..  After a few months if you leave your seat untreated (which is what we recommend ) it will gradually turn silver and many prefer this. In the early days, you will notice water staining . The sun, wind and rain will dissipate this... In addition, the smooth finish that it leaves the workshop with will “pick up” slightly when it first starts to weather; this cannot be avoided and will settle back as the process continues and the more you sit on it the more it will polish back. Shakes (cracks) will also appear, as this is the nature of Oak & Cedar outdoors. They will not weaken the structure and please be assured that the whole seat is over engineered to allow for this.

Maintenance

It may be worth checking the nuts on the frames eyebolts & the seat bolts from time to time and tighten if appropriate.  An annual spring clean will be beneficial.  This can be achieved by careful power washing or steaming or simple warm soap & water and a soft brush.  You need to avoid a build up of algae on your seat as this can develop and effect the longevity of your commission.

 Wasp Attack

You may notice that wasps are attracted to your seat and will remove the surface of the timber to help build their nests.  You can either accept them as a beneficial garden visitor (they will not harm the seat) or alternatively spray the seat with a diluted bleach solution as this will deter them.

Bird Scaring

You may find that your local pigeon population adopt the top beam as a perching place, this can be deterred by purchasing a toy rubber snake from Amazon and tacking it onto the top beam. (Yes, it really does work!)

Avoid this!

Lastly, we canot stress how important is to look after your furniture and give it a little TLC once or twice a year.  Now you may want to avert your eyes, but the following is a photo from a customer who didn't take care, and as you can see, it is a pretty horrific sight which they have given us full permission to show you!

Just a little care will avoid this!