If you want a long life from your garden furniture you need to treat it – especially if it lives outdoors all year round during the winter weather.
My wood treatment of choice is the Barretine Premier Wood Preservative. This is available in a range of colours to suit both your taste and garden and is an all-in-one, spirit-based wood preserver for the treatment and prevention of dry rot, fungi, mold and protection against woodworm. I will typically apply two coats of this to wooden garden furniture and then finish the treatment with two coats of outdoor furniture oil. This sort of treatment allows the wood to breathe and means that any damp does not get “locked in”.
I treat garden furniture off site. My first job is to dismantle the furniture as far as possible and sand and treat the different sections –it just gives a better coverage and finish. Once the furniture has been reassembled, I will return it to your garden. If the furniture has metal sections I can also arrange for these to be treated locally. The metal is stripped (sand blasted) and powder coated….. and looks a hundred times better when it is done. It is also possible to have a zinc paint undercoat before the final powder finish. This will further slow the rusting process and help your furniture to last longer.