How do I stop the sun ruining my garden furniture?

People treat sun damage to outdoor furniture as inevitable, and to a degree it is, but the difference between furniture that lasts five years and furniture that lasts fifteen is a small amount of routine work and where it spends its time. Knowing which material you have decides which of these jobs matters.

Step by step

1. Understand that ultraviolet is the culprit.Heat causes expansion and drying, but it is ultraviolet radiation that breaks down the polymer chains in plastics and resins, bleaches dyes in fabric, and degrades the lignin at the surface of timber. That is why damage accumulates through a bright summer rather than a hot one, and why shade protects so completely.
2. Oil hardwood once or twice a year.Teak, iroko and other hardwoods contain natural oils and will survive outdoors untreated — they simply turn silver-grey as the surface weathers, which is a cosmetic change rather than decay. If you want the colour, clean the furniture and apply a hardwood oil in spring and again in late summer. Do not varnish it: a film finish on outdoor timber cracks, lets water underneath and then peels.
3. Treat softwood differently.Softwood furniture is not naturally durable and depends on its treatment or coating. Keep it coated with an exterior wood stain or preservative, pay attention to end grain and joints where water gets in, and get it off wet ground. Softwood left bare degrades genuinely rather than just cosmetically.
4. Use a UV protectant on plastic and resin.Plastic garden furniture chalks, fades and becomes brittle as ultraviolet breaks it down, and once it has gone brittle nothing restores its strength — a chair can fail suddenly under someone. A UV protectant spray applied once or twice a season slows it considerably, and shade slows it more.
5. Bring cushions in, always.Cushions are the fastest thing to degrade: dyes fade, fabric weakens, and any moisture trapped inside grows mildew. Store them indoors or in a ventilated storage box when not in use. This single habit does more for the appearance of a garden set than anything else.
6. Look after aluminium and steel appropriately.Aluminium does not rust and mainly needs cleaning, though powder coating fades. Steel needs its coating intact — touch up chips promptly, since rust starts at damage and spreads underneath. Check the feet, which sit in water and go first.
7. Rinse off salt, sap and bird mess promptly.Tree sap, bird droppings and coastal salt all etch finishes and stain fabric if left, and heat accelerates the damage by baking them on. Rinsing regularly through summer is easier than removing them later.
8. Cover it, but only when it is dry.A breathable cover protects against ultraviolet, rain and dirt. A waterproof cover put over damp furniture traps moisture and causes mildew and rot faster than leaving it uncovered — so make sure it is dry first and that the cover breathes or is vented.
9. Store the parasol properly.Parasol fabric is the item most exposed to ultraviolet and the most often ruined. Close it when not in use, never leave it up in wind, and store it dry in its sleeve over winter. A parasol left open all summer will fade and weaken within a couple of seasons.
10. Move it into shade when you can.The simplest measure of all. Furniture kept under a pergola, an awning or a tree lasts several times as long as identical furniture in open sun, with no maintenance difference.

Tips

• Grey teak is weathered, not damaged. If you like the silver look, wash it occasionally and do nothing else — it will outlast most of the garden.
• Never varnish outdoor timber furniture. Film finishes crack under movement and ultraviolet, then trap water underneath and peel, which is far worse than an oiled or bare surface.
• Brittle plastic gives very little warning before it fails. If a plastic chair has gone chalky and has been outside for years, test it carefully before trusting it with someone heavy.
• Storing furniture over winter matters as much as summer protection — freeze-thaw cycles on wet plastic and timber cause a great deal of the damage people blame on the sun.
• Buying a cover that breathes is worth the extra. A cheap waterproof sheet over damp furniture causes more damage than no cover at all.

Common mistakes

• Covering damp furniture with a waterproof sheet — It traps moisture and produces mildew and rot much faster than leaving it open. Cover only when dry, and use something breathable.
• Varnishing hardwood garden furniture — The film cracks under weathering and movement, lets water in behind it and then peels, which is far harder to remedy than a weathered or oiled surface.
• Leaving cushions out all summer — They fade, weaken and grow mildew faster than any other component. A storage box next to the table solves it permanently.
• Leaving a parasol open when not in use — It is the most ultraviolet-exposed fabric you own, and wind damage to an open parasol is the other common way they end.

Keeping on top of it

• Oil hardwood furniture (spring and late summer)
• Apply UV protectant to plastic and resin (once or twice a season)
• Wash frames and rinse off sap and bird mess (monthly in summer)
• Bring cushions in or box them (after every use)
• Check and touch up coatings on steel, especially the feet (annually)

Questions people ask