Primping the patio: Yes, worn outdoor furniture can be restored

BY RUSS HEAPS
Special to The Miami Herald

Here’s the sad truth about patio furniture: Exposure to the sun, body oil, salt air, pool chlorine, suntan lotion and bird poo will kill your casual furniture dead, dead, dead. It doesn’t stand a chance. Nope, never did.

Your chairs and lounges may hold out for a few or even several years, but eventually they will succumb to the elements, as well as normal wear and tear.

When casual furniture is beyond the point of just looking bad to being unserviceable, the choice is whether to refurbish or replace. More often than not that decision will be based on the quality. If a six-piece set was purchased at a big-box store for $250, the manufacturer probably didn’t intend for it to be repaired, and it makes sense to respect those wishes. Replacing will be cheaper than refurbishing. It’s disposable; let it go.

Repairing or refurbishing is a viable alternative to replacement when the furniture is still serviceable and the problem areas are minimal, or when the furniture represents a serious investment.

There is no shortage of South Florida vendors specializing in casual furniture repair — some even provide in-home estimates. However, homeowners who are handy and have the time to do the research and the work can save money by doing the refurbishing themselves.

Being committed may be more important than being handy. On a 1 to 10 level of difficulty, most of what follows is a three or less. It’s more a function of time and patience than skill.

The good news is that virtually every replacement part used in patio furniture is available out there somewhere. Google ”patio furniture repair” on your Internet browser and behold thousands of sources. Many brick and mortar repair shops also retail replacement parts; grab the phonebook and begin calling.

The three most popular types of casual furniture are strap, sling and wicker.

Outside of wicker, most framing on furniture worth refurbishing is painted or powder coated. Dull finishes on painted framing can be treated as any painted metal surface. To renew its luster and protect it, use automotive paste wax.

When the paint or powder-coat finish is chipped or worn off, find spray paint in the appropriate color and spot paint the trouble spots. Be sure the problem areas are clean. Lightly sand any loose paint. Mask all parts of the furniture not to be painted. Use a drop cloth, and be warned that once spray paint is airborne, it can land anywhere.

Dan O’Connell of Florida-based Patio Products recommends, “After touch-up, give the areas plenty of time to dry and then a polyurethane clear coat should be sprayed over the areas to seal them.”

According to O’Connell, vinyl strapping on casual furniture can last up to eight or nine years if properly maintained, but it begins showing signs of wear much sooner.

REMOVING STAINS

Removing many stains, as well as mold and mildew, requires a solution of bleach and water. Begin with one part bleach to three or four parts water, spray it on, lightly scrub with a brush and rinse. Rinsing is extremely important. Bleach is one of those furniture killers.

From the moment a vinyl strap is made, it begins deteriorating. It will lose its elasticity, grow brittle and break.

Dan Mattingly of djpatio.com has been refurbishing strap furniture in Tucson for 30 years. His website provides detailed instructions on replacing straps, including streaming how-to videos. He says to replace straps when small cracks become visible along their edges. He recommends using only replacement straps of 100 percent vinyl because they last longer.

Whether replacing straps or slings, accurate measuring is critical. To determine the amount of strapping needed, measure the width of the frame, add three inches and multiply by the number of straps. Replacing straps at home entails cutting to measure, boiling each strap in water for approximately 15 minutes, attaching one end to the frame, stretching the strap around to the other side and attaching it.

Mattingly says, “You can apply the strap with anything from sheet metal screws from Home Depot to clips designed for the job.”

Usually the fabric in sling furniture is treated to prevent most stains and withstand the elements, but it does wear out.

At first glance sling replacement appears daunting, but isn’t all that difficult. Chaircarepatio.com provides detailed how-to instructions to correctly measure for the replacement sling, as well as replacing it.

Replacement requires removing the side rails, extracting the old fabric, inserting new spline into the edges of the replacement and sliding it back into the side rails. The side rails are reattached and the excess spline trimmed. The average do-it-yourselfer can probably re-sling four chairs in four to six hours.

PERILS OF WICKER

Wicker engineered for open-air applications is treated with a plastic resin protecting it from nearly everything but wear and tear. It will eventually break down and can’t be repaired.

Alicia Kaper, the wicker guru at CSNstores.com, cautions that you use indoor wicker outside at your peril. Stains such as mildew can be removed with a solution of three-quarters cup of bleach in a gallon of water, but the entire piece of furniture should be cleaned to avoid spotting.

According to Kaper, homeowners can try simple repairs on indoor wicker: “You can buy cane at any craft store; it and some wood glue can take care of most minor repairs.”

Casual furniture cushions are basically disposable. Most are treated to withstand the elements, but will wear out. Follow the directions on the cleaning tag to determine how best to clean them. Usually some mixture of laundry detergent and water and a soft brush will do.

All our experts were emphatic about preventative measures to prolong casual furniture’s life. Regular cleaning was at the top of the list. Outdoor furniture should be cleaned once a week.

”Their furniture would last much longer if people would just clean it more,” Mattingly says.

Taken from www.miamiherald.com