You probably want to be able to spend time outside so that you can enjoy your yard. If you have a nice patio area or a deck, then you’re definitely going to have a good time outside on sunny days.
Many people choose to buy nice patio furniture that they can sit on when they want to spend some time outdoors. If you’re new to buying patio furniture, then you might be worried about whether the furniture will get ruined if it happens to storm.
Can patio furniture get wet or is it going to get destroyed if it rains too much? It would be frustrating to spend so much cash on patio furniture only to have it get messed up this way.
Keep reading to learn about patio furniture and whether or not it can get wet. This will help you to make good decisions when purchasing patio furniture and should help you to protect your patio furniture from the elements as well.
Patio Furniture Is Designed to Be Outdoors
The first thing to understand is that patio furniture is designed to be outdoors. This means that you can expect patio furniture to be fine when it gets wet.
Most patio furniture is going to be designed to be water-resistant, and this means that a little bit of rain isn’t going to destroy your furniture. It’s normal for patio furniture to get wet and you don’t have to worry too much about things so long as you aren’t dealing with massive amounts of water.
That being said, there is a difference between being water-resistant and being waterproof. This means that water could do some damage to your patio furniture over time, but it isn’t something that you should be incredibly concerned about.
Some types of patio furniture will do a better job of lasting for many years than others. There will be plenty of very durable patio furniture options on the market for you to choose from.
Some Materials Will Be More Vulnerable to Damage Than Others
Please keep in mind that patio furniture is going to be made out of different materials. Some patio furniture might be made out of plastic, but other types of patio furniture might be made out of wood.
Certain materials are going to be more vulnerable to damage than others. Wood will actually be one of the materials that are the most vulnerable to water damage over time.
Essentially, if any of your wooden patio furniture has cracks, water can get into those cracks and cause damage. You’ll need to repair and seal cracks so that you can protect your patio furniture from water damage and help it to last a long time.
Leaving wooden patio furniture outside is perfectly fine, but it’s just necessary to take steps to protect the furniture. Many people will apply a protective coating to wooden patio furniture that will keep the water damage from being a problem.
Patio furniture that is made out of iron can also get damaged by water. As you probably already know, iron furniture can rust and the exposure to the elements can cause this type of patio furniture to get nasty after a while.
Try to buy iron patio furniture that has some type of protective coating on it. This will keep the furniture from rusting as easily but do understand that iron patio furniture won’t last forever.
Patio furniture that will last a long time and isn’t in danger of being damaged by water is also available for purchase. You could choose to seek out furniture that is made out of plastic, synthetic resin, aluminum, or stainless steel.
Many people are shying away from plastic patio furniture now due to its negative impact on the environment, though. The plastic patio furniture is also not great when it comes to supporting weight and isn’t as durable as most people would like it to be.
Aluminum and stainless steel options should hold up pretty well overall. Look into those options if you’re worried about your patio furniture getting wet.
You Can Take Steps to Protect Patio Furniture as Well
There are even going to be certain things that you can do that will help you to protect your patio furniture. Some of these ideas will be about protecting patio furniture from water damage, but it can also be a nice way to keep the furniture from getting too wet so that you can sit on it.
Read on to get some of the best ideas for protecting your patio furniture. These ideas should be easy to utilize and will be practical for anyone who has patio furniture.
Buy Protective Covers
Buying protective covers for your patio furniture is a good idea when you want to keep the furniture from getting too wet. You can take these protective covers on and off whenever you want to use the patio furniture.
These protective covers are made out of waterproof materials and should fit your patio furniture well. You might need to look for protective covers that are the right size for your specific patio furniture, but your efforts will be worth it in the end.
One good thing to note is that patio furniture protective covers protect really expensive types of patio furniture nicely. If you’re a person who has spent large sums of money on really nice patio furniture, then it’s wise to protect it this way.
Aside from protecting the patio furniture from rain, it’ll also protect it from other potential hazards. There might be some things besides water damage that you should worry about that have thus far slipped your mind.
For example, bird poop can be very caustic and will cause damage to your patio furniture over time. If you have protective covers on your patio furniture, then you won’t need to worry about such things any longer.
Granted, you’ll still need to clean the protective covers off from time to time, but it’s much better than having your costly patio furniture damaged. Overall, buying protective covers for your patio furniture will be a very sensible move.
Plastic Foil Will Work in a Pinch
What can you do if you don’t have any protective covers for your patio furniture? Perhaps you don’t have a lot of cash to spend and you can’t go out and buy patio furniture protective covers right now.
It might be more cost-effective for you to temporarily cover your patio furniture using plastic foil. This is going to do a pretty good job of keeping water from getting on the patio furniture and you won’t need to worry so much.
The only thing about this method is that it wouldn’t be practical to do this when you’re actually using the furniture regularly. If you had to take the plastic foil on and off of the furniture each day, then you’d get tired of it really fast.
This is a good idea when you’re trying to protect the patio furniture during the winter months, though. You can put the plastic foil on the furniture and it’ll keep it from getting messed up by the elements.
You’ll find that this idea isn’t quite as good as buying a protective cover for your patio furniture. It’ll work in a pinch, but it might not be ideal for regular protection during the spring and summer months.
Remember to Apply Protective Coatings to Wooden and Iron Patio Furniture
If your patio furniture is made out of wood or iron, then protective coatings will be incredibly important. The survival of your patio furniture will depend on whether you took the time to apply these protective coatings.
Thankfully, it isn’t all that hard to apply protective coatings to either of these types of patio furniture. Many people choose to apply a protective coating to their patio furniture each season, but you could probably get by with only doing it every other season.
Be sure to check your patio furniture out at the beginning of each season to see how things are going. If you notice cracks in your wooden furniture, then you’ll need to take steps to repair things.
When you notice rust on your iron furniture, it might be time to throw it out and get new furniture. Just be mindful of the damage and try to keep taking steps to prevent the furniture from getting damaged.
Smart use of protective coating can help patio furniture to last for a good while. Your patio furniture might not stay pristine for decades, but it can last you several years so long as you’re vigilant.
Get an Awning
Awnings can actually do a great job of protecting your patio furniture from the elements. It’ll also be nice to have a bit of shade when you’re sitting outside during the hottest days of the year.
You might already have an awning on your home; if you do, you won’t need to worry quite as much about protective coverings and other such things. If you don’t have an awning, then you could choose to get one installed because of how convenient it’ll be for your patio area.
Even if you don’t want to get an awning professionally installed on your home, it’s possible to buy portable awnings that are also referred to as shade canopies. These convenient canopies can be placed on your patio area and will give you the same benefits as an awning would.
You might need to secure these canopies to the ground and make sure that they’re weighed down properly, though. Otherwise, you might need to worry about whether they will be blown away during a very windy day.
Of course, you’ll also have to worry about your patio chairs getting blown away if the wind gets to be too much. You’ll just have to take whatever steps you can to protect your patio furniture from the wind to keep it from getting damaged that way.
Store Your Patio Furniture Somewhere Safe During the Winter
The winter months can be incredibly damaging to your patio furniture. The snow and ice will do a number on your patio furniture, and it’s really going to be best if you can keep the patio furniture from having to go through that.
Your patio furniture will do a better job standing the test of time if you can protect it during the winter. The best way to do this is to find a place to store it where it won’t be exposed to the elements.
Many people choose to store patio furniture in their garages or sheds during the winter months. This keeps the furniture dry and safe even when it’s icy and freezing outside.
You could also try to find some room for your patio furniture in your basement if you happen to have one where you live. It’s good to look for spots to store your patio furniture instead of just leaving it outside during the winter.
If you absolutely can’t store the patio furniture anywhere, then you should still try to protect the furniture. Wrapping the furniture in plastic foil would be okay, and you can try to wipe the snow off of the furniture so that it doesn’t get too burdened by the weight.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know whether patio furniture can get wet, it should be easier to enjoy using your patio furniture without worrying so much. You even know what needs to be done to protect your furniture so that it can be used for a long time.
Patio furniture is great, but you do need to be careful so that it can stay in good shape. This is why people buy protective covers for their patio furniture, and it’s also why some types of patio furniture need protective coatings.
You’ll need to be careful to keep your furniture safe during the winter months as well. Snow and ice can be quite damaging to your patio furniture, and this is why storing out inside somewhere would be a good idea if you have room for it.
Understand that some types of patio furniture will hold up better than others even when you’re doing everything right. How long your patio furniture will last will at least be partially dependent on the material that was used to make it.
Enjoy your patio furniture and don’t be overly worried about things that you can’t control. Just do your best to use your patio furniture wisely while protecting it as normal and things will be okay.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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