Aside from the natural course of aging or plain wear and tear, there are certain natural and external elements which can hasten your furniture’s useful life. They include the sun’s heat, water or rain, ice, dirt, and any other environmental element. And the all-natural rattan is more susceptible to these risks compared to the synthetic ones.
Effects of the sun’s UV rays on your furniture
All wood or plant-based furniture and items have a certain degree of moisture content. This moisture makes the material flexible, a quality that enables shock and pressure absorption when the furniture is constantly used. If you would notice, individual bamboo or wicker sticks don’t break when bent or curved. This is what moisture does. But if the natural furniture is constantly and excessively exposed to the sun, that essential moisture dissipates over time. It is a must therefore that indoor wood furnitures are kept indoors.
Although furniture made out of synthetic wicker is generally used outdoors. Its weatherproof ability has its limits because it’s still considered as plastic. UV rays will gradually destroy that protective coating or covering of the resin material eventually making the furniture brittle and prone to damages after a couple of months or years. The best thing you can do is to place those outdoor furniture under the shade of a tree, pair it with an umbrella, or perhaps, built a small garden hut. An umbrella or a hat not only protects your outdoor furniture from the elements but also enhances your yard or garden design.
Effects of rain, ice, water, or excess moisture on your furniture
The effects of water or excessive moisture on your wood or natural furniture can be devastating especially when combined with the harsh effects of the sun. This combination will eventually result to wood weathering. Water or moisture aids in the washing out or dissipation of your furniture’s protective covering. Aside from destroying the furniture’s defense, it also makes the wood itself conducive to the growth and proliferation of wood boring insects or the presence of mold. This infestation if unnoticed and uncontrolled will eventually damage the furniture after some time.
Excessive exposure to the sun right after the furniture becomes wet also speeds up the weathering process. Each wicker piece will eventually become brittle or weak. To prevent this from happening, you could just simply wipe dry water or surface moisture from the furniture and never put it under the sun to dry. The same goes true even for the weatherproof synthetic pieces.
Weatherproofing your furniture
Newly crafted furniture pieces or sets especially those intended for the outdoors are essentially weatherproofed before they are sold in the market. But as time passes, this protective coating diminishes. Hence, you will have to re-varnish, re-paint, or weatherproof the furniture again. A very good sign that will suggest the right time to do so is when you eventually notice the onset of color or wood discoloration. In some instances, the paint or varnish can be observed breaking or chipping away from the wood itself. For the resin, plastic, or synthetic material, discoloration is also one of the possible signs.
