Outdoor Furniture Care: Making a Patio Set Last

Pictured: Castaway Restaurant, Burbank, CA

Outdoor commercial furniture rarely fails because the furniture was bad. It fails because nobody agreed who was responsible for it. A patio set lives outside through sun, rain, salt and chlorine, gets wiped with whatever is behind the bar, and gets stacked by whoever is closing. A short maintenance routine adds years to it.

Start with the right material

Most of our outdoor products, including the Poly-Molded All-Weather Collection, are UV-resistant and suited to year-round outdoor use. Our Al Fresco line is UV-rated with materials chosen for outdoor service, though in genuinely extreme environments — constant direct sun, heavy salt air, freeze-thaw cycling — more care is needed to get full life out of it. If you are still choosing, our guide to outdoor materials covers which frame suits which environment.

The routine, by material

Powder-coated aluminium and steel

Wash with mild soap and water. Avoid solvents, abrasive pads and bleach-based cleaners — they dull and eventually breach the powder coat, and once moisture is under the coating on a steel frame, corrosion starts from the inside. Touch up chips promptly. Aluminium will not rust, but the coating is still the barrier that keeps it looking new.

Poly-molded and resin

The easiest of the lot. Hose them down, or mild soap and water. Because the colour runs through the material rather than sitting on top, scuffs do not expose a different colour underneath. Nothing to seal, nothing to retighten.

Teak and outdoor hardwood

Teak silvers to a grey patina if left alone, which many properties want. If you want it to stay honey-coloured, it needs cleaning and re-oiling on a schedule — typically once or twice a year depending on exposure. Decide which look you are maintaining before the furniture arrives, and tell your team, because the two routines are different.

Synthetic woven rattan

Rinse and brush out grit from the weave; dirt left in the weave abrades the strands. Do not pressure-wash — it drives water into the frame and can lift the weave.

Cushions and outdoor upholstery

Solution-dyed acrylic and outdoor vinyl handle sun and moisture, but they still need air. Stand cushions on edge to dry after rain rather than leaving them flat, keep drainage grommets clear, and store them dry over a closed season. Mildew grows on the dirt sitting on the fabric more than on the fabric itself, so regular cleaning is the real preventative.

The two habits that matter most

Keep the hardware tight. Outdoor furniture moves constantly — dragged, stacked, blown. Bolts work loose, and a loose joint wears the frame at the joint rather than the fastener. A quarterly walk-round with a driver costs an hour and prevents the failure that ends a chair’s life. Our warranty requires proper maintenance including hardware kept tight, so this is not optional if you want cover.

Check the glides. A missing glide gouges the patio and grinds the frame leg. Keep spares on site; they are the part that disappears.

Wind, and the thing people forget

Light aluminium and poly chairs move in a gust. Pair them with weighted or bolt-down table bases, and have a stacking plan so staff can clear and secure the patio before weather. Most of our outdoor frames stack 4 to 8 high. See stackable seating.

What the warranty covers

Our warranty runs 1 year on finish and upholstery, 3 years on frame structural integrity, from date of shipment. It requires proper maintenance, hardware included. It excludes normal wear and tear, damage from harsh cleaners, and wood used outdoors or in non-conditioned spaces — which is why teak is the wood we recommend for outside, and why indoor wood frames should not migrate out to the patio for the summer. Claims need written notice and photos within 30 days. Full terms are on our warranty page.

Need a care sheet for a specific product? Contact your local sales rep or a project manager or administrator in our office and we will send the right one for what you own.