How To Protect Outdoor Wood Furniture?

Wood patio furniture is one of the most aesthetically pleasing pieces of furniture that you will ever have in your home. If you have outdoor sectional wooden furniture on your patio, you’re living the life. Every home needs a ‘spot’ that is designated as a chill area. A place where you can host parties, intimate events, game nights, BBQ nights, or indulge in self-care activities like reading a book, drawing, painting, or just chilling by yourself. 

Outdoor wooden furniture is highly recommended if you’re building your own tiny little spot. We, at Shop4Patio, are a family-owned brand and understand the importance of accentuating one’s house with only premium quality products. We aim to provide outdoor wood furniture amongst many other types of furniture and fire pit tables of the highest quality that can last for a lifetime. Once you’ve used products from Shop4Patio, you will easily be able to tell the difference. This is not a classic case of eye candy that is no good when it comes to using the products. You can try our products for yourself and experience lounging and spending quality time with yourself or your loved ones in a way that you must have never expected. With contemporary designs, elegant pieces, and fixtures that truly define luxury, Shop4Patio operates with integrity and trust. We thrive to only provide the best service to you. 

You’ve got your furnishings in order, you finally have the right furniture that fits into your vision of grand things when it comes to design. But this is not where the process ends. Buying furniture and showing it off is not all that it takes to actually have it for a long period of time. The best of the best company’s furniture is not going to last you for long if you do not look after it. If you’re thinking, ‘how to protect wood furniture outside’, this article is going to be the ideal read for you. So sit back, relax, and get ready to take some notes! 

Protecting outdoor wood furniture is a must to make sure that you do not lose your fixtures to rot, mold, moisture retention, and so many other causes. Since your outdoor wood furniture will constantly be exposed to different elements, such as rain, heat, humidity, wind, sunlight, and so many other things, it is crucial to take some steps to ensure your outdoor wood furniture is not easily damaged. If your outdoor wood furniture is left exposed to such elements without any protection, your money is going down the drain. You will not only waste your money because your furniture will get ruined, but you will also need to spend more buying additional fixtures. Exposure to elements will incur cracks, warps, color changes, scratches, and more such things to your wooden furniture outdoors.

How can one take measures in order to protect outdoor furniture? 

First and foremost, stop being under the impression that your outdoor wood furniture will not get ruined by harsh weather conditions or sudden weather changes,. Even moisture or water-resistant outdoor furniture requires adequate care and maintenance. Taking certain measures such as painting, sealing, varnishing, moving your furniture, covering your furniture, and waterproofing can help you protect your outdoor wood furniture. These are just to name a few. 

These measures will help you extract not just the best performance of these furniture pieces, but will also lengthen their lifespan. Furniture has lasted families for a lifetime and has been passed down through generations. We do not wish to gain something like that, but we definitely wish that this purchase proves to be a long term investment! 


Read on to know more about different methods of protecting outdoor furniture. We will discuss steps to take and treatments preferred for wooden furniture in regard to common weather conditions such as heat, wind, rain, sunlight, etc.

How to protect outdoor wood furniture? 

These are the few major steps taken to protect outdoor wood furniture: 

  • Painting the furniture 
  • Sealing the furniture 
  • Applying layers of varnish 
  • Moving the furniture to different locations 
  • Covering the furniture 
  • Keeping the furniture clean

Let’s learn more about these steps: 

1. Painting The Furniture:

Paint can be a great barrier between your outdoor wood furniture and whatever elements it is exposed to. It is one of the most efficient options to protect outdoor wood furniture from wind, rain, heat, and so many other things. One of the best features of painting your furniture is that paint can easily block UV rays from penetrating the surface of the furniture and harming the quality of the wood. If your outdoor wooden furniture is exposed to UV rays for too long and ends up penetrating the surface of the food, the wood underneath will start getting affected, resulting in discoloration. Discoloration of wood can kill the aesthetic feature of the furniture which is not something you signed up for! 

If we’re on the topic of painting your furniture, latex paints have been known to yield much better results than random or common oil-based paints. Latex paints have been used for cosmetic purposes and are very easy in terms of application. Latex paints also have a wide range of colors available which can successfully hide many scars and scratches. Say goodbye to elements such as water and UV rays from penetrating your furniture! However, just because you have applied paint, that doesn’t mean that your job is done. Keep checking for dents, scratches, cracks, etc and reapply if the need arises.

2. Sealing The Furniture:

We don’t need to tell you what sealing your furniture would look like. But, sealing your furniture will be the ideal option for you if you live in an area that receives heavy or continuous rainfall. The sealant helps keep accumulated water or water in general from entering your outdoor wooden furniture. One of the most common reasons for outdoor wooden furniture going to waste is moisture and rain. Moisture and rain can contribute to a lot of external factors rising such as mold, mildew, and rot. 

As soon as water molecules penetrate the wood, a ticking clock just sets off because there’s only so much time left for your furniture to start exhibiting issues. Many people are concerned about how their furniture would look after applying outdoor wood sealer. The good news is, unlike paint, applying outdoor wood sealer will not rob your fixture of its natural look. 

You must make sure that you reach all corners, joints, and bottom of the legs. Basically leave nothing out to protect outdoor wood furniture. The sealant doesn’t just help in protecting your furniture from moisture but also helps in speeding the drying process of damp parts of furniture. You can use polyurethane sealant and lacquer for this purpose. 

3. Varnishing Wood Patio Furniture: 

You may start thinking that everything described here just sounds the same. Painting your furniture, sealing your furniture, and now varnishing your furniture. Same old ‘apply a layer of varnish’, just like paint and sealant. However, the process of varnishing holds a few special features. Varnish is the perfect substitute for paint and sealants. If you have used paints and sealants in the past and believe that the application has changed the look of your furniture, then you can easily turn to varnish your wood to protect outdoor wood furniture. 

Varnishing your furniture will help you increase its lifespan greatly. One of the best features of varnish is that it can easily absorb UV rays. UV rays happen to be one of the biggest threats to outdoor wooden furniture since it causes discoloration and marrs its appearance. Marine varnish tends to have a much better outcome than other types of varnish and it is highly recommended. 

Synonyms for "Furniture"4. Changing The Location Of The Furniture: 

Changing the location of your furniture can help greatly with protecting your furniture from extreme weather conditions. In fact, you must resort to this method if you have enough space in your garden and can easily move your furniture around to keep it safe from the adverse effects of extreme weather conditions. 

You must know that no amount of varnish, paint, sealants, etc is going to give your furniture guaranteed 100% protection from natural conditions. Hence, you must not keep your wooden furniture in a place where it is constantly exposed to sunlight, rain, heat, and more since wood is sensitive and it does not have adequate natural protection. 

You can keep moving your furniture in the garden or patio itself under areas that may have shade because of trees or any other architecture. You can store your wooden furniture in your garage during winters or heavy rainfall in order to keep it safe. 

5. Keeping Your Furniture Clean: 

Keeping your furniture clean should go without saying when it comes to protecting outdoor wood furniture. Even if these risks were to imposed on your furniture in terms of natural elements, keeping your furniture clean should be the number one priority. Mud, mold, dirt, and many such things can accumulate and affect not only the furniture but can also trigger allergies for many. Microfiber cloths, vacuum cleaners, tack cloth, mild dish soap, and cleaning your furniture is not a difficult job! 

6. Covering Your Furniture: 

Covering your furniture will only give your furniture some extra protection which will definitely not hurt. Even if you have applied coats of paints, varnish, sealants, waterproofing solutions, and whatnot, covering your furniture will protect it from any weather conditions and save the coats of solutions for a different occasion in terms of providing protection. 

You can get customized covers made or get in touch with your furniture supplier to know more options! 

  • What is the best protection for outdoor hardwood furniture?

You can protect outdoor wooden furniture by applying coats of paints, sealants, and varnish. You can also keep moving your furniture or storing it in your garage when necessary. If you do not have the space, simply cover your furniture! 

  • What can I put on my wood table to protect the outside?

You can opt for sectional fibers that can keep the outside protected and you can get a customized cover made for your table. 

  • How do I protect wood furniture from sun damage?

By simply applying a coat of paint, sealant, or varnish. 

  • Can you leave wooden furniture outside?

You can leave wooden furniture outside, but it is best to store it in your garage under extreme weather conditions. 

Now that you’ve read such an informative article about taking care of your furniture, we can only hope that you do so. If you’re looking for elegant wooden patio furniture, reach out to us at Shop4Patio and let’s discuss your options! 

Synonyms for "Furniture"

Popular Products

x