A piece of outdoor furniture that leaks rust not only looks unsightly but can also stain your clothing if you sit, lean or brush against it. It is for this reason that you want to learn how to prevent patio furniture from leaking rust.
You may be thinking, is it a defect from the factory? No, the factory knows that if moisture hugs iron, rust will form, causing those ugly leaking stains.
For this reason, most outdoor furniture is treated at the factory for rust by painting, oiling, waxing or spraying, and installing rubber feet if necessary.
The protection tends to wear off over time by the forces of the elements – wind, rain, sun and earth, leading to rust.
You cannot prevent rust from ever forming; however, there are several things you can do to control rust or prevent it from forming for a long time.
In order to prevent patio furniture from rusting, it is essential to cover or apply a barrier between the iron parts and the elements – wind, rain, sun and earth – so that moisture does not contact the iron parts of the furniture.
Don’t let your patio furniture get wet!
The best way to prevent your patio furniture from getting wet is to cover it with a patio furniture cover or put it in storage when not in use.
Water and iron should never mix, unless you want the iron to leak rust, because iron oxidises when it comes into contact with oxygen and water, producing hydrated iron oxide as a by-product.
The oxidation process starts when you notice the appearance of little brown spots on the furniture. It will even show up through the paint.
You will need to spring into action when this happens because if left unattended, it will spread to the other parts of the furniture and weaken it over time.
Lasting damage will not happen in a day or a week, however, rusting over a long period of time will destroy the structural integrity of the furniture.
Put your outdoor furniture away for storage
During the winter, temperatures get cold, and sitting outdoors isn’t something you will do.
Similarly, during the winter, no one likes to go outside to clean their furniture two times a month in such freezing weather.
Instead of leaving your patio furniture to face the elements, put them in storage when not in use.
I believe that putting them away in storage is the best way to protect the longevity of your outdoor furniture made of iron. This is assuming that you do not want them to rust.
The long period out in the cold will cause condensation on the metal. Oiling them down and putting them in storage is the best way to deal with these pieces of furniture during the colder months of the year.
Well, one way to avoid all this hassle is to store your furniture indoors or in a storage compartment that is dry and well-ventilated. This decreases the level of exposure of your furniture to the elements of the weather.
You can bring them out in spring when the weather is warm and sunny when you can better enjoy your garden.
Even if your shed is not warm, at least you are protecting them from snow, rain and sunshine.
Cover your outdoor furniture
For some individuals, putting their garden furniture away is not an option because of space. The solution for you is to buy patio furniture covers and cover them.
Covering your furniture when not in use is another great way to prevent moisture and dirt from getting to the furniture.
If storing your furniture indoors seems like a hassle to you, or if you probably have no storage space indoors, then covering your furniture is a good way to protect it from the elements of the weather, especially when it is not in use.
By covering the furniture, you minimize the exposure of the patio furniture to the elements, hence, minimizing the interaction of the furniture with moisture and oxygen.
The covers will prevent water or snow from settling on the furniture, therefore, preventing the formation of rust. The best thing about this method is that you do not have to lift heavy furniture from the storage room back to your patio.
When purchasing a cover for your furniture, we highly recommend that you purchase a waterproof furniture cover. Waterproof covers are often made of polyester or acrylic; therefore, check the material of your cover to ensure you are getting a waterproof cover.
Your patio furniture is ready for you whenever you want; simply pull off the covers, and you are ready to roast s’mores on the patio. Don’t roast s’mores on a covered patio – remember carbon monoxide poisoning.
By implementing these tips, you can maintain the longevity and beauty of your metal patio furniture and enjoy it for years to come.
Install a gazebo or awning over the patio
Installing an gazebo or awning over the patio is a great way to protect it from water or snow damage.
It wont work if you have sideway rainfall or a snow blizzard since the patio will still get wet.
You may need to attach rubber feet to your patio furniture to keep it out the water on the patio.
A cover patio will help a lot but it costs a lot too. Try one of the other methods if this one is too expensive.
Create a Protective barrier on the patio furniture.
Again, water and iron are not friends. If they are too close together, rust will form. Not a good thing.
There are a number of methods to create this barrier on the furniture, you can apply oil, a rust-resistant wax or repaint any exposed surfaces.
Apply oil to your furniture
Oil and grease offer excellent protection against corrosion and rust. applying oil to any metal parts of your outdoor furniture will help keep rust at bay.
The oil acts as a protective barrier that prevents oxidation or further damage.
Oil should be applied on the parts that moves, like the wheels or hinges. Brush off all duct first before applying oil.
Apply a rust-resistant wax
A rust resistant wax is another excellent way to protect your garden furniture from water. The wax creates a barrier that water wont breach easily.
You can buy this wax at any good hardware store or on amazon for convenience. I like the renaissance wax polish you get it by clicking this link.
You’ll need to apply the rust resistant wax to the furniture every time you clean, for it to be as good as new. Whenever you clean the furniture make sure to get rid of all debris first.
Coat the Furniture using a Protective Sealant
A good quality sealant can be use to protect the surface of any patio furniture.
One of the best I’ve used is the Rust-Oleum spray, it has an oil based formula that provide a weather and corrosion coating on the surface of your patio furniture and stops rust from forming.
It is easy to apply and is dry to the touch after between two and four hours of application.
With this product, it is important the the surfaces are clean so that the product can attach directly to the surface.
Repaint exposed surfaces
Applying a coat of water-resistant spray paint on the surface of your furniture is another great way of preventing it from leaking rust.
By spray painting the surface of your furniture, you create a thin film of paint that acts as a barrier on the surface of the furniture, which prevents the moisture in the air from reaching the surface of the metal.
Once water cannot reach the surface of the furniture, rust cannot occur. When it comes to choosing the right spray paint, we recommend that you choose a zinc primer spray paint.
These spray paints contain zinc, which is highly effective at resisting corrosion. Also, we recommend that you purchase clear spray paint.
Clear spray paints are transparent; therefore, they do not add any colour to your furniture, ensuring it maintains its aesthetics.
However, if you feel artistic, and maybe you feel like adding some colour to your furniture, then you can go in for a coloured spray paint; however, ensure that it is a zinc primer spray paint.
Alternatively, you can use brush paint to coat the surface of your furniture if you do not have spray paint.
If spray painting the surface of your furniture seems a bit too complex or expensive, then an alternative will be to apply some oil to the surface of the furniture to prevent rust from occurring.
Additional ideas to stop furniture leaking rust
As said before, water and iron are not friends, so keep them away from each other. Do this by keeping the furniture clean and dry, fix rusting problems early and clean your patio furniture regularly.
Keep the patio furniture clean and dry
Dirt and debris on your patio furniture will provide a surface to trap moisture. Regularly cleaning and drying the furniture will prevent this problem.
Fix rusting problems
When furniture leak rust you know it has been neglected for a while. The solution here is to fix all rusting before it get bad. Cleaning your furniture regularly will get rid of this problem easily and at a lower cost.
Summary
Furniture made of iron can be beautiful but can also be a pain to maintain. If you cannot be bothered with the hassle, a rattan furniture would suit you better.
It simply do not have the rusting problems. However, a rattan furniture may not give you the look you are seeking. In that case you should develop a routine to protect you patio furniture.
Which every you choose, you will still need to protect them using covers and regular cleaning.
