How to Refinish Metal Patio Furniture

Instructions

1. 1. 1

      Remove rubber tips and cushions (if there

   
   rubber tips and cushions (if there are any).

2. Step2

   Wash furniture with a mild detergent (you'll probably need some rags or a scrub brush) and rinse.

3. Step3

   Use a wire brush to scrape off rust and loose paint flakes.

4. Step4

   Look carefully: if paint has bubbled (a sign of rust underneath) use a screwdriver or chisel to break the bubble and chip away the bubbled paint, and then scrape with a wire brush.

5. Step5

   Remove rust with commercial rust remover.

6. Step6

   Paint or spray with rust-resistant paint. If the furniture is very corroded, you may want to prime first with rust-resistant primer.

7. Step7

   Let dry. Plan on 12 to 24 hours for each coat, depending on weather and temperature.

8. Step8

   Replace any rubber tips and cushions.

How to Refinish Metal Patio Furniture

Instructions

1. Remove rubber tips and cushions (if there are any).

2. Step2

   Wash furniture with a mild detergent (you'll probably need some rags or a scrub brush) and rinse.

3. Step3

   Use a wire brush to scrape off rust and loose paint flakes.

4. Step4

   Look carefully: if paint has bubbled (a sign of rust underneath) use a screwdriver or chisel to break the bubble and chip away the bubbled paint, and then scrape with a wire brush.

5. Step5

   Remove rust with commercial rust remover.

6. Step6

   Paint or spray with rust-resistant paint. If the furniture is very corroded, you may want to prime first with rust-resistant primer.

7. Step7

   Let dry. Plan on 12 to 24 hours for each coat, depending on weather and temperature.

8. Step8

   Replace any rubber tips and cushions.

Teak Patio Furniture Use And Care

When the weather gets colder, many homeowners face a dilemma: to keep their patio furniture outside, with proper weatherproofing, or take it inside and try to accommodate in a basement or garage. But with teak patio furniture, you will no longer want to stash the patio set in the basement. Instead, you will want to flaunt it all year long.

Teak patio furniture is becoming more popular each day, with more designers exploring the timeless charm of teak wood. This wood, which grows in Burma, Indonesia and other exotic locations, is extremely durable, light and convenient, and it ages with a stunning grace.

According to historians, woven wicker furniture was first used in ancient Egypt. But since that time teak has become a favorite of garden furniture manufacturers only in the beginning of the 20th century, when white garden furniture has been labeled as boring and the prominent garden decorator Gertrude Jekyll claimed that gray- or green-toned garden furniture is more attractive. Since teak weathers to a beautiful silvery gray, it has soon become a popular wood of choice for many garden and patio furniture manufacturers.

Teak is one of the most valuable woods today. Teak wood grows in severe climatic conditions in Burma and Indonesia. Teak is a very hard wood resistant to wind, pests, sun, and humidity. In addition, teak does not splinter. For centuries, teak was used in marine building, which means that teak patio furniture can be easily left outside even in harsh climate conditions.

One of the most remarkable features of teak wood is its ability to change color with age. When new, its color varies from light to dark brown and over years becomes a light silver gray. The first ?gray hair? in teak furniture will be noticeable after three to four months of use, depending on how contrasting the climate conditions are in your area. For example, if you have cold nights and hot sunny days, teak patio furniture will turn to gray faster. Natural teak will become gray in about a year.

To preserve this beautiful taupe shade of gray, you can wash the teak patio furniture every spring with mild detergent and water. To prevent dust accumulation you may wash the furniture with your regular garden hose, keeping the water pressure at low.

Even though teak wood does not splinter, it may develop small cracks with time. Teak wood contains a high amount of natural wood oils, so it will not develop deep structural cracks. There is no need to treat teak wood with any kind of wood sprays or oils to protect it; however, the teak wood oil does create a pretty surface sheen. You may apply oil when you plan to leave the teak furniture outside for a long period of time, or when the wood starts to show gray.

Since in most cases teak wood is left untreated when used for teak patio furniture, you should avoid spilling food or drinks on the wood surface. If you do happen to ?leave your mark?, don?t use any harsh detergents to remove it. Any marks will eventually fade with time. When the stain is noticeable, you may scrub the area with mild sandpaper. Ultra-violet rays also damage the sheen of the teak furniture, and an annual treatment with properly labeled teak wood oil is recommended. Make sure that your teak wood furniture is clean and dry before treating, because you don?t want to trap any water under the coat of oil.

Enjoy Your Patio Set on Your New Deck

By Kevin Garcia

A friend of mine recently bought a new teak patio set for the new deck he had built. Normally this is a project he would have taken on himself as he is sort of a do it your selfer. But, for some reason he farmed this one out and seeing it I could understand why. I prefer an outdoor patio to a deck but his was a thing of beauty. The patio set sat right next to his combination smoker/wood fired grill and boy was it a gem.

I've always known this guy had a fine eye for quality but this time he had really outdone himself. The musky darkness of the teak furniture was subtle yet striking and went well with the overall design of his deck. The deck itself had sort of a Japanese zen feel to it and the teak fit in perfectly. If I had to estimate I would say that conservatively it added at least ten to fifteen thousands dollars to the value of his house. I was happy that he heeded my advice and got rid of the crappy aluminum stuff he had before. And I could tell by the look of pride on his face showing it off that he was just as pleased.

So look, whether you decide to call it patio furniture, lawn furniture, or outdoor garden furniture quality and durability are crucial to your choice. I don't care if are buying chairs, tables, dining sets, bar stools, or swings and hammocks, buying superior products is never the wrong choice. You just can never go too far wrong by buying the absolute best.

Let's say you decide to go all out and buy exactly what you have been pining for. You know that your patio set will outshine everything on your block. But make sure that you also buy a good quality covering for it. Don't skimp on this, especially if you don't have an outdoor garden shed to store it in during those long winter months.

I will assume that you are looking at your beautiful outdoor garden furniture as a long term investment. That being the case, make certain that you take into consideration your own particular climate when figuring out how to store your patio set. Do you live in a dry or moist climate? Will your outdoor furniture be in the direct sunlight? Are insects or rodents going to be an issue?

Best Caribbean Honeymoon Locations For Patio Set Lounging

Lounge on the beach or the beautiful resort patio set at the locations in these three great Caribbean honeymoon countries.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Like most poor nations, when traveling to the Domincan Republic for a 4 or 5 star resort vacation, you will be treated like a king. The locals that live and work in the resorts of the Domincan Republic know that the Europeans and Americans are keeping them in business and giving them a job (and sometimes good tips) so they will all but bow down to your feet. The major locations for tourism are in the coastal provinces of Punta Cana and Puerto Plata mostly. If you want a quiet vacation away from much of the hustle and bustle and touristy Spring Break type of resorts in Cancun and Puerto Vallarta than you should check out the Dominican Republic.

Nassau, Bahamas

The capital and largest city in the Bahamas, Nassau is an eclectic and energetic city with a lot to offer. You can find a lively night life scene and a relaxing beach atmosphere just minutes away from each other. The city is known for its beauty and important locations for many films, featuring in numerous James bond films as well as various other often water or beach themed movies that are looking for a picturesque setting and location. The Beatles also filmed scenes for their film “Help!” in Nassau. Tourism is one of the large attractions in the city and there are also many well known parades and holidays with the Junkanoo parade brining in tourists from all over the world.

Palmas Del Mar, Puerto Rico

The area of Puerto Rico is mostly mountainous with beautiful white sand beaches in the coastal areas to the north and south. Originally an agricultural country exporting much sugar, tourism is now one of its main economic components, brining in an approximate $1.8 billion dollars in revenue with 5 million tourists visiting the island in the year 1999, today it is assuredly much higher. Most of Puerto Rico is still very poor, with a median household income of around $17,000 which is still much less than the poorest state in the United States. Nevertheless, it is a great tourist location with many lovely resorts that are both relaxing and exciting. Puerto Ricans are very friendly to fellow Americans.

For More Workers, Home Is Where the Office Is

• By Colleen DeBaise
• On 8:06 pm EST, Sunday January 3, 2010

So maybe 2010 will be the year that you finally break out on your own. Voluntarily or not.

As we continue to dig ourselves out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression, many of us have lost corporate jobs. Others worry that layoffs are lurking. We're taking on free-lance assignments, contract work and short-term projects -- and getting them done in the extra bedroom, eat-in kitchen or spare corner in the utility room.

The home is the new hotbed of entrepreneurial activity.

For those who have temporarily joined the ranks of the self-employed, a home office is the natural (and cheapest) place to get work done. For others who are using severance packages to take a shot at entrepreneurship, the home can be an ideal incubator to test out ideas. Many a successful venture began life in a garage (Hewlett-Packard, in 1938) or launched from a living room (LinkedIn, in 2003).

In many cases, it makes sense to grow the business at home before moving into a separate physical location. Other times, your new venture, career or sideline is simply well-suited to be run out of your home. And in a tough economy, a business owner who has rented office space might return to a home office to trim costs.

About 52% of all small businesses are home-based -- representing a broad swath of industries, from software development and mail-order sales to plumbing and general contracting -- according to statistics from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.

What are the advantages of working from home? The easy commute, for starters, followed by the flexibility and the informal dress code. There also are tax write-offs: As long as you use a portion of your home exclusively and regularly for business, you can deduct a percentage of your rent or mortgage interest, utility bills, repairs and other costs.

Yet there are some distinct disadvantages, too. Most frequently cited is the lack of social interaction. For others, the home is one giant distraction. A pile of dirty dishes, a screaming child or even a sunny patio might compete for attention. Often, friends and family who don't understand you are truly working might call or stop by.

The home can be a difficult place to meet customers or clients, especially if you don't have an extra room or an appropriate place for a business discussion. When it comes to hiring employees, some home-based entrepreneurs say there isn't enough space or that it feels too invasive to have staff in the house. Most home-based businesses (about 93%) don't have employees, according to SBA statistics. Often, it's the need to hire employees that forces home-based entrepreneurs to rent space elsewhere. Lastly, the line between work and personal life can easily blur when working from home.

As such, it's important to come up with a set of practices to maintain some degree of separation between your work and personal life. Here are some ways to do so:

Have a separate office space. Ideally, your work space is in a separate room, with a door that closes, good ventilation and lighting. The bedroom is the worst place for a home office, as work becomes the first and last thing you see each day. If you don't have a spare room, screens or cabinets can help divide your work and living spaces.

Install office equipment. Make sure you have a phone line and a computer (with high-speed Internet access) dedicated to your business. Install any necessary business software on the PC, and consider other office-grade equipment as needed: copiers, scanners, work desks, filing cabinets and the like.

Set a timetable. Keeping regular business hours (such as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with weekends off) will assist you in dealing with clients, customers, suppliers and vendors -- and make it easier for you to have a social life.

Fashion work hours around logical periods of productivity, such as when a spouse leaves for work or kids go off to school. If you live by yourself, set a finite end of the day.

Take breaks. A big challenge for home-based business owners is setting aside time for small breathers or lunch. Short breaks can reduce stress, improve productivity and prevent burnout.

Limit household tasks. Be disciplined about not letting household errands and chores interfere with your work day. Consider getting housekeeping help to free up more time and energy for work.

Get child care. While many parents choose to be home-based to be closer to their kids, young ones can easily distract you from work. Consider getting full- or part-time child-care help, or sharing responsibilities with a spouse or family members.

Communicate to others that you are really working. Make sure those close to you respect your decision to work at home. Ask friends and family not to call or stop by during the day, or if they do, to keep it brief.

Chris Russell, founder of the job-posting site AllCountyJobs.com in Trumbull, Conn., says even his wife, who works outside the home, sometimes forgets that he's trying to work. "My wife will say to me, 'Can you go to the dry cleaners for me? Can you start dinner early?' " he says. "I give her a little friendly reminder: 'I'm working, dear.' "