Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying
by: Malcolm D Kay
Before the advent of mass production, most furniture was largely handcrafted by artisans.
Of course, time has moved on and construction techniques, mechanical tools, and methods have advanced significantly.
But in choosing outdoor furniture, it's very important to take note on how the particular item is assembled, how the joints are made, what fixings are used, the strength of the individual components and the quality of the finish.
For commercial outdoor furniture, which needs to withstand not only the weather but also mistreatment and neglect, the centuries old joining method of mortice and tenon is still generally preferred.
A well-made item of furniture, with mortice and tenon joints will be solid, with tight joints and will last for years.
But of course the extra time and care taken in this method of construction means the price will inevitably be higher of the furniture item.
To speed up construction and keep costs down, allot of furniture is now constructed using a dowelled joints.
Whilst not as strong as traditional mortice and tenon joints, a dowelled joint can give many years of good service.
In fact a lot of furniture may use mortice and tenon joints for the main structural elements but dowels for the more decorative elements in the design - a perfectly acceptable compromise. Of course any adhesives used should be water resistant, something that is not really possible to check, but generally this does not seem to be a problem in practice, except maybe in really low cost outdoor furniture.
For added strength, some makers will combine brass fittings with dowelled joints to ensure the dowelled joints are pulled together and kept as tight as possible.
The cheapest method of construction uses metal fixings only. Often these are used with kit-set or knock-down self assembly furniture, as it allows the homeowner to save more money by assembling the product themselves. The downside is that such furniture is generally not as strong and involves regular tightening of the fittings, as they tend to bed into the wood with continual use of the furniture.
Also inferior quality fittings may be used which are neither made of corrosion resistant metals such as brass, nor have a high quality plated finish, so can be subject to rusting or other corrosion at quite an early stage.
Another less obvious problem with tables in particular, is swelling of the wood.
As wood generally expands at a different rate in its longitudinal and tangential planes, this means that as the timber gets wet or dries out, unsightly gaps can occur at joints, or in the worst cases, the timber twists out of shape, if the maker has not taken sufficient care at the design stage.
You need to take care for example with some wooden table tops, if the middle of the table is a more complex design with elements running both straight and perpendicular. Most manufacturers will leave small expansion gaps at the end of the longitudinal wood sections to allow for some expansion and contraction.
With some more stable wood species such as teak, this is typically not a problem, but with some other species, expansion in both directions can be significantly different and problems can arise.
Take note also of the finish of the piece.
With certain wood species, the grain of the timber can be rather coarse, so unless the edges of the piece are sanded well, it's possible to get splinters. Take particular note of the end grain. Many manufacturers apply a special oil coating or wax to the end grain to prevent the ingress of water and help to prolong the life of the furniture.
Most manufacturers will apply some type of initial protective coating, although this is generally a rather basic coating which tends to enhance the colour of the wood rather than contributing to any particular preservative properties. To ensure a longer life, it is thus recommended that you give your furniture a further coating with a good quality decking or furniture oil very shortly after you purchase the item, and certainly within the first six months of its use.
And so, in conclusion, when looking at purchasing outdoor furniture, the important points to consider (apart from the durability of the wood species) are the type of joints, the thickness of timber used, the quality of any metal fixings and the actual design aspects of the particular piece.
About The Author
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com.
|
Making Room for Two: How to Adjust to Life with a Roommate
Making Room for Two: How to Adjust to Life with a Roommate
by: Dan The Roommate Man
Because downsizing is a fact of life these days, many renters and homeowners can, at a moment's notice, find themselves unable to pay the rent or the mortgage. It suddenly becomes necessary to find a roommate - and fast.
In previous articles, we've discussed the screening process and what kinds of questions you should ask before moving anyone into your home, whether he or she is a close friend or complete stranger.
In the rush to simply find a roommate we can trust, however, we often overlook the other insidious issues. How are you going to make space for a newcomer when you've been living solo for such a long period of time? After all, each one of us is set in our ways. Introduce a new element into the picture, and your routine is interrupted. How will you react? Consider the fact that your furniture is arranged just the way you like it.
Where is...
Making Room for Two: How to Adjust to Life with a Roommate
Bedroom furniture > Making Room for Two: How to Adjust to Life with a Roommate
Turn a Tract Home into Your Own Personal Retreat
Turn a Tract Home into Your Own Personal Retreat
by: Aldene Fredenburg
We're all familiar with tract homes: white or light gray houses featuring small rooms with white walls, prefab cabinets, a postage stamp of a front and back yard. Well, you can transform one of these generic-looking houses into a personal retreat reflecting your own unique identity; all you need are a little creativity, some paint, and a careful selection of the right furnishings.
First, decide what type of decorative style you want to project. Are you into shabby chic? The simple, elegant lines of Japanese d?cor? Rustic country designs? Maybe you're into the currently popular French or Tuscan d?cor; or the high tech look of modern industrial design. Whatever your choice, a good first step is to look through decorating and architectural design magazines to find a look you want to emulate.
Notice the colors used by the designers to create their signature look, as well...
Turn a Tract Home into Your Own Personal Retreat
Bedroom furniture > Turn a Tract Home into Your Own Personal Retreat
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
by: Malcolm D Kay
Not too long ago, the vast majority of outdoor furniture was all made of teak. Teak has proved to be an ideal lumber species for outdoor furniture, due to its high durability, ease of working with machine tools, its low coefficient of radial and tangential expansion (which reduces potential problems in twisting, or swelling when wet), it's attractive colour and good working properties.
But such widespread use of teak, including for marine decking, has come at a considerable environmental cost.
The once great forests of South East Asia have been decimated to the extent that legally logged teak is now only available in very limited quantities, which is reflected in its high price.
But unfortunately, illegal logging is still rampant and in many areas of South East Asia, ensuring its continuing supply to the furniture trade.
Plantations...
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Bedroom furniture > Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Modern Bedding Ideas
Modern Bedding Ideas
by: Patricia Bowlin
Modern bedding isn't just beautiful- it can also be very practical, extremely durable and quite affordable. Even luxury bedding for the modern bedroom doesn't have to break your bank account.
Our busy lives today mean there is little time to spend in traditional homemaking. Modern bedding has to fit into our modern lifestyles and provide for easy care as well as comfort. After a long day at the office, no one wants to come home and sleep on scratchy bedding. On those precious days off work, no one wants to spend all their time doing laundry and ironing pillow cases so that they have no wrinkles. With today's modern fabrics, whether it's 100% Egyptian cotton, or blends, it's just not necessary to spend lots of time spend caring for your bedding. Of course, doing laundry does take time, but you shouldn't need to spend any extra time making bedding for the modern bed look nice.
One of the most popular...
Modern Bedding Ideas
Bedroom furniture > Modern Bedding Ideas
Bedroom furniture Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying
Bedroom furniture Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying suv
Bedroom furniture Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying
Bedroom furniture tax help Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying
Bedroom furniture Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying skirts
Optimize Your Computer For Peak Performance
Optimize Your Computer For Peak Performance
by: Lanard Perry
Is your computer running slower than ever? Does it crash a lot?
If so it might be because advertisers have loaded it up with Spy and Adaware without your knowledge.
"Spyware" is a common term for files that are installed on your system that allow companies to monitor your Internet activity.
"Adaware" is software that will show you pop up ads over and over. These files can be extremely...
computer printers Bedroom furniture
Bedroom furniture > Optimize Your Computer For Peak Performance
Bedroom furniture
This page loaded in 0.04878 seconds.