Getting garden and terrace furniture ready in spring

Why winter takes it out of garden furniture

Estonian winters swing between hard frost and thaw several times, and each cycle moves moisture in and out of wood and around metal fixings. Even furniture stored in a shed or garage sits through temperature changes that loosen screws, crack old sealant and let condensation sit on surfaces that were not fully dry when packed away.

Furniture left outside all winter has it worse. Snow load can twist frames slightly, ice can work into any gap in a joint and widen it, and UV from the low spring sun starts breaking down unsealed wood the moment it is exposed again. None of this is dramatic on its own, but it adds up over a few seasons.

The practical result is that furniture which looked solid in October can have play in the joints, screws that turn with almost no resistance, and a greyish, slightly fuzzy surface on any wood that was not sealed. None of it is usually a reason to replace the piece, but all of it is worth ten minutes of attention before you sit on it.

What to check before the first use

Start by giving every piece a firm push and a wobble test while it is empty, before anyone sits down. A wooden chair or bench that rocks or flexes at a joint has either loosened fixings or a crack starting, and both are worth catching now rather than mid-summer.

Go over every visible screw and bolt with the right screwdriver or hex key and tighten what has worked loose. On metal-framed furniture, check for rust starting at the screw heads or where paint has chipped, since that is where it spreads fastest. A screw that has rusted through or strips as you tighten it should be replaced, not forced.

Stainless steel or galvanised screws are worth the small extra cost over plain zinc-plated ones, particularly on anything that sits directly on grass or gets rained on without cover. If you are not sure what is in the piece already, a quick look at the screw head under a torch usually tells you: heavy pitting or a orange-brown coating means it is on its way out.

• Wobble-test each chair, bench and table before use
• Tighten every screw and bolt you can reach with a screwdriver or hex key
• Check screw heads and hinges for rust, especially where paint has chipped
• Replace any screw that strips or turns without resistance
• Swap plain zinc-plated screws for stainless or galvanised where you can
• Check that folding mechanisms and locking pins still move freely

Resealing wood after winter

If the wood looks pale, grey or slightly rough to the touch, the previous coat of oil or sealant has worn through and the surface is exposed. This is normal after a winter outside and is not a sign anything has gone badly wrong, but leaving it another season lets moisture get further into the grain.

Sand lightly with fine-grit paper along the grain to remove the greyed layer and any splinters, then wipe off the dust with a dry cloth. Let the wood dry fully on a warm, dry day before applying anything, since sealing over damp wood traps moisture underneath rather than keeping it out.

Apply a garden furniture oil or teak oil in thin coats, following the grain, and let each coat dry before deciding whether it needs another. Pine and spruce furniture generally needs re-oiling every one to two years in this climate; oak and teak hold up longer but still benefit from a light coat most springs.

If furniture was taken apart for winter storage

Furniture that was dismantled in autumn to fit in a shed or store more compactly needs to go back together carefully, not just however it comes apart most easily. Lay out all the parts and hardware first and check nothing is missing before you start, since a lost bolt is much easier to notice at this stage than halfway through.

Use the original screws and bolts where they are still sound, but do not force a screw back into a hole that has become slightly oversized from repeated assembly and disassembly. In that case a slightly thicker screw, or a dab of wood glue in the hole before refitting the original, usually solves it.

If you have several pieces to reassemble, or a set that came with instructions you no longer have, it is often quicker to have it done properly in one visit than to work through it piece by piece over a weekend. Furniture assembly is one of the jobs we do from 39 € per hour, call-out included in Tallinn.

When it is the terrace, not the furniture, that needs work

Sometimes furniture that seems unsteady is standing on a surface that has moved over winter rather than being faulty itself. Timber decking can have boards that lifted slightly with frost, and loose or popped screws in the decking itself will make any furniture on top feel wobbly no matter how well it is assembled.

Check the decking by walking the area slowly and pressing down near board edges and joints. Give particular attention to boards near downpipes or shaded corners, where damp sits longest and rot or softening starts first. A board that flexes underfoot or feels soft at the edge needs looking at before it takes weight from furniture or people.

Small repairs such as re-screwing loose boards are usually straightforward, but a terrace with several soft or damaged boards, or one that has not been checked in a few years, is worth a proper inspection rather than patching one board at a time. Decking and terrace work starts from 90 € per job, with a fixed quote given after we have seen photos or the terrace itself.