Keeping the Best Care For Your Storage Bench
Everything in this world is subject to age, regardless of how we feel about it. Your patio furniture is no exception – because it is outdoors, subjected to every element that mother nature can throw at it, it is going to wear down a lot faster than a lot of the things that you own. The result of this grand breakdown is one of two things happening as your storage bench comes to the end of its natural life: we decide the best course of action is to replace these pieces that have become very important to us, or we decide to repair them because of the value they bring to our lives. But, by taking proper care and knowing what to watch for now can prevent a lot of unwanted maintenance later on in life.
Regular maintenance for your storage bench starts by preventing the worst from happening to your storage bench. The very first thing you should do is either paint or stain every wooden part of your bench. By staining or painting every part of your bench, you are protecting the structural integrity of the wood itself. The stain or paint acts as a barrier from which bugs, pests, and mold can not get deep into the wood.
While this is a key step in making your patio furniture look at the finest it has ever been, you are still far from the clear in making your storage bench have its longest life. Chipped paint and discolored staining are signs that it could be time to refinish your bench. As this happens, please do not panic: it is a natural process that is caused by the weather and elements beating down on your items. In order to remedy this, all you need to do is sand off the old paint or stain, and restart with a new coat of your covering of choice.
The exterior of your bench won’t be the only thing that you will have to keep a close eye on. As you continue to pull things in and out of your storage bench, you will be putting constant wear of the hinges. This constant, regular motion will cause the hinges to either rust over, or break over time.
There are two ways you can combat rust with the moving parts of your storage bench. First off, depending on the metals involved, a semi-annual oiling of your hinges will keep them free of friction, and protect your metals from the elements. A mineral-based oil will work out OK for this purpose. If your hinges are beyond repair, then you may need to replace them. Hinges can be replaced very easily by replacement parts at your local hardware store.
Knowing how to properly care for and maintain your storage bench will ensure that you get the longest life out of it. By being able to take care of it now, years of enjoyment will be your reward for a little work put in today.
