How to keep indoor furniture
Patio furniture is a big investment, and you certainly want to make sure it’s there to be enjoyed year after year. If you have a sheltered area in your backyard, you probably don’t worry too much about securing your patio furniture so that it doesn’t drift away in a high wind or storm.
But battling the elements is a way of life for those who live on the coast or in areas where the trade winds seem to always blow. Often a strong wind can come out of nowhere and blow away all your furniture, food and drinks. This is especially true if you have a patio full of plastic patio furniture.
As you know, these inexpensive items can really come in handy at a party, complementing your permanent patio furniture so everyone can gather, enjoy a drink and a bite to eat on a hot summer day. Not only are they cheap, but they’re also easy to move, especially when compared to a quality piece of furniture that’s made to last and is much more substantial.
To keep your party from turning into a whirlwind of excitement, you should take some precautions when preparing your party if wind is expected. With just a few precautions, you can be sure your party will be a hit, even if it’s hit by a sudden gust of wind.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to weigh down your furniture with ugly red brick. However, you can weight down a small patio table with a glass brick that is filled with colored sand or other heavy objects such as glass beads. This not only adds weight but also beauty to these tables.
If your party will last into the evening, you can use a similar trick but create lighting instead. You can use the decorative glass bricks to hold a single candle or press several pointed candles down into a base of sand or aquarium stones. This can create an elegant decoration as well as hold the table.
Plastic patio chairs are a bit more difficult to work with. That said, you can create a simple weight with lead beds. If you’re anywhere near a lake, river, or ocean, there’s a good chance you have a fishing tackle store nearby. Sometimes Wal-Mart will have a good selection as well of lead fishing weights.
Get a good commercial grade lead sinker that is heavy enough to hold your chairs in place without adding so much weight to the chair that it is difficult to move. You can mount these weights in one of two ways. If you want them to be invisible and invisible, you can add them to the base of the legs where they curve together. You can tape them there permanently or use some decorative tape (comes in many colors these days) to hold them in place. Alternatively, you can hang the weight from the center of the chair. Simply drill two holes in the center of the chair (there is usually one already there for the drain) and tie the sink to it with fishing line. Make sure you leave enough rope so that the sink touches the patio or deck. You don’t want it to swing around and potentially hit the guest sitting in the chair.
Larger dining tables won’t move as easily, but if you have an umbrella, you should make sure it has a weighted base to add weight to the table. Otherwise, your umbrella may catch a sudden gust and send your table flying. The decorative glass bricks mentioned above can also help keep the table heavy enough to withstand strong breezes. These bricks are available at almost every home improvement store, as they are a popular item in homes where they are used to create translucent walls in the bathroom or between rooms. To add a decorative touch, insert a string of colored lights into the hole and turn them on when it gets dark.
Obviously, wood, wrought iron, and steel patio furniture won’t budge as easily as the plastic variety. But with just a little creativity and some planning, you can throw an outdoor party with confidence, even if the weather calls for a little fuss.
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