If you want to learn about selecting hardware for the next garden furniture project, you & # 39; ll want to read this article. Specifically, I & # 39; will be telling you about the type of hardware will perform best, so the kind of used metal fasteners and the paint used is important, and how adequate protection and limit exposure can increase the lifetime of the furniture wet and winter conditions. Once you & # 39; Done this article you will understand that the best choice for outdoor furniture hardware on the project depends on the furniture style, materials used in construction, the furniture and the selected location on a budget.
proper
Selection of furniture hardware helps ensure the longevity and improve the overall appearance of the furniture. Part of the problem is that we know what kind of hardware to choose when there are so many options available in the store. The typical Lowes or Home Depot carries a huge selection of stainless steel, hot dipped galvanized, galvanized bright, flat steel, galvanized steel and brass bolts, nuts, washers and screws. Any type of fastener suitable for certain applications, but not all are ideal for outdoor furniture applications.
In fact, choosing the wrong fasteners greatly reduces the service life of the furniture, it contributes to the rot of furniture, painting it ugly, in fact, that the furniture is not safe to use.
One thing that should be noted up front, never use unprotected steel fasteners outdoor furniture, they rust very quickly, and the steel will react to the tannic acid that causes wood strips and painting. The tannins really accelerates the corrosion of fasteners. Have you ever seen a wooden fence with black stripes running down the boards with nails? It was installed the wrong type of fasteners fence. The same will happen to the furniture. Even worse, such as stainless fasteners, it speeds up the decomposition process of the wood around the rusted fasteners, ruining the furniture and therefore potentially dangerous to use.
Galvanized
screws, nuts hot dip galvanizing specially treated for outdoor use. Electroplated galvanized and bright galvanized fasteners will ultimately not up, and galvanized hardware. Zinc is used to coat both methods and acts as a barrier against the elements and the tannic acid in the wood.
We recommend only using the screws in the construction of outdoor furniture, however. The galvanized nails or galvanized and hot dipped, easily damaged, while pounding them, exposing the nail head to the elements and allows you to quickly start rusting.
Proper care must be taken when installing galvanized screws. Drill hardwood and be sure to get a bit worn and not prone to skipping the screw head. For some reason, galvanized screws, it seems that may not be well-tempered than other steel fasteners, and are more likely to either break off or remove the head while installing them. Because of the benefits required fire-coated, galvanized screws are not tight tolerance threads, ribbons and more likely when over tightened.
galvanized fasteners excellent choice for many applications garden furniture, including Adirondack chairs, but not the best choice for used woods such as teak.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is the best choice of woods used more tannin than teak. The stainless steel alloy or a mixture of steel, nickel and chromium. The ratio of the other metals in the steel determine the weather and resistance to corrosion of stainless steel. Because of the softer steel mixed with other metals, stainless steel is not as strong, so predrilling till holes are strongly recommended for all applications, and is essential for hardwoods, such as teak and mahogany. The additional corrosion resistance is more than offset by the gaps, which may be of metal, in particular outdoor furniture applications.
While stainless steel fasteners is the most corrosion-resistant, they are also the most expensive of the options we are talking about. However, the stainless steel fasteners add years of life to the furniture. To the extent they are an investment that will pay off for years to come.
Brass
I've seen some garden furniture brass used commercially produced, but does not recommend it. While copper red rust does not constitute, and is suitable for many wet applications, such as toilets and sinks, it does not tarnish and rust. It is also very sensitive to wood tannic acids, which can cause faster error. Brass screws are not strong enough outdoor furniture especially in applications.
or outdoor deck screws
In recent years, many manufacturers have introduced products specifically marketed external recording deck building. These are typically green, gray, brown or brown. These screws or ceramic or plastic-coated to delay the reaction of the metal wood acids. The specific property of coating each production methods and can be a combination of zinc-galvanized and plastic, ceramic or fried.
I have used these brackets furniture applications, and they have done just fine. Unfortunately, I have not encountered any screws this type of finish. The brand I used was the screw Deck Mate, and they are available in tan and brown, the color can be selected to better meet the timber used. These screws ceramic-coated and coated bit provided by the manufacturer of the installation, which was designed to not damage the ceramic coating of the screw head. If this type of recording, be sure to compare the stainless steel, such as price changes. If the stainless steel is reasonably comparable to the costs, this would be the proposed fasteners.
Always read the manufacturer's number indicated on the box to be sure that the screws are suitable for the application.
Other aspects
If you are building furniture that will be located on a covered porch or patio where you need to be protected from the weather, the concern will be the interplay of wood and fasteners more as the weather. Furniture that will be exposed to the elements all year round, such as a garden bench or an Adirondack chair in a corner of the garden, you have to develop a lot more attention and care that they hold more than just one or two winters.
Further considerations must be taken not only in the choice of what type of fastener to use, although this is very important. For example, fasteners can not be located where the water, which collects and sit fasteners longer. The screws that secure the seat slats of a Adirondack chair is an excellent example of typical pattern during these screws flush surface of the wood. This allows that water does not collect in the holes, shortens the life of all but the stainless steel fasteners, and prolongs the exposure of the timber the water, leading to increased mortality. In applications where the furniture will be exposed to the elements year, the screw heads should be driven flush with the surface of the surrounding trees.
construction and the furniture is also an important consideration. Some of the horizontal surfaces of furniture designed in such a way that allows them to shed water instead collect it? Think of a picnic table in a grid or table top. The gaps between the boards allow the water in a way that runs down from the top and not in the pool.
Conclusion
Stainless steel is usually the best choice for outdoor furniture applications, but the cost may be prohibitive for some. There are other less expensive recording options that has appropriate characteristics. Do not use unprotected steel fasteners outdoor furniture applications under any circumstances. They know where and how you intend to use the furniture and design, the circumstances shall be used.