Latest News
Guide - Tubular metal
The majority of garden leisure furniture has, for many years, been made from tubular metal. Even with the much wider range of materials available today, tubular metal still forms the major part of the market particularly for folding furniture. Tubular metal furniture is made either from steel tube, zinc plated or plastic coated or from alluminium alloy tube.
These days, most furniture made from steel tube, whether folding or for stacking, is plastic coated. This is achieved either by fitting an outside sleeve of plastic to the metal or by dipping or spraying the metal with plastic which forms a bonded coat on the material which is highly resistant to chipping. Although most tubular metal furniture with a plastic coating is produced in white, any colour can be used depending upon the fashion of the moment.
Aluminium alloy tube is also used extensively and, since it is rust proof, it requires no surface coating. Slight surface oxidation can take place, particularly near the sea, leading to a light coating of white dust on the surface. Although this can be polished off it will, if left in place, prevent any further oxidation. Aluminium alloy frames have the advantage of being very light and are therefore used extensively for camping furniture, particularly picnic sets.
Although tubular metal furniture is highly resistant to attack from the weather, it should not normally be left outside in the British climate when not being used. Folding furniture is held together by rivets and since the metal surfaces rub together at these points, rust can take a hold and make the furniture unsightly by rust stains or can damage the material by rusting it internally. Fabric seats and cushions also, of course, deteriorate with both strong sunshine and wet weather. It is therefore sensible to keep tubular furniture stored during winter in a dry shed or garage and, when in use during the summer, to move it under cover when rain threatens.
Some metal framed furniture, particularly stacking furniture with metal mesh seats and backs or with plastic seats and backs, has been developed particularly for use in outdoor areas such as bars and hotel terraces. It is therefore highly resistant to weather and unlikely to deteriorate to any extent unless left outside permanently year after year.
All folding metal furniture should be regularly oiled at pivot points to avoid corrosion and rust stains. Care should be taken not to use too much oil since this can itself lead to staining of fabrics and cushions. Where aluminium alloy tube or galvanized iron tube is used uncoated, the bright finish can be maintained by a very light rub of oil with a rag. This primarily applies to camping furniture since the majority of furniture intended for garden use is, these days, plastic coated. If aluminium alloy tube has suffered oxidation during winter storage leaving a white powdery surface, this can easily be removed by use of a very fine wire wool. Where metal tubes are plastic coated there should be no need for regular maintenance but if the plastic coatng on steel frames is damaged and there are signs of rust, it is worth touching up any scratches with a rust inhibiting paint to avoid further corrosion.