July 2nd, 2008
8:10 pm
Patio
Summer is in full swing and it’s time to spend some quality time relaxing outside. If you haven’t already set your patio up for the season, here are some quick tips to consider as you get ready to set up and accessorize your outdoor oasis.
Where you live will have a big impact on the type of furniture you put on your patio. If you live in an area with high humidity or rain, you will need to consider a storage unit on your patio to store fabric cushions when not in use. The hot sun of the southwest can have detrimental effects on colors as well, so that is also something to consider. Perhaps an umbrella is in order?
Will you be having a lot of get-togethers on your patio? If so, make sure that you’ve got enough seating for your guests. A glider or swing will be perfect for relaxing. Don’t forget tables- one larger, and perhaps a smaller one in between lounge chairs. A decorative cooler will be an added bonus for keeping drinks cool. These come in a variety of styles, so be sure to look around before you make your choice. A fire pit is one of the newer items that have really gained interest recently. Be careful to consider the safety of adding such a feature to your patio.
Finally, plants, wind chimes, and water features will add to the appeal of your patio. There are many styles in varying price ranges from which to choose. Do some research into what will work the best for you before making your purchase.
June 19th, 2008
8:07 pm
Patio
With the outdoors becoming more and more popular, homeowners are moving the indoors, outdoors. To manage busy schedules, patio lovers will need something to help them keep track of time.
For those that like the simpler things in life, try a sundial. Sundials come in many different shapes and sizes. Some sundials are even incorporated into a birdbath. The only problem you might have with your sundial is deciding where to put it and making sure it gets enough sunlight.
If a sundial is not your best option to tell time, maybe an outdoor clock will work. Make sure that the clock is rated for outdoor use or else it is not going to last very long. It will rust and stop working.
Even if it is under a patio, the clock needs to be an outdoor clock. Choose a battery- operated one as it will allow you to hang your clock anywhere you want to. Next make sure your clock has a glass face. Glass is easy to clean, can withstand the weather and will keep the elements out of your clock. Plus plastic tends to scratch and after a year the dials will be hard to see.
The only problem with glass is safety. If your clock is next to the basketball hoop, there is a good chance it will not be around for long.
First choose the best location to hang your clock. Is it going to be on a brick wall or a wood fence? This will help determine what material your clock should be made of. Outdoor clocks come in many styles and materials. Choose from wood clocks, metal clocks, wicker clocks, plastic clocks or wrought iron clock. There should be a clock that fits in with any style of patio decor and furniture.
Besides just time, clocks can also show you the temperature and outside barometric pressure. This can come in handy if you have a junior weather forecaster.
Time is important to all of us, why not keep track of it while you are on your patio?
It looks like summer may have finally arrived for many of us now the temperatures are beginning to rise and the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, barring any global warming anomalies we hopefully will be in for a lovely bright sunny few summer months this year. After being cooped up in the house for what seems like an eternity over the winter months it is like breaking free to finally be able to go out and enjoy some sun on your skin and warmth on your bones. This is the time of year where we start working outside in our gardens, doing the maintaining of the garden, hedges and the patio area in readiness for the forth coming summer. A nicely kept large patio area is becoming one of the most wanted things that people look for when looking to buy a new property as more and more people are spending larger amounts of time outside in the garden, entertaining and socialising so it is vitally important to ensure that your patio or decking area is always kept well maintained. So what should you do to ensure that your patio is kept looking at its best?
The winter months can take their toll on even the nicest and most well looked after patio area so making sure that you get to work on tidying it up as soon as the winter months have passed is very important, the longer you leave the job the harder it will be to get back to its original state and a well maintained, fresh looking patio area can complement the whole garden area and make it look fantastic.
Depending on what type of patio area you have is going to depend how you have to look after it, the two main variations are wooden decking and any type of stone patio flooring. Both forms of patio are as popular as each other but either one can look better in certain gardens. If you have a raised patio area a wooden decked patio area with guard rails looks better than a stone floored patio area and likewise a level garden area looks better with a stone floored patio. Both wooden and stone patios have different maintenance needs but both need a similar amount of work to keep them in tip top condition.
Wooden decking has a habit of getting very slippery if not maintained properly due to the build up of algae and moss, to eradicate this problem you need to make sure that you have a high pressure power washer with a suitable chemical additive to remove the build up and make the decking area less of a hazard. Because the decking is made of wood it will need an application of preservative every year to ensure that the wood is properly nourished, this can be a very laborious if you have a large area to cover but the rewards are appreciable when the task is completed. Even if you have a pressure treated decking area that has been impregnated with wood preservative it is always advisable to add an extra coat to keep it looking wonderful. As wooden decking is raised off the ground it is very rare to have problems with weeds coming through.
Stone patio areas are available in many different types of stone, such as slate, Indian stone, York stone and concrete flags, all of which need similar maintenance. The first problem that most people encounter with their stone patio area is a build of moss and weeds between the flags, this is generally caused by the pointing of sand and cement that joints the flags together has developed cracks to enable weeds and moss to get a foot hold. There are three ways to clear this problem, firstly you can manually get down on your hands and knees and clean all of the joints and then re-apply the sand and cement, secondly you can apply a weed and moss killer and the re-apply the sand and cement when the weed killer has eradicated the moss and weeds of finally you can clear the patio area using a high pressure jet washer, this is the easiest method but can lead to removing more of the sand and cement from the joints.
It is recommended to wash down your stone patio area at least once a month to ensure that not weeds, grass or moss can get roots set in and start to create a problem for you. It may be advisable to apply a coating to your patio flooring to protect the flags from the elements and keep it looking fresh; this usually needs to be applied once a year although there are products on the market which claim to do the job for up to 5 years.
So there you have it, a few handy tips on keeping your patio flooring and patio area nice and clean that will hopefully help you to enjoy your patio area as much as is possible this summer.
You is what contemplating Teak purchasing which first of Furniture and you is whether is feel the doubt of if you what is make decisioning real correct? Better, you is and in article quickly this, I will explain why I believe that
If you have used the Teak in a few furniture favorite of outside, later;then this article of just just of easiness information to you to know and shar . with all friend of when them you “ why you buy the Teak
Is do not surprise, or that should not, That Teak wood is wood have loved for the generation of. Secret this wood what out and they have to old.
First, a history Iesson a little
Is is not a famous fact, but is have that Chinese have famous seaman for the generation of. Many from their ship whether woke up and designed to do not only doing dg all out great, but also to make a move to climb the river. Mostly commerce later then, is conduct some thousand miles river to the and do not out in of great that. This ship is needed to multipurpose, durable, and tough
Wood used to develop;build early Ship Chinese is Teak. This also say that Shipbuilding Chinese will entomb the wood book in damp farm through years before their ship building. This make the wood of many which stronger and impervious to all that can be met at to the high enemy seas,including. Why which important? Is important because approx. last 600 year of Chinese what introduced at to the a duty by dynasty Which which m to sail to world edge. Seen to be they circumnavigate the world several times. But this is going cancelation start to fundamental other. Let’S return again to existing the subject I will bet the you do not know that you will really is learn something also?.
Later in years, British naval ships were made from Oak, also a very hard and durable wood. The British encountered two problems with oak: Wood Worms and a lack of Oak trees. Woodworms were destroying the ships in the British Naval Fleet. Woodworms were the scourge of wooden ships throughout history. It could take 850 oak logs to repair one ship. It took a little over 2000 oak logs just to build one ship. The British needed ships as they continued for some time to have maritime issues with the French and to be able to go on to conquer and take control of British colonies. The British naval fleet was their primary means to accomplish this.
The Oak supply in Europe was being quickly depleted. They knew about the Teak wood used on the Chinese ships and how rugged they were after having run into them, literally in the shipping lanes. The British had learned how impervious these ships were to all of the elements at sea: Saltwater, ocean wind, and the blistering sun. It was also learned then that Teak was found to not to splinter when hit by gunfire or artillery fire. This was a very important issue as splintering wood was the chief cause of casualties among naval warfare in the eighteenth century.
Britain was very interested to grow and produce this wood. The British quickly realized they did not need to grow Teak Wood as they could annex those countries where the Teak wood was grown and have a plentiful supply. India, Thailand and Burma were quickly annexed into the British empire. It is not to say this is why the British took over these areas, but it certainly helped to give reason. Myanmar (formerly Burma), which is just south of India, and Yangoon became the first places where Teak was being harvested for British ships. Calcutta was set up as another British shipbuilding site. All of the British merchant ships built in Calcutta were built with Myanmar Teak logs which were said to be the best. Once the wood was depleted from India, logs were harvested from Thailand and Burma.
Teak forests were quickly being depleted. Teak was now the preferred wood used for building ships, Yachts, Ocean liners and furniture. Under ocean conditions, the wood had very little shrinkage or warpage. This meant little maintenance. The wood was also impervious to wood rot and insects, like the mighty woodworm. The famous Ocean liner “Queen Mary” used no less than 1000 tons of teak when built. The British quickly realized the depletion that was taking place and developed a re-forestation plan. They appointed a leader to head this new bureau and began replanting Teak trees on what are now called Teak “plantations”. A set of very strict laws were enacted regarding who can cut Teak Wood and who can purchase it. Once these laws were set in place, one needed to have permission from the British Government to be able to cut a Teak Tree down and or export it.
Teak was also being used by the locals for huts, fence posts, and furniture. India is the third largest importer of Teak today, behind China and Japan. As much as 80% of India’s timber consumption is Teak. The wood is used in India today for local consumption; building homes, furniture, fencing, etc. It is the one wood that can withstand the monsoons, the blistering heat and the humidity. It is the wood that all other timber species are compared to.
Teak Wood contains natural oil and Silica (sand) which makes it impervious to insects, and wood rot. These substances also help it to maintain it luster for many, many years, but make it a little more difficult for the manufactures as their blades tend to dull sooner.
When many of the English ships of WWII were taken apart for salvage, the Teak Wood decks were re-manufactured into outdoor furniture like park benches. Even today they can be seen in many parts of Europe still functioning.
Most of the Teak grown today is grown on Plantations that are governed by the local governments. The demand for Teak is growing at an estimated 10% per year. Teak is a heavily regulated (and rightfully so) commodity, and is sold through the auction process. Teak is not very easy to get. There are regulatory permits that must be purchased and other expenses that go along with regulation. For example, once purchased, it is usually the purchasing companies’ responsibility to provide transportation if the wood is to be exported and certain countries have regulations on how many logs can be exported. Currently, Java, Indonesia is the largest exporter of Teak. There are several companies that are located in Java that will process and fashion the Teak into furniture, or planks for flooring or siding, and then export the finished item or semi finished item to countries around the world.
Teak grow swiftly but still take the approx. 50 year to mature the. many people Nations what is evaluating to repeat the rotation which possible after 30 or 40 year. This is most in relation to big request for the Teak of. Consensus with this rotation is that wood will not be lower at that rate. There are some nations which is whether is trying tree rotation after only 25 year. Result is wood which is are smaller in diameter, colour, and item
Hence, when suming he its all , you get the of many better understanding which do not only from what which hype of about teak wood everywhere, only many quality of teak wood and supply and demand of side teak wood
Many people for the generation of middle enjoy warm of advantage of ownership of teak wood Product. teak wood of Outside Furniture is Standard for the many people of family and in of many people garden, terracing, patio, gallery, ship, and cruiser around the world. If you what is investing in furniture of outside, you really owing it to yourself to step into the Teak world.
About The Author
Michael Ochoa operates Macs Teak Furniture website at http://www.macs-teakfurniture.com. This website specializes in sales of Quality Teak Outdoor Patio Furniture and provides free shipping anywhere in the United States. Make sure to visit Macs Teak Furniture to learn more about Teak Outdoor Patio Furniture.
