Those who have been following this blog know I'm in the market for patio set covers. Although, my search is relatively new (as in less than 8 weeks) I have likely devoted at least an hour of thinking time per day to the endeavor. I'm beginning to think that patio set covers are a thing of a bygone era.
I have also come to the realization that I want these covers to save myself some work. As I recommended a few posts ago, it is important to really analyze why you want something in order that you end up with the thing that really suits your needs. I have put a great deal of thought into why I want patio set covers and I realized it is to save me from unnecessary labor.
Once the birds start chirping and the first crocuses poke their heads from the ground, my kids want to have every meal in the backyard (actually in a tent if they could have their way). And why not? We have been stuck inside for the past 5 or 6 months and the warmer air and sunshine is nothing short of lovely. Our whole family is eager to spend every available minute outside. Even the most mundane meal feels like and adventure or a picnic if eaten outside, particularly in the beginning months of the summer. Admittedly, some foods are just better eaten outside, like watermelon with seeds and corn on the cob dripping with butter. I generally agree to serve a few suppers per week outside on weekdays and most lunches and suppers outside on weekends. When the kids are out of school they can eat their breakfasts outside as well.
We live in an area that, although downtown, has lots of wildlife. Many birds, squirrels, chipmunks, cats and raccoons pass through our backyard and generally take some time to walk on our patio table. Aside from the muddy footprints, who knows what they might track in. Accordingly, I am in the backyard washing the top of our patio table six to eight times per week and sadly sometimes twice per day.
Covers for my patio set would save me almost 60 minutes per week. What wouldn't I do for an extra hour of personal time per week? That time savings amounts to almost 12 hours over the course of the summer. That is a minimum in time savings, as I recently realized that there is another area of work that would be eliminated (will save this insight for another post) by the purchase of patio set covers.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Outdoor Furniture Covers
As you may have already read in this blog, I have become interested in outdoor furniture covers for my patio furniture. I have spent a fair amount of time searching online and in stores such as Home Depot, Homesense and Home Outfitters and have had marginal luck at best. There seems to be a very limited target market of consumers ofr such things and as a result good quality outdoor furniture covers are hard to find. At least they are hard to find in my community. The very few I have found don't suit my needs as they are either the wrong size, wildly expensive, unattractive, or are cheaply constructed.
I have put a great deal of thought into what qualities I am looking for and I have a mental image of what I would consider to be the perfect outdoor furniture covers for me. Firstly, the colour would be fairly neutral perhaps a sage green or taupe. I don't want a dark colour as I fear the sun and snow would fade it and it would look worn too quickly. That said, I don't want too light of a colour either as I don't want it to show stains.
I want the covers to be made out of a very thin material that can be stored in a very small un-obtrusive spot. Ideally, all of the covers (4 chairs and a table) could be stuffed into a small bag roughly the size of a small sleeping bag bag or a yoga mat bag. I am thinking of some sort of durable spandex material.
I would want my outdoor furniture covers to be extremely easy to put on and take off. At the end of a late night, I don't want to feel overwhelmed by the task of putting on my patio furniture covers. To me this means things such as stretchy light weight material with elasticized fasteners or perhaps velcro tabs. I would consider zippers but only zippers that are of the highest quality and easy to pull. Given that the zippers would be exposed to the elements I would only consider an excellent quality plastic zipper.
Lastly, I would want my covers to be UV and water resistant but not wind proof. The last thing I would want is for my patio furniture to be blown around like little sail boats or kites.
Actually, I suppose the last consideration would be price. Having something custom made in North America can be cost prohibitive so I will be looking for store bought outdoor furniture covers. In a perfect world I would like to be able to get a decent set for under $100.00. This means that I might need to wait for the end of summer sales.
I have put a great deal of thought into what qualities I am looking for and I have a mental image of what I would consider to be the perfect outdoor furniture covers for me. Firstly, the colour would be fairly neutral perhaps a sage green or taupe. I don't want a dark colour as I fear the sun and snow would fade it and it would look worn too quickly. That said, I don't want too light of a colour either as I don't want it to show stains.
I want the covers to be made out of a very thin material that can be stored in a very small un-obtrusive spot. Ideally, all of the covers (4 chairs and a table) could be stuffed into a small bag roughly the size of a small sleeping bag bag or a yoga mat bag. I am thinking of some sort of durable spandex material.
I would want my outdoor furniture covers to be extremely easy to put on and take off. At the end of a late night, I don't want to feel overwhelmed by the task of putting on my patio furniture covers. To me this means things such as stretchy light weight material with elasticized fasteners or perhaps velcro tabs. I would consider zippers but only zippers that are of the highest quality and easy to pull. Given that the zippers would be exposed to the elements I would only consider an excellent quality plastic zipper.
Lastly, I would want my covers to be UV and water resistant but not wind proof. The last thing I would want is for my patio furniture to be blown around like little sail boats or kites.
Actually, I suppose the last consideration would be price. Having something custom made in North America can be cost prohibitive so I will be looking for store bought outdoor furniture covers. In a perfect world I would like to be able to get a decent set for under $100.00. This means that I might need to wait for the end of summer sales.
Cheap Patio Furniture Covers
I have been looking for cheap patio furniture covers for the past few months. I live for the part of each year in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is a stunningly beautiful country with a punishing sun and a punishing wind. Even the most carefully varnished patio furniture built with the most durable tropical hardwoods can only last 8 - 12 months before it shows visible signs of age and wear. Given that I don't like to strip and re-finish my patio furniture under this same blistering sun, I have decided that I need to find some cheap patio furniture covers.
This task has proven to be more daunting than I would have thought. Although in hindsight thinking I could simply buy patio furniture covers in Nicaragua was a bit of a fools errand in the first place. (I recall spending a half day looking for a can opener during my first days in San Juan del Sur.) Most patio furniture here is hand made and is often the result of hiring a local carpenter and handing him a roughly sketched out design. As a result there is very little uniformity in patio furniture and most pieces are unique. After a few futile searches in the major department stores of Managua, it occurred to me that if my patio furniture was hand-made and custom designed then my patio furniture covers would also have to be hand made and custom designed. Thankfully, arranging to have things made here is a fairly simple and in expensive procedure. I reckon with a little planning and sketching I can have some cheap patio furniture covers within a month.
The first thing I need to do is measure my furniture to determine the appropriate size of my new patio furniture covers. I think I will design the chair covers with two side panels adjoined by a long strip covering the back, seat and front. The cover for the patio table will simply be a flat piece the size of the table plus 6 inches on each side. The edges will have an elastic insert allowing the patio table cover to simply slip onto the top of the table like a shower cap.
Once I have the furniture measured and the covers designed, I will attempt to make a pattern out of newspaper that I can pass along to our local seamstress. I will have to also shop of an appropriate material. I want the material to be as cheap as possible without being hideous. Much like my patio furniture was, my new patio furniture covers will be exposed to a punishing sun and can't be expected to last more than a year or two. Given the short shelf life it is important that I can create some cheap patio furniture covers. I expect that I can get a set of covers for approximately 25 dollars including material and labor.
This task has proven to be more daunting than I would have thought. Although in hindsight thinking I could simply buy patio furniture covers in Nicaragua was a bit of a fools errand in the first place. (I recall spending a half day looking for a can opener during my first days in San Juan del Sur.) Most patio furniture here is hand made and is often the result of hiring a local carpenter and handing him a roughly sketched out design. As a result there is very little uniformity in patio furniture and most pieces are unique. After a few futile searches in the major department stores of Managua, it occurred to me that if my patio furniture was hand-made and custom designed then my patio furniture covers would also have to be hand made and custom designed. Thankfully, arranging to have things made here is a fairly simple and in expensive procedure. I reckon with a little planning and sketching I can have some cheap patio furniture covers within a month.
The first thing I need to do is measure my furniture to determine the appropriate size of my new patio furniture covers. I think I will design the chair covers with two side panels adjoined by a long strip covering the back, seat and front. The cover for the patio table will simply be a flat piece the size of the table plus 6 inches on each side. The edges will have an elastic insert allowing the patio table cover to simply slip onto the top of the table like a shower cap.
Once I have the furniture measured and the covers designed, I will attempt to make a pattern out of newspaper that I can pass along to our local seamstress. I will have to also shop of an appropriate material. I want the material to be as cheap as possible without being hideous. Much like my patio furniture was, my new patio furniture covers will be exposed to a punishing sun and can't be expected to last more than a year or two. Given the short shelf life it is important that I can create some cheap patio furniture covers. I expect that I can get a set of covers for approximately 25 dollars including material and labor.
Wicker Patio Furniture Covers
If protected by wicker patio furniture covers, Wicker furniture can last for decades. I remember fondly my grandmother's wicker furniture. As a child I did not like it as well as my own family's boxy picnic table ans brightly coloured stacking plastic chairs. As I said I was a child. Now I would love to have my grandmother's old furniture. The same stuff in sells for an arm and a leg in anitque stores.
Old is new again is a theme we hear all the time. I think Martha Stewart likely single handedly made us crave the methods used and the lifestyles/skills of used by our grandmothers. Whether these methods or lifestyles/skills related to flower arranging, preserving jams, arranging a table, growing our own herbs or drinking ice tea in wicker furniture, it's new to want what is old.
So if you have purchased expensive wicker patio furniture or were lucky enough to inherit some, you would be well served to protect your treasured belongings with good quality wicker patio furniture covers. A few years ago this would have been very difficult as that type of cover was hard to find. Thankfully, as wicker patio furniture has made a resurgence, the covers for the same became easier to come by.
There are a number of online sources that sell patio furniture covers and specifically covers for wicker furniture. You could also check the yellow pages under patio furniture or wicker furniture.
Another way to get these covers is to hire a seamstress to sew a series of sack like bags that have a drawstring around the bottom or have an elasticized bottom. These can be slipped over the wicker furniture and tightened at the bottom. Make sure the fabric you choose is UV resistant and water resistant for the best protection.
Wicker furniture is a beautiful addition to your outdoor decorating scheme. Protect
your beautiful furniture with good quality wicker patio furniture covers.
Old is new again is a theme we hear all the time. I think Martha Stewart likely single handedly made us crave the methods used and the lifestyles/skills of used by our grandmothers. Whether these methods or lifestyles/skills related to flower arranging, preserving jams, arranging a table, growing our own herbs or drinking ice tea in wicker furniture, it's new to want what is old.
So if you have purchased expensive wicker patio furniture or were lucky enough to inherit some, you would be well served to protect your treasured belongings with good quality wicker patio furniture covers. A few years ago this would have been very difficult as that type of cover was hard to find. Thankfully, as wicker patio furniture has made a resurgence, the covers for the same became easier to come by.
There are a number of online sources that sell patio furniture covers and specifically covers for wicker furniture. You could also check the yellow pages under patio furniture or wicker furniture.
Another way to get these covers is to hire a seamstress to sew a series of sack like bags that have a drawstring around the bottom or have an elasticized bottom. These can be slipped over the wicker furniture and tightened at the bottom. Make sure the fabric you choose is UV resistant and water resistant for the best protection.
Wicker furniture is a beautiful addition to your outdoor decorating scheme. Protect
your beautiful furniture with good quality wicker patio furniture covers.
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