Tips on Choosing a Patio Furniture Repair Shop Near You
Picture for a moment that your favourite patio furniture is looking worse for wear, but you take a seat and unfortunately it rips. What would you do? Time to take it to a repair shop! You probably do the first thing that most people would do in this circumstance and searching online for “patio furniture repair near me.”
But choosing a high-quality and trustworthy repair shop can be difficult. We have put together a few handy hints to help you on your way to choosing a good one.
Metal Patio Furniture
When trying to repair metal patio furniture it is important to see examples of the paint finish quality. Some repair shops finish off their furniture repairs poorly and do not sandblast – they simply paint over the old paint. A good quality finish needs a sandblast first to remove old paint. This is because the paint acts as a sealant to the metal furniture and it protects it from exposure to the elements. It is important that the repair shop provides a strong “powder coat” finish.
How do they apply the powder coating?
A powder coating is made from a base of a polymer resin system and is mixed with pigments, flow modifiers, curatives, levelling agents, as well as other additives. All the ingredients are melt-mixed, then cooled before being ground into a powder that looks like flour.
The next step is using ESD. ESD stands for electrostatic spray deposition and is used to achieve the best possible application to the metal. It uses a spray gun that applies an electrostatic charge to the particles of powder. These are then attracted to the grounded part. After it has been applied, the parts of the furniture go into a curing oven and, with the heat, there is a chemical reaction where the coating reacts and produces long molecular chains creating high crosslink density. This means that they do not break down easily and protect the metal furniture.
Questions to Ask the Repair Shop
- Ask if the shop does “powder coat” finishes.
Sling Patio Furniture
Sling patio furniture needs different sorts of repairs. You need to be sure that a repair shop uses fabric of the best quality such as weave fabrics made from strong PVC to ensure that they are water-resistant and long-lasting. You should avoid fabrics that are made from a blended mix of materials. A commonly found material that is in blended fabrics is called ‘olefin’. From experience, blended fabrics wear out a lot more quickly than those that are 100% PVC.
PVC fabric is impermeable to water for the most part and is durable too. It is easy to clean – simply mix 2 gallons of water with ¼ of a cup of dish soap, with a ½ cup of bleach if you desire, and brush or sponge this solution onto the sling fabrics. Always rinse it off afterward.
Questions to Ask the Repair Shop
- Ask the repair shop what fabrics they use and if they are made from PVC.
- Ask them how long they have been an established repair shop business.
Vinyl Furniture
Vinyl patio furniture repairs are different again. You need to ensure that a repair shop uses straps made from vinyl that contains UV inhibitors and is made in the USA. This means that the straps will resist discoloration from the sun. Unfortunately, not all vinyl has this. Good quality vinyl straps can last up to 30 years.
Questions to Ask the Repair Shop
- Ask the repair shop if the vinyl strapping is made in the USA.
- Ask them if the straps they use contain UV inhibitors.
Now that you have a little more knowledge about the materials of patio furniture and the importance of finding a good repair shop, you should be able to get your patio furniture fixed in next to no time! No more searching “patio furniture repair near me!”. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask! We have over 45 years of experience. Feel free to email us at sales@sunnilandpatio.com
Good luck!