Angela Slater

01 March 2015

Daughter of a farmer and market gardener so have always had a connection with the outdoors, whether it was keeping animals or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Along with my work at Hayes Garden World I also have a smallholding, mainly breeding rare breed pigs. I gained an HND and BSc in Conservation and Environmental Land Management, as a result I am an ardent environmentalist and have a keen interest in environmentally friendly gardening. In my time at Hayes I worked for several years in the Outdoor Plant and Houseplant areas

How To Restore Natural Rattan Or Cane Conservatory Furniture Which Has Faded

Paint or varnish faded natural rattan conservatory furniture

Desser Sofia conservatory suite (pictured above)

Natural rattan or cane conservatory furniture will fade if placed in strong sunlight, but unlike synthetic rattan this can be restored to almost pristine condition.

Clean the furniture first by scrubbing in the crevices with a soft brush then using the brush attachment on your vacuum to clean out all the dust.
Brush gently with a soft wire brush to remove any loose fragments.
Give it a light sand down with a fine grain sandpaper, this gives a better surface to which the paint or varnish can adhere.
Make sure the furniture is thoroughly dry.
Make sure you are painting in a well-ventilated area and wearing safety goggles and mask.
Turn the furniture upside-down and paint the underside first.
You can use either a brush or a spray to apply the paint but spraying does work out more expensive as paint is lost.
Either give it 3 coats of a tinted varnish or 2 thin coats of an oil-based undercoat and then 2 thin coats of an oil-based top coat. Make sure each coat is dry before applying the next.
Allow to dry thoroughly before use.

You may have to give the furniture a fresh coat of varnish or paint every couple of years.

For more information on keeping garden and conservatory furniture in pristine condition for longer just click on the links below:

Can I keep my natural rattan and cane conservatory furniture out in winter?

Can I get replacement cushions for my synthetic rattan garden furniture?

Can I leave out the cushions on my synthetic rattan garden furniture when it rains?

How to paint natural rattan or cane conservatory furniture

How to weatherproof natural rattan and cane conservatory furniture

Do I need to cover synthetic garden furniture in winter?

Do I need to cover natural rattan or cane conservatory furniture in winter?

How to cover synthetic rattan garden furniture

How to protect the feet on natural rattan and cane conservatory furniture

How to protect the feet on synthetic rattan garden furniture