Wicker Furniture

If you're in the market for furniture for any room or even outdoor location, give a thought to wicker furniture, with its certain charm and romance, cane-woven texture and stained, painted or oiled surface.

Never follow a road, but make your very own. For you will never know where yours may lead you.
Author: L.Siegel

Wicker furniture brings to mind tropical islands or a charming bed and breakfast in the south of France. Some of the appeal may be attributed to this warm, inviting and comfortable look.

Wicker furniture may be made of a number of vining woods with four main groups. These are bamboo, reed, rattan and willow. They're then woven in to the furniture piece.

When shopping for wicker, look for quality and solid construction. The best pieces will be woven tightly, with a snag-free surface and no splinters. The underside of the legs should have hard rubber tips or casters to protect the furniture.

Don't be tempted to buy wicker furniture requiring you to assemble the piece. Working with wicker is an art, and joining pieces is best done by the manufacturer.

Cleaning the house while the kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk while its snowing.
Author: Phyllis Diller

Similarly, if shopping used furniture, be aware that re-caning is not cheap and may cost more than the piece.

This type of furniture may be used in the garden, but you must take special care to prevent damage from mildew and exposure to the elements. When using outdoors, be sure you get some furniture covers to protect throughout the winter. However, there are also resin materials which can replicate the look of wicker furniture quite closely. So this is an alternative you may want to consider.

Conversely, dry winter heat tends to dry out the wicker furniture, so you'll want an oiled or sealed finish to prevent this aging of your new furniture. You can use oil, varnish or varathane to seal the furniture.

Maintenance of wicker furniture is minimal, especially in the case of indoor wicker furniture. Simply vacuum with the brush attachment or dust as you do your weekly cleaning. Be careful not to wet the wicker as this can lead to mildew.

Sealed wicker furniture may be taken outside and cleaned on a yearly basis with a mild soap and water solution. Spray off with a hose and set in the sun. A warm, breezy day is a good time to clean the furniture, as it dries quickly. Use a sponge or clothe squeezed dry when cleaning painted wicker, so that you do not wet the wicker. Depending on the piece, you may want to turn it over to make for faster drying time.

Don't be tempted to sit on your furniture until it is completely dry, which takes 3 or 4 days. It must be thoroughly dry before use, or you risk the piece sagging or stretching in unattractive ways.

Wicker is so attractive, you can find a piece for any room in your home. In fact, an entire bedroom of wicker furniture produces a charming and comfortable atmosphere. The again, a single wicker towel closet in the bathroom can almost constitute a makeover.

Those gasps of astonishment, those shrieks of pleasure, those sighs of delight, lost long ago when your children grew wise and wordly ~ are suddenly given back to you by your grandchildren. What seems to be the same small hands clutch yours, dragging you from one excitement to another ~ "Look! Oh, look! come ON!"
Author: unknown

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