Materials

Aluminium is a light and tough metal with an excellent strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance - making it an ideal material for outdoor furniture.

The corrosion resistance of Gloster’s aluminium furniture is enhanced by pre-treating the aluminium extrusions with a chrome conversion coating that deposits a thin layer of chrome on the surface. The treated frame is subsequently coated with an electro-statically applied, powder coat finish. The electro-static application method ensures 100% coverage of the metal’s surface area and provides a consistent and tough finish that far exceeds other conventional paint finishes. The resulting finish is knock and scratch resistant, impervious to moisture, highly resistant to corrosion and easy to clean.

All Gloster woven furniture is made from only the highest quality man-made fibre. Soft to the touch, this remarkable material has many benefits including high suppleness, tear resistance, UV resistance and weather resistance. The polyethylene based, extruded and through-dyed wicker is completely weatherproof as well as being colourfast, extremely hard wearing and easy to clean. The wicker is resistant to chlorine, salt water, tanning lotions and oils.

The basic structure of a woven item is made from a fully welded, powder-coated aluminium frame. Once welded, the entire frame is electro-statically powder coated in a tough, smooth finish that matches the colour of the wicker. This way, the frame is fully protected against corrosion and becomes virtually invisible once it has been woven over.

Woven furniture can be left outside all year round and is able to withstand temperatures from -20°C to +55°C

(-4°F to 131°F). When very cold, the weave will become stiffer than normal and when very hot, the weave will become more elastic. However, it will always revert to it's normal elasticity, once the ambient temperature stabilises.

Gloster uses a more textured, thicker type of wicker than most other manufacturers. Although this wicker is harder to weave, it is stronger, more resistant to tension, tearing and splitting, wears better and gives a more natural feel to the product.

Teak is a close grained hardwood with a high natural oil content. This makes it hard wearing, highly resistant to rotting and almost impervious to the effects of sun, rain, frost or snow. These characteristics combine to make it the ideal timber for all outdoor applications. Only premium grade plantation-grown teak is used for the manufacture of Gloster furniture. The features of premium grade teak are a straight grain structure, the absence of knots, splits or cracks and an even overall colour.

INDOOR USE

Gloster buffed teak benefits from an enhanced surface preparation procedure, where the natural oils already contained within the teak are brought to the surface and burnished to produce a rich sheen and a consistent colour. If you intend to use your furniture indoors or under cover outside (where it will not get wet), the teak will retain much of its original colour and the soft sheen of its buffed finish. Any marks, stains or damage to the buffed teak finish can be restored using the Gloster Buffed Teak Repair Kit.

OUTDOOR USE

Gloster buffed teak benefits from an enhanced surface preparation procedure, where the natural oils already contained within the teak are brought to the surface and burnished to produce a rich sheen and a consistent colour.

As with natural finish teak, left to age naturally outside, buffed teak will gradually change to a soft, silver-grey as the pigments in the surface layer of the wood begin to fade away. After the first few exposures to water, you should also expect the surface grain to rise slightly. As a part of the buffing process, the surface is wetted before final sanding to raise the grain, so there will be significantly less raised grain on buffed teak than on natural finish teak. We recommend that you allow your teak furniture to weather naturally this way and simply clean thoroughly once or twice a year with our Teak Cleaner. Buffed teak furniture may also benefit from an occasional light sanding to remove any raised grain and restore a smooth finish to the surface. Under no circumstances should a power washer be used to clean teak furniture as this will erode the surface.

Because teak is a naturally oily wood, it is not possible to paint or varnish. Any paint or varnish applied will not adhere properly to the surface and after a short while will start to peel off.

If you wish to retain the golden-brown colour of new teak we also offer a Teak Sealer. Application of Teak Sealer will not affect the strength or longevity of the furniture in any way, just its appearance. If you elect to use Teak Sealer you will be embarking on a regular maintenance programme as Teak Sealer needs to be regularly re-applied to provide continuous protection.

If you intend to store your furniture over the winter, we recommend that you do so in a water-tight garden shed or garage. However, we advise that you do not move teak furniture from the garden straight into a heated indoor room for storage, as the sharp differences in temperature and humidity may cause the wood to split.

To protect teak surfaces from staining and to help maintain the silver-grey patina on weathered teak, we recommend using our Teak Protector. Our Teak Protector creates an almost invisible shield which helps to prevent food (coffee, ketchup, red wine, olive oil, etc.) penetrating into the teak and causing unsightly stains. Teak Protector also helps protects the wood against the ingress of moisture, the adhesion of dirt and prevents mildew growth.