Patio furniture is a big investment and you want to make sure it is there for you to enjoy year after year. If you have a sheltered area in your backyard, you probably won’t worry too much about securing your patio furniture from shifting in a strong wind or storm.
But battling the elements is a way of life for those who live on the coast or in areas where the trade winds seem to always be blowing. Often times, a strong wind can come out of nowhere, blowing away all your furniture, food, and drinks. This is especially true if you have a patio full of plastic patio furniture.
As you know, these inexpensive pieces can be very useful at a party, complementing your permanent patio furniture so everyone can get together, enjoy a drink and a bite to eat on a hot summer day. Not only are they cheap, but they are easy to move around, especially when compared to quality furniture, which is built to last and much more solid.
To prevent your party from turning into a whirlwind of unintentional excitement, you’ll want to take a few precautions when setting up your party if wind is in the forecast. With just a few precautions, you can be sure your party will be a success, even if it gets hit by a sudden gust of wind.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to overload your furniture with unsightly red brick. However, you can weigh down a small patio table with a glass brick filled with colored sand or other heavy objects, such as glass beads. This not only adds weight, but also beauty to these tables.
If your party is going to last into the night, you can use a similar trick, but create lighting instead. You can use the decorative glass bricks to hold a single candle or push several tapered candles down into a base of sand or aquarium rocks. This can create an elegant decoration and hold the table.
Plastic lawn chairs are a bit more difficult to handle. That said, you can create a simple weight with lead sinkers. If you’re near a lake, river, or ocean, there’s a good chance you have a fishing tackle store nearby. Sometimes Wal-Mart will also have a good selection of lead fishing weights.
Get a good commercial plumb line, one that is heavy enough to hold chairs in place without adding so much weight to the chair that it is difficult to move. You can mount these weights in two ways. If you want them out of sight and out of mind, you can add them to the base of the legs where they curve together. You can stick them in there permanently or use decorative duct tape (comes in many colors these days) to hold them down. Alternatively, you can hang your weight from the center of the chair. Simply drill two holes in the center of the chair (there’s usually one there already for a drain) and tie the sinker with fishing line. Be sure to leave enough line for the plumb line to touch the patio or deck. You don’t want it to swing around and hit the guest sitting in the chair.
Larger dining tables won’t move as easily, but if you have an umbrella, you’ll want to make sure it has a weighted base to add weight to the table. Otherwise, your umbrella may catch a sudden gust and send your table flying. The decorative glass bricks mentioned above can also help keep the table heavy enough to withstand a cool breeze. These bricks are available at almost any home improvement store as they are a popular item in homes where they are used to create translucent walls in the bathroom or between rooms. To add a decorative touch, insert a string of colored lights into the opening and plug them in when darkness falls.
Obviously, wooden, wrought iron and steel garden furniture will not disappear as easily as the plastic variety. But with just a little creativity and some planning, you can confidently throw an outdoor party, even if the weather calls for a little bragging.