Using a tent to over-winter garden furniture. Yes/no?

Using a tent to over-winter garden furniture. Yes/no?

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Discussion

driverrob

Original Poster:

4,687 posts

202 months

Friday 22nd July 2016
quotequote all
We have quite a lot of hardwood patio furniture, some of it quite old. It now gets 2 coats of teak oil every year but still suffers over the winter.
Cornish winters here can be long, wet and windy. Last winter we covered it all with a mixture of cheap synthetic bench covers, heavy lined covers and tarpaulins.
The cheap ones all started to split in the wind. Most of it had degrees of mouldiness when uncovered and some actually blew over.
It's not worth a huge amount but would be very costly to replace with new so I'd like some ideas for over-winter protection, please.

Wombat3

11,970 posts

205 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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A cheap shed will do the best job. Also found that Cuprinol ultimate hardwood furniture oil is much longer lasting than teak oil. It seems to penetrate further rather than just sitting on the top.

Edited by Wombat3 on Saturday 23 July 00:21

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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A tent wont be made to be tough and waterproof enough to be out for months at a time I bet.

+1 for shed

V8RX7

26,766 posts

262 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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I found our old swimming pool (the metal framed type) fitted over the table / chairs perfectly

Spare tyre

9,458 posts

129 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
Got anywhere you can build a lean to. I put one around the side of my house, get all sorts in there now, mower, bikes, tables etc

My dog likes lurking in there when it's raining as well

driverrob

Original Poster:

4,687 posts

202 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
We had one extra shed last year and the OH won't consider another.
Reading more about tents, I agree: they don't seem to be designed for long-term use. So my latest thought is something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonHaus-Walk--Polytunnel-...
Does anyone have any experience of these things?


cambiker71

444 posts

185 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
The trouble with these is they're not great if it's windy.
What about one of those storage containers, would look nicer than a tent or similar flapping about?

driverrob

Original Poster:

4,687 posts

202 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
cambiker71 said:
The trouble with these is they're not great if it's windy.
..
Really?
What about the ones we see in farmers' fields, year in and year out?

Pheo

3,324 posts

201 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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They often replace the plastic yearly, and a proper polytunnel is a lot stronger than something like this.

To be honest there is a reason people get a shed to put this kind of stuff in, it's the only way you are going to keep things half dry. Lean to is next best

Failing that I'd just treat it really wel and hope for the best

AW10

4,422 posts

248 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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I use two of the bike caves from this lot and they seem to have held up pretty well over the years - http://www.caveinnovations.com/product-category/st...

scotlandtim

319 posts

127 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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I use one of these: http://www.dancovershop.com/uk/product/portable-ga...

For a trailer tent + Garden equipment 12 months a year and can't fault it.

Currently on offer also which helps!!

Perik Omo

1,883 posts

147 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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My neighbour has one of these. I thought that he had gotten into camping and was trying a new tent out until I asked him about it and he showed me that he was using it to store all sorts of garden stuff in and was currently rebuilding his Husquvana mower in there.

Wombat3

11,970 posts

205 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
quotequote all
driverrob said:
We had one extra shed last year and the OH won't consider another.
Reading more about tents, I agree: they don't seem to be designed for long-term use. So my latest thought is something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonHaus-Walk--Polytunnel-...
Does anyone have any experience of these things?
A shed will look a lot better than that!

driverrob

Original Poster:

4,687 posts

202 months

Sunday 9th October 2016
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I thought I'd update this. I found an unopened "Shed in a Box" for sale locally at a fraction of its new price.
It had to go on a slope, which made it tricky and my wife is not the biggest and strongest of co-workers but we did it. I'll let you know how well it lasts.





CoolHands

18,496 posts

194 months

Sunday 9th October 2016
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size of your garden I wouldve thought a large shed at the bottom wouldn't be seen! Anyway, looks like the tent will work.

driverrob

Original Poster:

4,687 posts

202 months

Sunday 9th October 2016
quotequote all
CoolHands said:
size of your garden I wouldve thought a large shed at the bottom wouldn't be seen! Anyway, looks like the tent will work.
You can just make out, in the first photo, two wooden sheds further down. A third would have been much more expensive than this tent, a long way to carry heavy furniture and difficult to 'hide'.

Spare tyre

9,458 posts

129 months

Sunday 9th October 2016
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I put a lean to on my shed, all sorts in there

bimsb6

8,034 posts

220 months

Monday 10th October 2016
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If your furniture will stack try one of those bags that sand and gravel comes in , tough as old boots and free pin down via the grab loops .

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Monday 10th October 2016
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Shed.

We've just put all ours to he rafters into the shed this weekend - ready for the inevitable winds from Hurricane Matthew coming over the Atlantic.

Sixpackpert

4,538 posts

213 months

Monday 10th October 2016
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You do know with the ground sheet you will have a very muddy swamp when you take it up in the spring...