YOUR REDWOOD FURNITURE WILL LAST FOR MANY YEARS IN YEAR-ROUND WEATHER WITHOUT MAINTENANCE.

OGA's “Forever Redwood Furniture" is guaranteed for up to thirty (30) years against decay from weather (depending on the grade of redwood that you choose). Under most conditions, you can expect your furniture to last ten to thirty years without maintenance of any kind.

ALTHOUGH OUR FURNITURE IS MAINTENANCE-FREE, IT DOESN'T COMPLAIN IF YOU CLEAN IT… After the winter season's snow or wet season, take a few minutes to spruce up your set. We clean our display items in spring by hosing them down and taking a minute to brush away accumulated debris. No soap or chemicals are needed.

Being outside year round is rough on the wood's finish. The wood's surface slowly oxidizes and absorbs UV rays, pollution and moisture resulting in the surface color changing towards a silver patina over a couple years. The silver patina is surface deep only (less than 1/100") and is not indicative of decay. Your set will last for decades and is not compromised in any way by the natural surface color change. We keep some of our display items year after year without refinishing them to show off the finish's natural aging (we like the silvering effect!).

YOU CAN RESTORE THE ORIGINAL TONES OF YOUR FURNITURE IN 10 MINUTES with a power washer. When power washing, be careful not to spray too close to the surface or you may cut into the grain of the wood. Once the set is cleaned up like new, take a couple of minutes and touch up the grain surface with 120 or 150 grit sandpaper by hand. The power washer may create a few rough spots that you can easily smooth out by hand in a few strokes. Then choose any stain/sealant you like because redwood takes well to most. We recommend Superdeck Transparent Sealant. It is a quality product available nationwide. (Go to www.superdeck.com, find their dealer map and enter your zipcode. It will list local hardware stores that carry it.) This product is available in 10 transparent and 63 semi-transparent stain colors - (see colors at http://www.superdeck.com/2100spec.htm). We use a mix of stains No. 1905 (Heart Redwood) and No. 1910 (Natural). We recommend that you purchase the two and experiment to get the color tone you prefer.

OUR ENTIRE FURNITURE LINE IS AVAILABLE IN 4 FINISH OPTIONS:  Our standard sealant is the Superdeck product mentioned above (1905 and 1910 mixed 50/50).  We also offer our furniture “unfinished” if you wish your set to change to a silvered finish quickly.  If you are planning to paint your set a specific color, we offer a two-coat primer finish option in either off-white (for light color paints) or a gray (for richer or darker colors).  With the primering option, your set will arrive with two coats of primer that will have been fully absorbed into the furniture.  This make painting a one-coat process.  Our customers report the best results with a mini roller and two thin coats applied one day apart.

FIXING SMALL CHECKS AND CRACKS: Like the old picnic tables in parks, wood furniture in year-round unprotected weather may eventually develop some surface and/or end cracks from the expansion and contraction caused by changes of temperature and moisture. Over the many years, if your redwood furniture develops a check or crack, it is not a big problem. A check does not compromise the integrity or longevity of the furniture. If your set develops a crack or dent that has a rough edge, lightly sand the spot by hand for a few seconds to smooth out the rough edge. Use 120 or 150 grit sandpaper (redwood sands easily).

You can also fill cracks to make them "disappear". Talk with your local hardware person for a product recommendation specific to your climate. To restore dry wood furniture that has developed some larger cracks, we recommend a two part epoxy (or five minute or high strength epoxy) available at most hardware stores. You'll need some masking tape and acetone (or nail polish remover that contains acetone). Clean around the crack and mask off the wood out two inches around the crack. Make sure the masking tape is right up on the edges of the crack. Place masking tape underneath the crack to keep the epoxy from falling out the bottom or back side. Mix the epoxy and fill the crack, rubbing it in with your fingers diagonally. BEFORE it has completely cured, remove the masking tape. Remove excess with acetone before it cures. Clean the epoxy off your fingers before it cures. Epoxy dries transparent and will last for many years.