Loose covers for sunbeds?

[pepsipuss]

We have also come to this conclusion for rental, Jim. We buy the plastic ones with the fewest moving parts (no fancy wheels, foldup arms, only the backrest which lifts up inside the frame). They seem to be the cheapest as well and we find that as long as we keep cushions on them and remember to put them away when the place is not in use we get at least three years good service out of them - we tend to buy one new pair a year on a rotating basis so it does not seem like too big an investment each year.

Fern: Is the toldo material the same as the stuff which LOOKS the same and you buy on the market at about €12/metre for 3 metre wide or can you get something better from a specialist supplier?

[Fraise]

We have also come to this conclusion for rental, Jim. We buy the plastic ones with the fewest moving parts (no fancy wheels, foldup arms, only the backrest which lifts up inside the frame). They seem to be the cheapest as well

Yep, us too.

[Fraise]

We don't live on site either so cushions are a problem, we have to hope people put them back undercover at night but even so they don't last long and look horrid when stained. I try and only put a pair or 4 out at once ( depending how many adults in the party) so that the next guests get some nice clean ones too, It's my "cushiongate" experience , bit of a mini nightmare to manage..

[fincafern]

We use the same type of beds as you Pepsipuss and with a smart cover on the mat they look quite good, especially when all colour cordinated with the other furnishings.
This year I even made some cushions from the material - just covered the other ones and these can be left outside in the rain too. We also replace them two at a time annually. Spanish sun is very tough on outdoor things.
The material I buy is from a toldo shop, the same shop who made my original awnings. I haven't seen any on the market. It was 12 euros per metre but has now gone up to 15 euros but it is quite wide. You can stitch it on a home sewing machine but if it is complicated or needs to sew over more than two layers of cloth, I have to ask my friend who has an industrial sewing machine for her help. When you first buy the material, it is very stiff.
To clean them, we simply jet hose hose them and leave them to dry which doesnt take long.

[Hells Bells]

I've just had an email from my manager to say that my neighbours garden furniture has all been stolen. Fortunately ours is still there, but it is going to have to be piled up inside when the place is empty now.

[lorca]

Spanish sun is very tough on outdoor things.

Slight thread creep but I thought I´d share. As a rule I don´t like plastic chairs but last year we bought a load of reasonably attractive green ones, mainly because they stack and don´t take up too much room on the roof terrace of our big house.

By the end of the year they looked terrible - badly bleached by the sun. Yesterday I had the idea of wiping them down with oil (I used cheap olive oil...anything would do I guess ), let it sink in and then wiped them over with a damp clothe to remove any excess. They look fab now, don´t know how long it will last, but will report back

[Jimbo]

As a rule I don´t like plastic chairs but last year we bought a load of reasonably attractive green ones, mainly because they stack and don´t take up too much room on the roof terrace of our big house.

By the end of the year they looked terrible - badly bleached by the sun. Yesterday I had the idea of wiping them down with oil (I used cheap olive oil...anything would do I guess ), let it sink in and then wiped them over with a damp clothe to remove any excess. They look fab now, don´t know how long it will last, but will report back

I thought this to be an intriguing idea (we're awash with tired green plastic garden stuff), so I tried it on some badly faded but expensive sun loungers with a heavily stippled finish. Worked a treat and I thought Wow, lorca's discovered the plastic holy grail and should copyright the idea and make a fortune!

However, I next tried the oil on some cheaper loungers with a shiny finish where the surface had become mottled with light and dark patches. Sadly, the oil darkened the plastic in proportion to its previous state, so it didn't really look any better. So, only a guarded thumbs-up from me.

PS: I used rapeseed oil - olive oil too expensive for chairs!

[lorca]

I think it works where the sun has made the whole surface porous ...and it will only work on dark colours... but I dunno, because I was just experimenting without any technical understanding of what I was doing

But if it works on stuff that´s unusable otherwise then worth a try I guess?