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How to treat wooden garden chairs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have brought the chairs in after a wet weekend. How to treat wooden garden chairs depends on the timber, not on one tin of oil used on everything. Teak can be left to go grey. Acacia and eucalyptus want oil if you expect them to keep their colour and stay sound. Lacquered beech wants to come indoors. A cover on damp wood, or a winter in a heated spare room, causes its own damage. The [wooden garden chair comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chair-wood) is where the three kept listings sit. This page is the routine. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have brought the chairs in after a wet weekend. How to treat wooden garden chairs depends on the timber, not on one tin of oil used on everything. Teak can be left to go grey.

Our top picks

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

Best overall

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs
8.8/10about £49.99
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Relaxdays Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair

Best value

Relaxdays Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair
7.8/10about £100.78
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BrackenStyle BrackenStyle Melton wooden bar chair

Rank 3

BrackenStyle BrackenStyle Melton wooden bar chair
4.0/10about £95.00
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On this page
  1. 1.Wash before any treatment
  2. 2.Teak can go grey
  3. 3.Acacia, eucalyptus, and lacquered beech
  4. 4.Covers and the shed

Wash before any treatment

Clean and dry the chair before you oil it, cover it, or put it away. The RHS recommends washing hardwood seats and tables about once a year. Use mild soap and a soft brush along the grain, then rinse, and let the timber dry fully. A pressure washer can lift the grain, force water into joints, and scar a lacquer. Tilt the feet off wet ground while it dries. Harbour says wipe clean. Relaxdays says wipe with a damp cloth and polish dry, which matters because the sides are cast iron. The Melton says wipe clean on a varnished finish. If the timber is still damp, stop. Oil and covers come after it is dry.

Teak can go grey

Good teak does not need oil to survive outdoors. The RHS treats the silver-grey colour as normal weathering, not as a fault, and it still wants the yearly wash. JYSK's UK care notes say you can skip oil on teak unless you want the gold colour back. An oil seller such as Furniture Clinic will tell you to clean first, then oil about once a year if you want the honey tone. That is not a rule for every teak chair. You either leave the silver and wash it, or you oil for colour. A listing that only says teak has not proved it is Grade A. If you are still choosing, teak or acacia separates leave-out teak from timbers that need more help. After a winter, grey teak is wear. A joint that splits under you is a fault.
Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

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Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs
8.8/10about £49.99
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Acacia, eucalyptus, and lacquered beech

Chairs that are not teak do not get the leave-it rule. Acacia and eucalyptus want oil for protection, not only for colour. JYSK suggests oiling hardwood after you unpack it, and then two or three times in the season, while teak is the exception if you are happy with grey. If the label says acacia or eucalyptus, plan on oil and a winter cover or a shed. Lacquered beech is stricter. Water under the lacquer lifts the finish, so the Harbour bullets say store the chairs indoors when they are not in use. A wipe is the listed care, not a yearly teak oil. The folding wooden garden chair page is where that beech pair belongs. Once varnish has cracked, oil on top of a failing film does not rebuild it.

Covers and the shed

A cover only works if the chair is dry and the cover can breathe. JYSK tells you to store wooden garden furniture in a ventilated shed, not under plastic that traps moisture, and not in a heated room. A sealed sheet over damp beech or damp acacia holds the water against the joints. Leave the cover off until the chair has dried, and take it off on a bright winter day so the timber can air. A heated spare room pulls moisture out of the wood and the joints can open. A cool hallway suits the Harbour instruction to store indoors better than an airing cupboard. Cast iron sides, as on the Relaxdays chair, want to be dry. The listing only says a damp cloth and a polish. Care will not turn beech into teak.

Common questions

How often should I oil a wooden garden chair?
It depends on the timber. JYSK's notes point to oil after unpacking and then two or three times in the season for hardwood that needs protection, such as acacia. Teak is the exception: oil it only if you want the gold colour. That is not the schedule for lacquered beech, which you wipe and store. Never oil timber that is still wet.
Do I have to oil teak?
No. You oil teak if you want to keep or restore the honey colour. The RHS treats grey teak as normal, and JYSK says you can skip oil unless you want the gold. Leaving it silver and washing it once a year is a complete routine. Oiling and then expecting the grey patina as well will disappoint you, because the oil is there to hold the colour.
Why has my teak gone grey?
Sun and rain bleach the surface. The RHS describes that silver colour as normal weathering on teak left outside, not as rot by itself. A yearly wash, with the feet off wet ground, is the upkeep. If you dislike the grey, choose an oil routine for colour after the wood is dry and clean. Grey on a new chair sold as freshly oiled, before a winter outside, may be a finish dispute rather than weathering.
Can I leave a cover on all winter?
Only if the chair went under the cover dry, and the cover does not seal moisture in. JYSK warns against plastic that traps damp, and prefers a ventilated shed. A cover left on a wet chair all winter holds water in the joints. Lift it in dry spells so the timber can air. It is not a substitute if the chair was lacquered beech you were told to store indoors.
Where should folding beech chairs live?
Indoors, when you are not sitting on them. That is the Harbour bullets, and it matches lacquered beech better than a patio through November. Fold them only once they are dry, and keep them out of a heated room if you can. JYSK’s warning about heated storage applies to wooden garden chairs generally: a hot spare room can dry the timber too hard. A cool cupboard is closer to the listing than a radiator. Wipe them rather than oiling over the lacquer.

Related pages

Wooden garden chair buying guide

Which wooden garden chair fits

Wooden garden chair

Folding wooden garden chairs that fit the cupboard

Teak vs acacia garden chairs for a UK patio winter

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test. Retailer lifespan lines are seller judgements, not a test.

  1. RHS, maintaining garden seats and tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. BS EN 581-2:2026 outdoor seating tests (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 581 series, seating and tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. JYSK UK, wooden garden table and chairs care (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Harbour Lifestyle, care for wooden garden furniture (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Kingsley Smythe, teak versus acacia (seller guide) (retrieved 22 October 2026)