Inside or Out?
Although I closed my storefront after 22 years on U.S.
Highway One, Wells, Maine, I still have
customers ask me the number one most often asked question in my history as a
retailer of both reproduction Bar Harbor and Victorian wicker furniture like the designs of Heywood Wakefield, and authentic antique American made wicker
furniture of the early 1900s. But now instead of coming to
my brick and mortar store, they call me on my phone or contact me via my
email address on my website www.thewickershop.com. Here it is, the most often asked question of
wicker furniture fanciers, customers , collectors and just plain lookers---can
I put wicker outside?
First, outside where?
On a covered porch, an uncovered porch, patio or lawn!
Second, where do you
live? Alaska, Maine, South
Carolina, Utah, California, Florida, Virginia or Texas!
Third, what do you mean, by wicker? Antique woven of sea grass, contemporary woven
of vinyl, or reproduction woven of reed!
As you can see, even to an experienced wicker furniture aficionado,
there is no easy answer. But, since I
have spent a quarter of a century finding, repairing, collecting and selling
wicker, I am going to answer anyway. Yes, you can put wicker furniture outside IF:
1.
It is on
a covered porch and there is not a lot of exposure to the harsh elements. So, that means, weather permitting. A little rain will do no harm, but snow piled
high throughout the winter months in harsh climates will make the finish crack
and peel and lead to the eventual deterioration of the underlying material as
will the other extreme, sun exposure of hot, dry climates, OR
2.
It is woven of a synthetic material like vinyl
or plastic. Modern day weather proof
wicker furniture can be used in any climate in any weather so they
advertise. But I am not an expert in
that, so I can only quote what they claim.
Now, I am a purist and a lover of all things natural. I have never sold synthetic wicker, nor will
I ever. My specialty is antique wicker
seating pieces that are woven of natural fibers such as reed, willow or sea
grass, using rattan poles, willow, wood or bamboo as a frame, and that which was woven of twisted paper
or twisted paper over wire. The latter,
that made of paper, of course cannot withstand moisture and should therefore,
never be used outside. All of the
others, woven of natural materials, are wood products and can be thought of in
the same way as a wood picnic table or Adirondack chair. Wood products need a protective finish. Just like the picnic table that will peel and
eventually rot, so will a wicker chair if unprotected. It that is the case, the underlying material
will turn grey and break easily. Do NOT
buy a wicker furniture piece if it is grey.
It is gone beyond a useful life and cannot be saved.
I have always told my customers to ask themselves what would
happen to a wood picnic table under these circumstances? If it would survive, then so would the
wicker. After all, Victorian and Art
Deco wicker pieces were in fact used as outdoor furniture at the turn of the
century, but, they were painted each spring before going back outside the next
year. Even under those conditions, I
would not recommend using it as lawn furniture when there are better modern choices
for that purpose today. However, the
covered porch is the perfect place!
The Wicker Shop of Maine now on facebook https://www.facebook.com/thewickershopofmaine
