Give your woodengardenfurniture alease of life

Top tips for... reviving wooden garden furniture

n August is proving a bit of a washout, making it a good time to give wooden garden furniture some TLC. Restore it to its former glory and it should hold its own against the elements for another year.

n Start by giving the furniture a really good clean. Remove any moss, dirt and debris with a stiff brush and then scrub it with a garden-furniture cleaner, or a garden-furniture restorer if it's really weathered - Cuprinol does both.

n If the furniture has been varnished and the varnish is flaking off or patchy, sand it smooth and touch it up. If the varnish is beyond repair, you'll need to remove it all, either by sanding it off or using paint stripper and/or a heat gun, being careful not to damage the wood - and yourself.

n If the furniture's painted, deal with chips, cracks and flaking paint either by sanding them smooth or, preferably, filling and sanding, which will give you a better finish and should stop the paintwork from deteriorating further. You can then paint over the repairs. If the original colour has faded, it's better to repaint the whole piece of furniture to avoid a patchy finish.

n Whether you're painting, staining, oiling or varnishing the furniture, once you've prepared the surface thoroughly, you're ready to apply the coating according to the manufacturer's instructions. Allow plenty of time for it to dry between coats and work under cover if the weather's poor or changeable. Using quick-drying products will save you a lot of time - and you'll find that they're much nicer to work with.