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.

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!).

…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 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 oil-based 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 makes painting a one-coat process. Our customers report the best results with a mini roller and two thin coats applied one day apart.

If you plan to use your furniture indoors, you may want to consider our wax finish option. The Wax Finish is a carnauba and beeswax blend with orange oil (yes, it smells like squeezed orange peels for a few days after applying). The product we use is called "Howard's Feed 'N Wax". If you choose the wax finish, we add a generous coating to all surfaces of your finely sanded furniture and buff it out. No other finish will be added to the wood. The wax finish can be renewed by simply dusting the furniture with the same rag every couple weeks. Once in a while add a bit of wax to the same rag and go over the furniture to lightly buff and bring back the shine in a few seconds. Some of our customers have used the "Howard's Feed 'N Wax" on their indoor Redwood furniture for decades without ever using anything else. They assure us the furniture looks better each year! We've experimented with the same wax finish for covered patios and outdoors— it doesn't work as well. You have to apply it a lot more than the occasional indoor application. It really works best indoors only. For best results, don't mix with other waxes or finishes. You can purchase a pint of "Howard's Feed 'N Wax" in the paint department of any Home Depot store in the U.S. for less than $10.

The 3 grades of Redwood offer a variety of grain and color tone variations. If you do not like the natural tones of any of the 3 grades of Redwood, we can stain the set a darker color in most cases. A frequently requested no-cost option is to have the young redwood tone stained to either match the mature or the old-growth colors. We can also stain the mature Redwood grade to approximate the old-growth color. And lastly, we can also stain any of the grades to be a very dark coffee color. Just make a note in the comment section when checking out or let us know when ordering over the phone or via email.

Another excellent product we've used is the Sikkens brand sealants. We don't use Sikkens on our production items normally nor is it offered as a finish option because it's not as readily available as Superdeck nationwide, but some of our customers say its a superior product to the Superdeck. To find out more about Sikkens finishes, go to: http://www.nam.sikkens.com/index-english.cfm.

If you'd like to order your set with a Sikkens finish, let us know when you order. There is a small charge to special order the Sikkens. To determine the extra charge click the "Add to Cart" button for the item you're interested in and then click the drop down menu item under Standard Sealant to see the charge for the primer options (in most cases, we charge the same amount as the primer option). Sikkens has several products and stain tones available. The stain we like the best for our products is SRD 089 - Redwood finish. We recommend 2 to 3 coats for a thicker, more water repellent finish. The SRD 089 is a matte finish. Just let us know your stain preference by making a note in the comment section or when you call in. Using the Sikkens finish requires an extra week for ship out times since we must wait for the sealant to ship to us.

Redwood is ideal for outdoor furniture and structures. It will sit out in the year round weather for decades and remain structurally sound. But, like the old picnic tables in parks, wood furniture in year-round unprotected weather may eventually develop a surface and/or end check 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 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 80 grit sandpaper for a few strokes to remove any rough edges and then finish with a fine 150 grit sandpaper to match the smooth surface finish (redwood sands easily). After many years out in the weather, if your set develops a significant check, you can do one of 4 things:

1. In most cases, it requires no attention at all for longevity's sake. For example, we have over 2 dozen display items that have been out in the weather for many years. Some since 1995. In that time, one item had one board that developed a 4" long crack— so, it's a rare occurrence. It happens because every once in a long while a board is used to build an item that has built-in stress due to the way the tree grew (the tree could have had a bit of a lean for example). These relatively rare stresses are invisible when the set is built and occasionally appear many years later in the form of a crack. We recommend ignoring it in most cases. Consider it a sign of "character"…
2. But, if your crack has a rough edge, take a few minutes to sand it smooth as mentioned above. After sanding, if you want the sanded area to match the rest of the furniture, power wash the set (see "You can restore the original tones of your furniture in 10 minutes" above) and then reseal.
3. If the crack is significant or is just unattractive, you can send us a photo so we can make a replacement piece for you at minimal cost. Or,
4. If you're a handy person and want to dabble in making the crack "disappear", you can either talk with your local hardware person for a product recommendation specific to your climate, or you can use 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.