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How To Take Care Of Your Wooden Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor wooden Furniture care by The Hungarian WorkshopWooden outdoor furniture care is a must if you want your pieces to have a long life time. Owning anything that you keep outdoors made of wood will sooner or later need maintenance from time to time. A lot people assume if they purchase furniture that is not made out of some kind of wood, they will never have to worry about any sort of up keep. The truth is no matter where you live all patio furniture will eventually experience some fading, drying, cracking or even mold if live where is there is heavy rain or near the coastlines. The weather conditions that you need to know about for proper wooden outdoor furniture care are:

  1. Rain- Leaving furniture out in constant rain is never a good idea. Needless to say if you do not have a canopy or roof , it is important to put some kinda of cover over your furniture when you know it will rain for an extended period of time.
  2. Sun/Heat- The sun is definitely the most harsh. It doesn’t just simply dry out the wood and cause it to splinter and crack but it also beams down UV rays that will fade any kind of stain or fabrics.
  3. Dew- If you live near a coast or somewhere there is high humidity you’ll most likely have some morning dew. That’s the equivalent of hosing down your furniture every night.
  4. Snow/Freeze -We all know that water expends when it freezes. Therefore if you do not have a good seal, any moisture that gets in to the wood will definitely result in cracks and additional structural damage.Wine Barrel Side Table

Now that we talked about what can cause the damage, it is time to find the most efficient way for outdoor wooden furniture care. In reality nothing protects better than a roof. Most damage occurs from the elements of the weather not from the temperature. Having coverage will ensure the best protection that any urethane, varnish or oil can provide. Another efficient way is paint. You must have seen quite a few colorful Adirondack chairs in peoples front lawn before, since that is the easiest and most common form of protection. Although if you are anything like me, you will never want to paint your wood. I hate to see beautiful grain patterns and natural colors get hid by paint, even if the wood is fairly inexpensive and common. I believe the wood should always be shown off.  If you are interested flashy colors than there is no real reason to own real wooden chairs or tables.Whiskey Bench in Coronado

For hardwoods like Teak, Oak and Rosewood  etc; I like to use simple oils. Whether its Teak Oil, Tung Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil or perhaps a custom mixture of any, I find using an oil finish is far more adequate. Not just because of the easy application but also because when it is time for a new coat there is no stripping and sanding of old varnish. Outdoor wooden furniture care is way more simple even though you will have to wipe on more frequently, I still prefer applying a new coat every other month opposed to big complicated and time taking job every other year. Plus I feel the wood stays at a much more natural state without any cover stains. Especially when you are are working with reclaimed Wine & Whiskey barrels.  The rule of thumb I found out, it is time for a new coat of oil as soon as the water drops stop beading up on the wood’s surface.

If you choose to go with a varnish finish I would recommend a Marine Varnish. There are plenty of top coats sold in local home improvement stores that advertise years of protection but I have come across products that have been laughable. Peeling, yellowing and simply not doing their job have been an issue. However a strong Marine Varnish has proved to be up for the task. Most Spar Urethane that are rated for boats in heavy sun and salt water should hold up great on you furniture. Although they can be expensive they are worth the cost and will help a lot with outdoor wooden furniture care.The Wine Barrel Love Seat

Next we are going to discuss staining. I have stained enough furniture where I feel like I have tried them all, however one company’s product has stood out and I have been using them with no problems for years. It is called Sikkens. With over 200 years in business (you read correct 200 years) they have proven to be a very high quality product with excellent results. I have never seen a stain retains its color as well as theirs. The beauty of the product is that it need no top coat. You need to apply three coats which also results in a Satin finish and when it is time for a new coat a couple years down the line all you have to do is simply apply another set of coats. Again no sanding, stripping or any hard work.

Whether you choose to go with my hints and tips there is no better judge for your furniture than you are. I hope this blog has been a good insight and will help you make a decision when it come to outdoor wooden furniture care.

Thank you for stopping by The Hungarian Workshop and reading my blog about Outdoor Wooden Furniture care. Please come by and visit often and see what new items we have to offer.

 

Thanks again,

 

-Balazs G.  Moldovan

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Patio Conversation Sets For Your Yard

Patio Conversation SetsMany people these days are dying to find the perfect patio conversation sets. A great way to impress family & friends is with a beautiful piece of furniture that holds a wonderful history.

If you are still looking and have not found that great patio conversation sets, than there are a few key elements you may want to consider before committing to a purchase.

  • Appearance: An impressive set should be easily distinguished from ordinary furniture. You want people take one look and immediately realize that there is something different about each piece. It is going feel much more rewarding to have a conversation about the furniture when you are not the one who has to bring it up.
  • Recognizable: Once your guests have noticed your unique pieces, it is always a big bonus when the furniture’s origins are clear. You don’t want a complicated or far-fetched background story that shows no relationship to the item. Your guest will be far more impressed and engaged in the conversation a lot longer when its evident where the furniture came from.
  • Representation: Owning a Patio Conversation Set that a has a fascinating past is one thing, but having one that can represent who you are, is another. The best part about when you find that perfect set is that it can identify who you are and show off you true taste and style.
  • Reception: There is no reason to go overboard by thinking too much about what people will think. In the long run, whatever makes you happy is the only thing that should matter. Having our new furniture admired is what we all want, that is why putting in a little thougt will go a long way.

Whiskey Barrel Furniture make excellent patio conversation sets

There are many other reasons why our Wine & Whiskey Barrel Furniture are a great hit but most importantly they are very popular because they meet all the key elements described above. Whether you are Wine enthusiast, Whiskey advocate or just plain out love the idea of up-cycling used material, these furniture will be loved by all.

Wine Barrel Chair and Table

Hopefully this blog has been helpful and now you can start heading in the right direction and start narrowing down your search for that perfect set.

Thank you for stopping by The Hungarian Workshop and be sure to visit us again soon.

-Balazs Moldovan

Coupon Code: 10%offBGM22 (use this code on the check out page to save an additional 10%. It can only be used 10 times and it will expire at the end of February so be sure to use it while you can.)

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Unique Outdoor Restaurant Furniture

A Wine Barrel Coffee Table & Chair in the Garden Bistro at Stone Brewery

Owning a unique outdoor restaurant furniture set can be very important. Whether it is for your restaurant, bistro, cafe or even for your own home, guests can always be influenced by your taste and style. The amount of care you apply into the atmosphere will definitely show in the  amount of foot traffic that will walk through your doors.

If you are in need of some new outdoor restaurant furniture you have come to the right place. I will talk about a few reasons why The Hungarian Workshop outshines other companies and why our furniture have been known as a great investment.

I am guessing, since you are reading this article you must be looking for some unique and different style furniture. Choosing handmade furniture is always a plus because true craftsmanship doesn’t come out of a factory’s mass production line. Our chairs and tables are all made by people that take pride in their work and with great attention to detail. We carefully checking through all our products before making a sale because we want to make sure that all our customers are happy and 100% satisfied. We try to keep our prices much lower as well. The concept of going green by up-cycling material is mostly effective and beneficial if we are able sell as much as possible. By keeping our customer numbers on a steady rise will increase the amount of  barrels we can recycle.

Whiskey Barrel ChairOne our top selling item is the Whiskey Barrel Adirondack chairs. They are very popular with breweries, restaurants and hotels. Because of their great history these chairs are an excellent conversation pieces with just about anyone, whiskey-lovers or not.  We receive our whiskey barrels straight out of Kentucky, we are really proud of that. Since barrels come in many different  colors, shapes and sizes each individual chair has their own unique characteristics. Even though all the dimensions and design are the same, not one chair is truly alike.

Wine Barrel Chair with Wine Barrel Table

Next in line we of our Wine Barrel Chairs. They are a huge seller in states where wine drinking is common. Most of our clients purchase them for vineyards, wine bars or for their own home. We have also found out that wine barrel furniture has become popular as wedding gifts. With our specialty laser engraving they can make a wonderful gift for any wine lover. The chairs come with an option for a wine glass holder cut in on the arms ends on either side. The beautiful red, maroon and burgundy patinas that each piece of furniture holds will sure to turn quite a few heads.

We offer a more unique Outdoor Restaurant Furniture on our website. I invite you to browse around and feel free to ask me any question.

Thank you

 

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Bistro Chairs For Your Home Or Restaurant

The Wine Barrel Chair & Side Table would make an excellent bistro chairs set.Although the new year has just started, there are already lots of home owners and business owners looking to find the right bistro chairs for the Spring season. You may think it’s only January and Spring time isn’t for another 2 months or so, however this may be the best time to find those great early bird deals.

Countless restaurants and private buyers have chosen The Hungarian Workshops bistro chairs for a couple good reasons.

  • Elegance: Our chairs provide an outstanding appearance and style. We try to use the best contrasts that really let the colors pop out and catch the eyes. Being unique and different is very important to us, therefore we make sure our piece will stand out and not be confused with any other.
  • Durability: Each piece is designed with strength in mind because one of or main focus is on longevity. Without compromising comfort, each chair is built to last and to endure just about anything.
  • Price: What you get with us is practically a steal! Keep in mind most wooden furniture these days are mass produced in factories and lack craftsmanship and care. With a moderate investment and care take you will have beautiful furniture for years to come.

A few satisfied customers sitting in the bistro chairs at Stone Brewery Escondido, CA

Doing a bit of research before you make a purchase is always a good idea. Especially if you intend to buy in large quantities. Don’t be afraid to ask companies for discounts, more than half the time they will just to lock in the deal.

These days going “Green” is also really important to people. Recycling, reusing and up-cycling has turned into more than just a fad. The concept of up-cycling has helped our business tremendously. Last summer we landed a deal with Stone Brewery’s bistro where they wanted us to turn their old Whiskey barrels into chairs. Since then our business has more than tripled, we ended up with a whole new line of products and created a great business relationship with a very big company! Since then we have been approached by more and more cafes, diner and pubs because they too love the idea of reusing old barrel. It’s not just the owners but the customers as well. A majority of our clients have sat in our chairs at bistros and just fell in love with them. Picking out the right patio set can change the whole atmosphere and turn an ordinary customer into frequent one!

A Wine Barrel Coffee Table & Bistro Chairs in the Garden at Stone Brewery

At the Hungarian Workshop our top priority is customer service. We are not happy until you are 100% satisfied with your purchase. We will gladly work with you one on one and answer any question you may have. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to visit us again soon.

-Balazs Moldovan

 

 

Don’t forget about our 100th Barrel Chair Giveaway! Be the lucky one who orders our one hundredth barrel chair and receive it for free!!!

 

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100th Chair Giveaway

Free 100th Chair GiveawayHi Everyone,

We have had an amazing quarter this fall season, and there is no signs of slowing down just yet! We landed a few interviews and promotions as well which just kept bringing in more and more business. (whiskeyreviewer.com, huffingtonpost.com) I am having this website completely redesigned and our new site will be up and running towards the end of the month so be sure to visit back soon. We will also have a couple brand new items available for purchase along with some special sales on sets for our wine and whiskey barrel furniture too. With business picking up we are going to feature a wholesale catalog for all those retail inquires as well.

Now that being said, I am happy to announce our first Winter Sale Special. I will be giving away out 100th Chair absolutely FREE! Be the lucky one who orders our one hundredth chair and receive a check for the complete amount.

-Rules-

Contestants must:

-Be 18 or over
-Be a U.S. resident (no international shipping)
-Pay for shipping and handling or Delivery charges
-Take photo with the 100th chair (winner will be featured on our news blog, winner’s first name and state which he or she lives in will be mentioned)
-Winner will receive a reimbursement check for the 100th chair with in 2-3 weeks after placing order and after all contest rules and requirements have been met.

Thank You and good luck to you all!

-Balazs Moldovan

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Finishing up the September rush

This is only about 1/4 of what I had to make last month.

So last month I was featured on uncrate.com, huffingtonpost.com along with many others and oh man, things got very busy for us. I had to make 30+ chairs and the orders are still coming in. I even hired a buddy of mine to help because without him, I probably would only be half way done. Thank you Justin. We learned a lot more about shipping all over the country as well as about international shipments. We also started playing with the idea of retail. Hopefully a little down the road people will start seeing Hungarian Workshop item in stores. This site will be going through some major updates too in the upcoming months, so be sure to visit often to see the new changes and improvements. Since winter is just around the corner, I’m planning on making a few new item for the holidays and also couple more interior home decors that will make exceptional gifts for friends and family.

A big thank you goes out to kentuckybarrels.com for supplying us with such great material.

 

 

 

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30 chairs are to be made!!!

I have to keep this short and sweet. Last week I was featured on a website called uncrate.com and the orders just started to pour in. I have people interested even from out of the country. I may need to hire a helping hand with all this work and also rent a little more space. Well, it is time to get back to work and go hunt down for some more barrels.

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New Wine Barrel Coffee Table

The top of this beautiful coffee table is created from wine barrel lids. I took few of them apart and cut them all into uniform widths for each individual row. Some of them are thicker than the other which creates a slight textures for a rustic but clean look. The edges are small 2 inch wide staves that I made from scraps laying around. They make a great border and reminds you that the top is also used to be a barrel. The bottom is a half barrel that I took completely apart to clean and sand, then put back together with a few pocket screws and glues to insure structural durability and strength. I then placed the banding back into its original spot and secure with a couple tack nails to keep in place. The top is attached with 5/8″ carriage bolts from underneath which makes it capable of being taken apart for easier transport.

Dimensions: 37″x 37″ x16″

Custom table top sizes are available.

AVAILABLE IN: Wine or Whiskey

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Making a Wine Barrel Chair: TOOLS

So now that you are back in your work space with the barrel staves lets talk about a few tool you’ll need to make your job easier.

The Miter Saw is going to be your workhorse, not one staves goes without getting cut by this tool. This is by far the best and fastest way to clean up your barrel staves. To get all the correct angles and taking a small amount of material at a time, use a 40-60 grit sand paper.

Drum/Flapper Sander – This tool is excellent for cleaning up the staves. First, you’ll want to run the wood through the sanding bladder (left side which you can control the hardness by an air pump). Sand the whole surface and the sides real well, but makes sure not to go over board. You don’t want to start taking off any of the natural discoloration that the barrel has collected over the years. Then I like to sand down the edges a little too to get rid of any sharp corners. When you think the piece is acceptable for use, go ahead and run through the flapper which will give it an extra smooth finish and buff out any marks left by the sander. For each barrel I like to spend between 60-90 minutes cleaning to ensure quality.

Bench Sander  – This tool will come in handy when you need to take away quit a bit of material that is too small for the miter saw. Besides, with most of the pieces you will have to play with a little at a time anyways to get that perfect fit. You want to make sure you are using sand paper that is real course ,40 or 60 grit should do it. Free hand work where you are mainly measuring with your eyes on what angle to sand and how much to take off can be a little tricky at first, but with a little trial and error you will pick it faster than you think. The key is to remember that all pieces are going to be different, you don’t need to have everything exactly the same measurement. As long as the chair is not wobbling and looks good, don’t worry about the tiny imperfections that only you ( who built the chair) knows about and a tape measure.

Miter Saw – A saw like this is absolutely necessary for this project because 90% of the staves will have to be cut on way or another. A really important thing to keep in mind while making cuts to a stave is safety. Obviously the material you are cutting is not flat and even the edges are at a miter so the wood will not always have enough support, which needless to say can make working a little risky. So make sure you keep a good firm grip on each piece and easy into each cut nice and slow.

Band Saw – I mainly use it when its time to cut the front  stave in the seat. It work perfectly since the whole entire cut is at a curve. But an easy alternative to this tool is just a Jig Saw. That will do the job also but now you’ll need to hold down the material with clamps. A band saw will also help you out if you don’t have a rough sander to take away material and you can also make any intricate cuts that might be needed.

Drills – It’s pretty evident that you will need to drill holes and drive in screws, therefore don’t even think about starting without a good set at hand. I usually use two just because I like to keep one ready for drilling pilot holes and the other to drive in the screws. It may not seem like it but have to switch out bits during work will take up a lot more of your time than you think.

Kreg’s Pocket Hole Jig –  Using pocket holes will make it much easier for you to put joints together and will conceal the hardware. This is not an absolute have to but if you are like me who dose not like too many screws out in the open you will find it useful as well.  Just remember to set it up for the right depth and width of the material.

Clamps – The clamps will help you out tremendously when you are putting the pieces together. Not having to hold a drill in one hand and the stave in the other will needless to say make your job easier and less frustrating.  Also I’m the kind of guy who likes to make sure everything fits just right and look perfect before committing with the glue and the final hardware.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK “GETTING STARTED” AND SOON A VIDEO HOW TO.

If you have any additional question please don’t hesitate to send me an email. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day. 

-Balazs Moldovan

 

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Five More Barrel Chairs For Stone Brewery

5 new chairs are now located back at Stone Brewery's gardenLast week I finished up five more barrel chairs for Stone Brewery and they came out great. These barrels were used by the brewery for pretty long time before they gave them to me to turn them into chairs. The great thing about Stone is that they really like to stay Green. By reusing their own barrels it creates a neat story for all the chairs and on the plus side, it makes my job a whole lot easier because I don’t have to hunt down any barrel, ha ha.  Three of the barrels originally contained bourbon, which have thicker staves and are charred heavily which creates that great black patina. The other two had white wine that have thinner staves and no burns what so ever.  I was pretty excited when I opened up the white wine ones because I always wondered what a clean barrel chair would look like. The light and the dark colors give a great contrast and makes the chairs stand out. With these chairs completed I have now collected a substantial amount of barrel lids and I am now ready start making some coffee tables and side table. The goal is to have a complete set which will be similar to my Adirondack set, that will include four chairs, two ottoman, one coffee table and one side table.

Be sure to come back and visit us again soon to see our new line of products.

Thank you for stopping by and have great day.

-Balazs Moldovan

                Old whiskey barrel ready to be a chairs and have a new purpose in life.