Absolutely. All our furniture is constructed from a hardwood called Kwila. It is regarded as the most durable timber and is ideally suited to the New Zealand climate. It is sourced from strictly managed forest areas in Indonesia under the guidelines of the International Tropical Timber Organization. We only source our timber from reputable New Zealand timber merchants. Since Christmas 2018, we have started to receive FSC timber in a greater range of sizes.

When new, Kwila will bleed a dark brown tannin, which may stain tiles or concrete. To avoid this, place the furniture on the lawn for a good period of solidly rainy weather. You can help this along by giving a thorough hosing (including underside) a couple of times a day over a two day period. You will see the tannin drip out tea-coloured at first, then run off clear . If a white cloth shows no mark from the wet timber, and if the dried-off piece of furniture has no ‘tidemarks’ (you will know them when you see them) you are done! There may be a small amount of tannin that will work its way to the surface over time but the sun, rain and wind will deal with this. Dried out, the tannin is like a powder rather than a sap like, say, totara, so don’t be tempted to scrub at it, this will work it into whatever surface you are scrubbing. Tannin that dries out on the covers will come off with a stiff dry brush, but really, the weather will do the job for you. We recommend the King Lear method of outdoor furniture maintenance!

From our customer feedback, we would expect you to enjoy your setting for in excess of fifteen years. We know of Clipper products being out in the elements and still being enjoyed after more than 20 years.