Frequently Asked Questions

Our standard cushions (olefin and polyester) are water resistant but not waterproof so we recommend storing them in a dry place when not in use. The cushions from our Beach, Cordial, Dana, Rimini & Sorrento ranges are made using water resistant fabric and the fillings have a waterproof interliner around them so can withstand light showers and although the surface of the fabric will get wet, this will dry out quickly in the sun. We do recommend storing all cushions in a dry place during heavy rainfall and over winter. It is important to maintain your cushions correctly and dry them out if the insides do get wet. Remove the cover from the filling and dry out completely before using again.

No. Our furniture covers are designed to protect your garden furniture from atmospheric dust and dirt. The covers are made from Polyester which is breathable, allowing air to circulate around the furniture when covered. If they were 100% waterproof, moisture would get trapped between the cover and the furniture encouraging mould and mildew. We would suggest placing a bucket upside down on your table, or leaving the bottom pole of your parasol in the table to create a tent effect. This allows rain water to run off and prevents water pooling on the cover.

Wasps and Bees can use wood for their nests. The only way to prevent it would be to clean the furniture down with a product containing citronella.

Yes, we provide direct engravings typically on the back of a bench, which can be across 2 lines and up to 18 words. We also supply brass and stainless-steel plaques which can be screwed to furniture. The typical size is 6’’x2’’ with 18 words maximum. We do not recommend engraving pine benches as these are made of soft wood.

Jet washing your furniture will not affect the durability of your hardwood furniture. It will remove the spring growth (the surface layer) and may lift the pores and grain of the wood. This will give your furniture a rough surface so you will need to sand the surface if you prefer a smooth finish. For the best result, we would recommend cleaning your furniture with our Cleaner and a stiff brush and then lightly sanding it with a grit 80 sandpaper.

The chairs and sofas are hand woven in a 15mm or 50mm wide marine grade 100% olefin braided rope. It has a solid rubber core to give a more substantial and tactile quality product – specially selected by Alexander Rose to ensure that the rope does not become saturated and will dry quickly, even after heavy downpours of rain. The rope can also be cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft micro-fibre cloth. Do not use abrasive cleaners such as a brush or scourer. So yes the Cordial rope furniture can be left out all year round.

We do not recommend machine washing your olefin and polyester cushions. This will cause the FR backing to come off of the fabric. You can clean these cushions with our Fabric Cleaner and a microfibre cloth. Cushions in our Beach, Sorrento, Dana, Cordial and Cordial Luxe ranges are made using Kvadrat fabric. Kvadrat fabric can be machine washed at 30degrees using a mild detergent on a non-fast spin.

The glaze and ink for the printed top is melted into the glass at 700degree C so normal temperature cannot peel it away at all. It has been tested at the factory and a sharp object can also not peel it away from the surface.

No. Our weave furniture does not require covering and can be left outside year-round. You may want to cover it with our furniture covers when not in use to protect from dust and dirt. The cushions on our San Marino, Ocean Pearl and Monte Carlo are not waterproof and will therefore need storing in a dry place during inclement weather.

Yes. Our restoration service is open between October and March. Should you wish to receive a quote to clean or restore your furniture, please send images of your furniture to customerservices@alexander-rose.co.uk.

Yes we provide treatments for our timber furniture. Read our Alexander Rose Treatment Guide to help you decide which treatment is best for your furniture. You can purchase your Alexander Rose treatments here.

To clean your canopy, we advise that the fabric is kept attached to the frame, use a soft brush or broom and warm soapy water. For more stubborn stains the canopy can be removed and washed at 30°C on a gentle wash with a mild detergent. Ensure you put the canopy back onto the frame when wet and allow to dry in the sun.

Use an abrasive hand pad for metal, e.g. Scotch Brite, and gently rub over the damaged area until repaired. This will not work on deep scratches.

We advise you to clean your Portofino furniture annually using warm soapy water. Only clean using a damp cloth and mild detergent, do not use bleach or abrasive cleaners. For any fly rust, we recommend cleaning this off using WD40.

Please email customerservices@alexander-rose.co.uk with a description of the claim, including any photos you have. We will also require a copy of your proof of purchase. You can find full details of our warranty here.

You can order your spare parts here. If you are unable to find the part you are looking for, please call the customer service team on 01444258931 or email customerservices@alexander-rose.co.uk with a brief description and a photo if possible. We can then identify the part you need and see if we have it available.

Please visit our stockists page to find your nearest retailer. If you are a retailer wanting to stock Alexander Rose products, please click here to send us an enquiry or email customerservices@alexander-rose.co.uk. If you are a commercial customer looking to purchase Alexander Rose furniture, please click here to send us an enquiry or email commercialsales@alexander-rose.co.uk.

You don’t need to. Just ensure you keep your proof of purchase so if you need to claim under your warranty, we can detect where and when you purchased your furniture.

If your table top is getting marked by food and drink, clean with a stiff brush and warm soapy water, or Timber Cleaner. Allow to dry and apply a layer of our Timber Shield which provides a protective layer that repels liquid.

Our white Acacia furniture is produced in a satin matt white finish. This is the result of two coats of polyurethane paint, which is applied to Acacia timber. After time hairline cracks may appear in the finish which is due to the timber expanding and contracting and can be more noticeable around the joints. The painted benches are designed to be used outside and we recommend regular maintenance to retain its original condition. This can be done by sanding the affected area down to the natural timber, which is golden in colour. Then re-apply an even coat of white polyurethane paint to this area. The paint can be purchased from any DIY or hardware store.

There are metal connector plates that fix to the furniture with a wing nut and bolt. These are easy to remove when you want to change the module configuration.

Yes you can. Please call 01444258931 and ask to speak to the Commercial Sales team or email commericalsales@alexander-rose.co.uk. We can visit your hotel to discuss your requirements and draw up a floor plan if required. Please see our brochures for our full product range.

Appropriate maintenance must be carried out in accordance with Alexander Rose care instructions. Our treatments have been specially formulated to care for the materials we carefully select for our furniture. We will therefore not be responsible for any defects due to the application of any treatment product other than our recommended products. We are here to help though if you need advice at customerservices@alexander-rose.co.uk.

Natural cracks occur in timber as the wood absorbs moisture and dries due to the climatic variation. This causes the timber to expand and contract which creates natural cracks on the surface. This will not affect the durability of your furniture. If you can fit a 10p coin into the crack, this may be a manufacturing fault and you can contact us for our advice.

No. Our parasols are designed as sun shades. Therefore they are not waterproof. They also need to be taken down in windy conditions.

Some of our tables are purposely designed without a parasol. If you do require a parasol we have 4 different types of cantilever parasol which are free standing, meaning you can position your furniture underneath rather than around the central pole as with conventional designs. The crank mechanism makes them effortless to use.

We recommend that all of our central pole parasols are used through a table as it gives the parasol extra support. If you are going to use them free-standing, we would recommend using our GB30 Granite Base 30KG. Our parasols are designed as sun-shade and it is important that they are not left up during windy conditions. If they break due to being left up in windy conditions, this will affect your warranty claim.

This type of cracking is typical of pine furniture, and is perfectly normal. As the wood is kiln-dried in preparation for manufacture, moisture leaves it rapidly which can lead to it being prone to cracks. This is a characteristic of all pine furniture, as can be commonly seen in any British pub garden!

All our products have joints which have built in tolerances for movement, as wood is a natural product that expands and contracts with change of temperature and humidity. This will not affect the strength or durability of the product.

This can usually be repaired at our workshop. We would require proof of purchase and photographs from your customer. Depending on the age of the furniture, there may be an uplift and return fee and in some cases a repair charge. Please contact our sales office on 01444258931 who will be happy to assist you. (Note: Uneven surfaces (floor/patio) cause warping)

Yes – common with all outdoor woven furniture, the weave will react to ambient conditions and temperatures. When very cold the weave will become stiffer than normal and when very hot or placed in direct sunlight the weave will become more elastic. The weave will always revert to its normal elasticity once the ambient temperature stabilizes. This is quite normal and has no impact on product quality or performance.

The 3 rods that you will find located in the box of your parasol are the night cover assisting rods. These join together and then you can place them in to an opening located just above the zip pull where there is a tiny gap in the material. These act as an extension arm, allowing you to easily position the night cover over the parasol to act as a protective cover when the parasol is not in use.

The frames of the Cordial collection are aluminum tubes, which are powder coated in a choice of grey or beige to complement the colour of the rope. The frames can be wiped down using warm soapy water

Our weave tables come with hardened safety glass that is attached to the table top with rubber suckers or rubber stoppers that create friction which stops the glass top moving around.

Where possible, we will send you out a replacement part. If this isn’t possible, we reserve the right to offer you an alternative product as a replacement.

Please contact the retailer where you purchased the goods from.

By usual wear and tear, we mean any dents and scratches or normal deterioration that occurs through regular use. It also refers to any expected outcome of the weathering process i.e fading, cracking and splitting of hardwood products.

The soft hollow fiber filling is fitted inside a breathable polypropylene interliner. This casing has excellent abrasion and antibacterial qualities. The internal ‘pillow’ is made up in compartments which prevents the filling material from moving around and losing its shape over time.

The structure of all woven furniture is made from fully welded powder-coated aluminium frames. The aluminium tubes we use are engineered to provide maximum strength from a lightweight frame.

You should use a damp cloth and a mild detergent, do not use bleach or an abrasive cleaner.

We recommend that a parasol should be approximately double the size of your table i.e if your table measures 1.5M, we would recommend a 3.0M parasol. If your table measures 1.8M table, we would recommend a 3.0M or 3.5M parasol.

You can purchase Alexander Rose treatments and covers from your nearest retailer, online stockists of Alexander Rose or click here to purchase them through our website.

We have designed two types of anchors for different surfaces, the most common being lawns. Using an Alexander Rose soft ground anchor kit avoids the need for concrete, installation is quick and easy without any mess. Our soft ground anchors come with solid brass plates that screw onto the outside legs, these have sleeves to allow the anchors to pass through and penetrate the surface. When an anchor approaches its maximum depth (500mm) a curved fluke is released to grip the bench further into the surface, adding more security. Our hardground anchors are designed to be used with concrete, they have a maximum depth of 110mm and require a 20mm masonry drill bit.

This can happen due to the static build up that can be from the soles of shoes, fabrics, artificial grass etc, and can give you a shock when you touch your synthetic furniture. We suggest you wipe the furniture down with an anti-static sheet such as a tumble dryer sheet.

These watermarks will in most instances occur when your bench is new, and rich in colour. The marks will not weaken the bench in any way. The watermarks generally appear on the back of the bench, typically because the bench will be sited facing the sun – meaning the back does not get a chance to dry naturally. If your bench is backed against a wall, the effect will be exacerbated. To treat this, wash the whole back of the bench down and expose it to the sun to dry it naturally.

All hardwoods lose their minerals and salts and as they evaporate cracks will appear on the end grain (tops of chairs/end of tables/end of arms). This is normal. Sometimes the crack will open quite wide, especially in hot weather. They will close when it rains or is cooler. This cracking will not affect the stability of the furniture and in most cases occurs within the first few months and gets no worse. Treatment can help reduce cracking as our Timber Protector replaces some of the natural oil that is lost through evaporation.

Mould and mildew is a surface fungi that thrives in moist or damp conditions. The severity of the fungi growth will be dependent on how mild or extreme these environments are. However, please be assured that this will not affect the strength or durability of the furniture and is purely a cosmetic issue. If you wish to allow your furniutre to weather to a silvery grey, you can leave the black spotting and it will eventually disappear and after 4-5 months the overall appearance will all be grey in colour. Should you wish to treat the marked areas, we recommend applying a mould and mildew cleaner such as Dettol, which can be purchased from most supermarkets. When completed, wash the whole bench down with clean water. For better results you can follow up with a light sanding of the furniture, which will renovate the furniture back to its natural colour.

When we designed the finish and appearance of this range, a lot of effort was put into specifically crafting a textured finish with a rough look and feel. Before we apply the final finish coat we deliberately rough up the surface with a wire brush to get this “distressed” texture. This is a particularly time-consuming operation in comparison to our usual smooth finishes. The finished texture is therefore designed to be as it is.

Yes. Weathering on our painted destressed furniture is completely natural. Normally our natural timber takes up to a year to completely mellow, but this will take a lot longer to break down the layers on our painted ranges. Therefore, we expect the silvery grey effect to occur after 2-3 years. However, after a year you will see a slight fade in the original colour as the table is exposed to the natural elements. Should you wish to prolong the appearance you can purchase our Timber Sealer and apply a thin layer annually.

Whilst all metal furniture will degrade over time outdoors, Alexander Rose is able to offer a market leading 5-year warranty on its Portofino range. All items are fabricated carefully using ultra-modern techniques to protect the furniture and prevent corrosion. During the manufacturing process every piece of furniture is individually chemically treated, primed and then powder-coated to ensure a top grade finish and maximum rust resistance. If you do see any fly rust appearing, this will not be corrosive and can be cleaned off using WD40.