Hi EF,
I have bought some Rattan furniture in preparation / hope for a nice long warm Swiss summer. The furniture I have bought is light in weight and gets moved easily when windy. Does anyone have any smart ideas how I can weight down the furniture on a windy balcony? Can I buying weights to tie on to the furniture?
Thanks in advance for any hints / tips.
Phillip
Can you attach some bag of sand under the seats? A picture would help me to help you.
Maybe tie some nice planters to the legs? Or if it has cushions put some flat bags of sand between the cushion and furniture.
Looks similar to this. I would have to tie something internally within the furniture (possible)...the furniture is on a stone balcony, so I am not looking at any tie down solutions to floor.
It doesn't look so light in the photo.
Having lived in Asia where typhoons were common, we needed to secure everything.
I suggest stacking the furniture, placing some upside down on top of the ones on the ground and covering with a tarp, making sure the wind doesn't get into the tarp. We used unbrella bases to anchor things to as we had no railing.
Here I use garden stones to keep light things from blowing away.
Unfortunately, they are very light...a small gust of wind shifts them...they slide nicely on my balcony.
1. Yes they are hollow underneath with some small bars. Could attach something if I knew what.
2. Tarp solution I have been using, but only as a store away solution in the corner. When exposed on the balcony with tarp it is also prone to move .
Sand bags / garden stones - where could I buy them?
Alternatively just put soft rubber pads underneath the furniture. This would certainly stop the furniture sliding, but not fly away, if that happens!
@NickGB: Thanks, they come with rubber studs. My apartment is on top of a hill, so it is exposed to lots of wind. I need something heavy duty to weigh down the items.
Appreciate your contribution.
Check in the DIY stores with garden centers (Obi, Coop Bau + Hobby, Hornbach, Jumbo) - usually they'll have sand for filling children's sand boxes, and probably various size bags, as well as twine.
If there are cross bars beneath each piece, make a few small sand bags (not sooo small, but small enough to hide inside, under the piece) , and tie them to the bars.
Otherwise, get some clear line (a heavy'ish fishing line maybe) and try the small'ish bags, using the clear string to tie it to the legs of each piece, but again, tucking them so that the sand bag is hidden beneath the furniture.
You can buy 25Kg bags of sand at most garden centres and DIY places.
You'll need to decant the sand into smaller, more robust sacks of plastic or thinner plastic and then a nylon/fabric covering bag.
Don't overfill the bag as a "saggy" bag will sit better on the ground and/or drap better across a chair support
You don't want the sand to get wet and smelly when it rains or you wash your balcony, hence the plastic inner bag.
You then either rest the bags over one of the metal struts within the chair (if there are diagonal cross-bearers), or tie to one of the internal struts.
Collect rocks and put them in a strong bag and then tie it underneath? Buy some workout weights form a sports shop and tie those to it with wire?
I would collect some PET bottles, fill them with water and tie them to the furniture from the inside with cable ties.
It's cheap, easy to get, less messy than sandbags and you can easily remove and dispose in case of a move.
Thanks all for the tips! I like the PET bottle idea. Will use keep the sand option as backup.