Customer Care

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy Jo Alexander Furniture?

You can purchase Jo Alexander furniture through our website, by phone or by visiting one of our exhibitions that take place throughout the year (April to end of August).

Alternatively you could visit our Show Barn near Cambridge (Knapwell Wood Farm, High Street, Knapwell, Cambs, CB23 4NS) to view our full range of furniture and accessories. Please call us on 01954 267857 to give us one hours notice of your visit. Thank you.

Does my furniture require assembly?

All our furniture is supplied either fully assembled or flat-packed in sub-assemblies to minimise the amount of final assembly required. All flat-packed items are dispatched with a pack of fittings and assembly instructions. No glue is required to assemble our products. Most of our furniture, can be assembled within a few minutes by a single person with only a minimum of tools. Jo Alexander is happy to assemble the furniture for you (by prior-arrangement before delivery) for which a charge is made.

Will Jo Alexander take away the packaging upon delivery?
Yes, we can do this for you (by prior arrangement before delivery) for which a charge is made. We fully recycle all the cardboard packaging from our furniture.

Can my furniture be kept outside all year round?

Yes, Jo Alexander furniture can be kept outside all year round. It will get dirtier than furniture that is just used in the summer, but the long-term performance and durability of the furniture is exactly the same. If you would prefer to store furniture over the winter, we advise that you do so in a garden shed or garage. It is not advisable to store the furniture near an indoor radiator as the differences in temperature and humidity may cause the wood to split.

Why does my teak furniture sometimes looks patchy and dark in areas?

Teak is a natural material, which will change colour with time and exposure to the climate surrounding it. The occasional dark patches are found as a result of the natural, biological process in the starches, moistures and natural oils present in the timber. These patches gradually disappear as the teak matures with age.

Why has a crack appeared on my furniture?

It is normal to have fine cracks on the furniture as teakwood is a natural material which expands and contracts with weather changes. Consequently, cracks can appear and disappear with time. This will not affect the life of your furniture.

Do I need to oil my furniture?

It is not necessary to oil your furniture. However, if you would like your furniture to remain the same colour as when it was purchased, a Teak Protector can be used to maintain the golden brown colour of the teak for a long time. http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/teak-care/teak-protector-1-litre/

What is teak?

Teak is a close grained hardwood with a high natural oil content. This makes it hard wearing, highly resistant to rotting and almost impervious to the effects of sun, rain, frost or snow. These characteristics combine to make it the ideal timber for all outdoor furniture. Other hardwoods are often used for outdoor furniture, but they do not perform to the high standards of teak.

How do I care for my teak furniture?

When purchasing Jo Alexander Teak Garden Furniture there are three care options.

Option One

Leave the furniture untreated to age naturally. The effects of the suns rays will bleach out the timbers natural colour, gradually turning it a soft silvery grey colour. This silver grey ‘patina’ which develops over time gives teak furniture a distinctive appearance. The silver grey colour resulting from this natural ageing process is considered to be very attractive, and allows the furniture to blend in well with any outdoor environment. Teak Cleaner will be required periodically to clean and restore your teak garden furniture. http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/teak-care/teak-cleaner-1-litre/

You could also clean your furniture with some warm mild soapy water and a soft bristled brush. Wash down afterwards with clean water.

In order to protect your furniture in winter, we have available sturdy furniture covers prolonging the use of your chosen furniture. These come in various forms including round/oval set covers http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/furniture-covers/ and parasol covers http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/parasols/parasol-covers/. If protecting wooden teak furniture, we advise that you enable an air flow around and over the table top and chairs to prevent mould occurring.

Option Two

On purchasing treat with Teak Patinizer. This water-based patinizer protects the wood against moisture and adhesion of dirt and prevents mildew growth. It slows down the weathering process: after ageing, the teak weathers to a natural patina grey instead of turning dark grey or green. http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/teak-care/teak-patinizer-1-litre/

In order to protect your furniture in winter, we have available sturdy furniture covers prolonging the use of your chosen furniture. These come in various forms including round/oval set covers and parasol covers. If protecting wooden teak furniture, we advise that you enable an air flow around and over the table top and chairs to prevent mould occurring.

Option Three

On purchasing treat with Teak Protector which maintains the golden brown colour of the teak for a long time. http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/teak-care/teak-protector-1-litre/

In order to protect your furniture in winter, we have available sturdy furniture covers prolonging the use of your chosen furniture. These come in various forms including round/oval set covers and parasol covers. If protecting wooden teak furniture, we advise that you enable an air flow around and over the table top and chairs to prevent mould occurring.

Please also note that our team is always ready and willing to help should you wish to call us for advice.

This year extreme weather conditions in the UK with more rainfall than usual, garden furniture is not getting a chance to dry out. Mildew may form, so treating with Teak Cleaner or Patinizer (from new) may be advisory.

We do not recommend the use of high pressure hoses as this may "chip out" small pieces of teak wood. We also do not recommend the use of steel wool or steel wire brushes. These can cause grooves to be formed along the grain of the wood during brushing and secondly can cause rust marks in the grain of the wood from steel residues.

If the furniture has some stubborn and heavily ingrained stains these can be removed by sanding with a fine grade of sandpaper, being sure to work only with the direction of the timber grain. After sanding stains away like this, if the furniture was previously teak oiled you may wish to re-oil, or if it had previously been left natural, the fresh colour exposed by sanding will soon mellow in with the existing silver grey patina.

Do I need to oil my teak furniture?

Cleaning Stainless Furniture

To remove small marks and dirt simply use warm water and a clean cloth. Do not use cleaners containing chlorine. Stainless steel cleaner can be used to maintain or restore the polished look.

Cleaning Batyline Products

Batyline™ can simply be cleaned using a non-abrasive household detergent taking care not to touch the surrounding material (teak or stainless steel).

Cleaning Wicker Furniture

When cleaning it is important to use a non-foaming cleaner on woven furniture, as a foaming product will leave residues in the gaps in-between the weave which will then attract dirt. A pressure hose on a low setting is acceptable to use on wicker furniture.

How do I clean my teak furniture?

Teak Cleaner will be required periodically to clean and restore your teak garden furniture. http://www.joalexander.co.uk/catalogue/accessories/teak-care/teak-cleaner-1-litre/

You could also clean your furniture with some warm mild soapy water and a soft bristled brush. Wash down afterwards with clean water.

We do not recommend the use of high pressure hoses, steel wool or steel wire brushed as any residue left in the grain will rust and discolour the wood.

If the furniture has some stubborn and heavily ingrained stains these can be removed by sanding with a fine grade of sandpaper, being sure to work only with the direction of the timber grain. After sanding stains away like this, if the furniture was previously oiled you may wish to re-oil, or if it had previously been left natural, the fresh colour exposed by sanding will soon mellow in with the existing silver grey patina.

What quality of stainless steel does Jo Alexander use?

The stainless steel is made from 304 grade steel, which has a minimum of 8% nickel and a minimum of 18% chrome.

Cleaning Stainless Furniture?