I’m a big fan of avoiding unnecessary work. The less time I spend performing needless tasks, the more time I get to spend on projects that matter. A few years ago, I noticed that I was spending a large chunk of my mornings chasing after the patio chairs that blew into my fence-line the night before. I knew I had to find an easy way to keep my patio furniture from blowing away so I could take my time back.
There are several solutions to secure your patio furniture from the wind. While many complicated options exist, I tend to keep things simple. Installing a basic windbreak was a perfect solution for my particular situation. If you’re looking for an even quicker fix, there are other patio hacks you can employ. For instance (spoiler alert), attaching sandbags to your furniture or securing it to your deck would be perfect. So without further ado, let’s get to the solutions.
How To Secure Your Patio Furniture From The Wind
Install A Windbreak
As I mentioned earlier, installing a windbreak was the solution I ended up going with. On my patio, windbreaks ended up being essential. What are windbreaks? Simply put, windbreaks are installable fixtures that redirect windflow. Trees, shrubbery, and trellises are some starter ideas. All of these can help you easily keep your patio furniture from blowing away. If you want to know more, I’ve laid most options out in my guide How To Block Wind On Your Patio.
Considerations
Windbreaks are a long-term solution, and will keep your patio furniture grounded. However, they also require more time and effort than the other options. If you decide to use trees or other plants, they require varying degrees of regular upkeep. While windbreaks are great options, they are also more expensive than the other methods below.
Let’s continue our options.
Cover Your Outdoor Furniture
The solution really can be as easy as remembering to cover your outdoor furniture after each use. That’s right: patio furniture covers are for more just winter-proofing and protecting from sun damage (although they’re great for that too, check out our guide). How does this work? Won’t the covers just blow off as well?
Your furniture is blowing away because the wind catches the broad side of the material, turning it into a slightly heavy parachute. Applying a cover will ensure that the wind has no broad side to catch. However, your intuition was right — this won’t always work. Sometimes the wind is too fierce. Other times, the patio furniture is awkwardly shaped and even a cover won’t stop the wind from catching it.
If a cover won’t work, I still have a few other easy methods you can try.
Secure To Your Deck
For a quick and simple fix, I recommend that you secure your patio furniture to your deck. It is impossible for the wind to knock over your table and chairs if they are tied down. Now, you might be wondering the best way to actually secure the patio furniture to your deck.
The answer is deck down anchors (here’s an affordable pack of 8). Using these anchors, you can fasten the legs of your furniture directly to the surface of your deck. In addition to being quick and simple, they are also affordable and easy to install. Simply tie one end of the anchor to a leg of your furniture, and slide the other end through the deck anchor. Captain Patio knows a thing or two about anchors, so trust me when I say these are quickest fix you’ll find.
Considerations
Deck down anchors will easily keep your patio furniture from blowing away, but they only work if you have a deck (or similar surface you can apply the anchors to). The design of the anchors require wooden slats for the tool to fit. If your furniture is on a concrete patio or solid flooring, then you won’t be able to use them. Additionally, they will prove to be an inconvenience if you frequently move your patio furniture around. With each move, you would have to unfasten and refasten the anchor. They work best for patio furniture that typically stays in the same location on your wooden deck.
Apply Sandbags / Weights
If you don’t have a wooden deck, move your furniture frequently, and lack the patience for a windbreak, have no fear! There are still solutions out there to secure your outdoor furniture to your patio.
For instance, applying sandbags/weights will definitely keep your patio furniture from blowing away. Additionally, this is another quick and cheap option. You simply place a filled sandbag on the leg of your furniture, and your problem is solved! Don’t want an unsightly bag of sand sitting on your outdoor area? You can also buy patio furniture weights, which are the same concept, but look a little bit better on your porch. Some patio furniture weights fit directly around the leg of your chair in order to keep it grounded.
Considerations
Sandbags and patio furniture weights are cheap and easy fixes. They also allow for versatility if you like to rearrange your furniture frequently. There are still several downsides to them that you need to consider. To start, they really don’t look that great. A hulking bag of sand or patio furniture weight sticks out like a sore thumb, and doesn’t look that great on a patio. Sandbags are effective, but an aging sandbag can rip, causing an unsightly mess!
Don’t Forget Your Patio Cushions
Now that the Captain has solved the issue, it’s time to tie-up the loose ends. By loose ends, I’m referring to patio cushions and I’m literally telling you to tie them up! Some folks will go to all the trouble of securing their patio furniture but completely forget about the cushions. Don’t be one of those people!
As I said, the easiest way to keep patio cushions from blowing around your yard is to tie them directly to your patio furniture. Some patio cushions already come with loose ties that fasten to chairs. You can also sew fabric to the back of the cushion to attach them to your furniture. Applying velcro to the seat of the patio chair and the bottom of the cushion will also keep them from blowing away.