Does Patio Furniture Need to Be Covered for a Canadian Winter?

Reading time: about 6 minutes · Published September 14, 2026 by Forward Furniture · Last updated September 14, 2026

Every September we get the same question on the Kelowna showroom floor: does the patio set actually need to come in, or is that just something a cover salesperson says? We checked our own catalogue to give a straight answer instead of a generic one.

As of today we carry 139 active listings in our Patio Sofas & Sectionals collection, and 61 of them, 44 percent, are built on a PE rattan or synthetic wicker frame. The rest split across aluminum, steel and solid wood. Every one of those materials behaves differently in a Canadian winter, which is the actual answer: it depends what your set is made of, not a blanket yes or no.

Which patio furniture materials can stay outside all winter?

Two materials can genuinely ride out a Canadian winter outdoors with no cover and no damage. Everything else needs a cover, a garage, or a spare corner of the basement.

Can stay outside:

• Cast or powder-coated aluminum. Aluminum does not rust. Snow load and freeze-thaw cycling will not corrode the frame, so pieces like our 40 Inch Cast Aluminum Antique Rose Loveseat Bench ($239.99) can sit outside all winter uncovered.
• True PE rattan or synthetic wicker weave. This is a woven resin, not a natural plant fibre, so it will not rot, crack or mildew from cold the way real rattan does. Most of our catalogue, sets like the 3-Piece PE Rattan Corner Sofa Set with Glass Top Table ($749.99 to $799.99) and the 6-Piece PE Rattan Sectional Sofa Set with Glass Top Table ($899.99), is built this way.

Needs to come in, or under a real cover:

• Steel and wrought iron. Bare or chipped steel rusts fast once snow sits on it. Pieces like the Heavy-Duty Steel Frame Glider Bench with Sling Seat ($349.99) need a breathable cover at minimum, indoor storage is better.
• Solid wood and cast iron combinations. Wood checks and cracks as it freezes and thaws wet. The 50 Inch 2-Seater Cast Iron and Wood Garden Bench ($269.99) should come indoors or into a shed for winter, not just get covered where it stands.
• Cushions, fabric slings and canopies. Every fabric component on every set we sell, including the retractable canopy on the 4-Piece Wicker Outdoor Daybed with Retractable Canopy ($799.99 to $1,049.99), needs to come inside. Fabric holds water, freezes solid, and mildews.

What does a Canadian freeze-thaw winter actually do to furniture left out uncovered?

It is not the cold itself that wrecks furniture, it is the cycle. BC interior and prairie winters swing above and below freezing repeatedly rather than sitting at one temperature for months. Water gets into a weave, a wood joint or a bolt hole while it is briefly above zero, then freezes and expands by about 9 percent in volume overnight.

That expansion is what splits wood grain, pops glued joints and pushes rust into hairline cracks in a steel coating. A single hard freeze rarely does visible damage. A winter of freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw is what a generic "just throw a cover on it" post will not walk you through, and it is why a rinse-and-leave-it approach works for aluminum and synthetic weave but not for wood, steel or fabric.

Material by material: what to do with each frame type

When does the put-away window close in Kelowna, Calgary and Edmonton?

The honest answer is that the window is already smaller than most people think, and it closes at a different time in each of our three cities. These are 30-year averages from Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals, not a guess:

These are averages, not guarantees. An early cold snap can bring frost 2 to 3 weeks ahead of the normal date in any of the three cities, so treat the table as a deadline to work backward from, not a date to wait for.

How do you cover patio furniture without trapping moisture underneath?

A cover that does not breathe causes the exact problem it was bought to prevent. Condensation builds up under sealed plastic, has nowhere to go, and soaks into cushions and wood from below. Do it right:

1. Clean and fully dry the furniture first. Covering anything damp seals moisture in.
2. Remove all cushions, canopies and fabric slings before covering. They come inside regardless.
3. Use a breathable, vented cover, never a plain plastic tarp or painter’s sheet.
4. Leave 1 to 2 inches of clearance at the bottom hem so air can move underneath.
5. Weigh down or tie off the cover. Prairie and BC interior wind gusts will lift a loose one by January.
6. Check it after the first big snowfall. Brush snow load off the top so the cover does not sag and pool meltwater against the frame.

Our own 129.9 Inch Oval Patio Table and Chair Set Cover ($139.99) is vented for this reason and is sized for a table and its surrounding chairs. It is not sized for a sectional or corner sofa set. Measure your own set’s footprint with the cushions on before ordering any cover, ours included, that is the honest answer, not a plug.

Should cushions, slings or fabric ever stay outside over winter?

No, not on anything we sell. Cushion foam holds water like a sponge, then that water freezes and thaws inside the foam all winter, which breaks down its structure and grows mildew by spring whether the cushion is covered or not. Sling fabric on pieces like the steel glider bench stretches and can tear once it freezes stiff. Bring fabric indoors every year, even on furniture whose frame is fine to leave outside, like an aluminum or PE rattan set.

What if you do not have room to store patio furniture indoors?

This is the real constraint for most condo and townhouse owners, and it is worth being honest about instead of just saying "store it inside." If indoor space is not there:

• Choose aluminum or PE rattan pieces going forward. They are the only two materials in our own catalogue built to take an uncovered Canadian winter, so a balcony or patio with no storage access is less of a problem the next time you buy.
• Cover what stays. A vented cover like our 129.9 Inch Oval Patio Table and Chair Set Cover ($139.99) protects a table and chair set that has to stay put.
• Bring fabric in regardless of frame material. Cushions take up far less space than the furniture itself and are the piece most likely to be ruined.
• A vertical closet, a hall storage bench, or even under-bed space can hold a season’s worth of patio cushions if the balcony has nowhere else to put them.

The same rule applies to the rest of a patio set. If you are furnishing a full space rather than one piece, our Patio Tables collection is worth checking against the same three buckets: aluminum and PE resin tabletops can stay out, wood and glass need a cover or a winter indoors.

Does Forward Furniture’s warranty cover patio furniture damaged over winter?

No, and it is worth saying plainly. Every piece in our general catalogue, patio furniture included, carries a 3-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, plus a 90-day home trial on everything we sell.

That warranty is real, but our own returns and warranty policy specifically excludes accidental damage, and a cushion that freezes and splits after a winter left outside falls on that side of the line, not under a warranty claim. That is exactly why covering or storing the right pieces matters even though everything you buy from us already comes with a 3-year warranty behind it.

If you do need to return something, it goes back to a store: drop it off free at our Kelowna, Calgary or Edmonton showroom within 90 days, or ship it back yourself, and there is no restocking fee either way. Refunds go back to the card you paid with.

Our 129.9 Inch Oval Patio Table and Chair Set Cover and any other item ordered online ships for a delivery fee priced by your order total, from $49 up to $249, with free pickup at any of our three showrooms. Visit us in Kelowna at 2495 Enterprise Way, Unit 105, call (778) 760-0428, or see the full Kelowna, Calgary and Edmonton showroom hours. Kelowna is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm.

Frequently asked questions

Does patio furniture need to be covered for winter in Canada?

Most of it, yes. Aluminum frames and true PE rattan or synthetic wicker weaves can survive an uncovered Canadian winter if you rinse them off first, but cushions, fabric slings, real wood and exposed steel need to come inside or get a proper vented cover before the first hard frost.

Can PE rattan or synthetic wicker patio furniture stay outside all winter?

Yes. The resin weave is weatherproof and will not rot or crack the way natural rattan does. Rinse off road grit and leaves before the first snow, bring any cushions inside, and the frame and weave can ride out a BC interior or prairie winter on its own.

Will aluminum patio furniture rust over a Canadian winter?

No. Cast and powder-coated aluminum will not rust, which is why it is one of only two materials we recommend leaving outside all winter, along with true PE rattan or synthetic wicker. Check the powder coat for chips each fall and touch up any bare spots so moisture cannot reach the metal underneath.

How do you cover patio furniture without trapping moisture underneath it?

Use a breathable, vented cover, never a plain plastic tarp, and leave a gap at the bottom so air can move. Our own 129.9 Inch Oval Patio Table and Chair Set Cover is vented for exactly this. Sealing furniture under solid plastic traps condensation against the frame and cushions, which causes the mildew problem covering was supposed to prevent.

Does Forward Furniture’s warranty cover patio furniture damaged over winter?

No. Every patio piece in our general catalogue carries a 3-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, but our returns and warranty policy specifically excludes accidental and weather damage. A cushion that freezes and splits after a winter left outside is not a warranty claim, which is exactly why covering or storing it matters even with the warranty in place.

What size cover do I need for a patio sofa or sectional set?

Measure your set at its widest point with the cushions on, then add a few inches. Our own 129.9 Inch Oval Patio Table and Chair Set Cover runs 129.9 inches and is sized for a table and surrounding chairs, not a sectional. For a sectional or corner sofa set, measure your own footprint before ordering any cover, ours included.