Shrink wrap refers to the rolls of film that are used to secure furniture for moving purposes or the industrial sheeting that protects boats and other large items from the cold winter months.Regardless of the type of wrap you are using, you can stack your outdoor furniture items together and wrap them in a bundle.Since you use a heat gun to shrink the wrap and tighten it to your furniture, make sure that you keep a fire extinguisher nearby and wear heat resistant gloves.
Step 1: You need to clear the area outside where you are going to work.
The patio or yard is an excellent place to work.If you have enough space, you can do this on a porch, but you need enough room to walk around your furniture and apply shrink wrap.Give yourself at least 10–15 feet to move after clearing an area to work in.The outdoor rugs, flower pots, or garden fixture may get in the way.If you use shrink film to package furniture, you don't need to use a heat gun.If you prefer, you can do this inside.You need a lot of room to work.Don't use industrial shrink wrap on a windy day if you are working outside.It will be difficult to heat the wrap.
Step 2: If you are wrapping your furniture individually, stand it up.
If you want to stack your furniture items together, you can shrink wrap them.Stand your first piece of furniture up so that it is oriented the way you normally use it.This is the best way to wrap furniture if you are moving.If you want to protect your furniture from the weather, you need to wrap it individually or as a stacked bundle.
Step 3: Wrap your furniture in a bundle.
If you can, stack your furniture together to shrink wrap it.You can stack the chairs upside down if you put a blanket on top of the table.If you only wrap chairs, stack them on top of each other.If you want to stack it or reduce the amount of space it takes up, you can bundle it.If you have a patio umbrella, lower the pole as far as you can from the table.Wrap the umbrella with bungee cords or rubber bands to keep it from opening.If you want to protect smaller items over the course of the winter, leave them underneath the table or chairs that you are stacking.
Step 4: If you stack it, tie your furniture together.
If you stack furniture items together, use zip ties or bungee cords to keep them from tipping over.To connect an armchair, tie the armrests of different seats together and tie furniture legs together.Tie your furniture together to prevent it from sliding around while you wrap it or fall over.
Step 5: You can buy shrink wrap film online or at a store.
Shrink wrap comes in rolls with handles at either end.It is a thicker version of the plastic wrap you use for storing food.Purchase moving shrink wrap from a moving company, a construction supply store, or a big box store.Shrink wrap can cost anywhere from $20-50 depending on the roll you get.The amount that you need depends on how much furniture you have.
Step 6: If you want to protect the furniture, drape a blanket over it.
If you want to protect your outdoor furniture from bumping against other items, drape a large moving pad, blanket, or towel over it.If a box or furniture item rubs against your furniture, the cloth will keep it from being scratched or harmed.
Step 7: Remove the film and press it against your furniture.
Press the plastic moving film against the flattest surface of the furniture item.This could be a leg of a table, a chair, or a platform for a cushion.To adhere the film to the furniture, press it against it.Every piece of furniture should be wrapped with a single, continuous length of plastic.Unless absolutely necessary, do not cut the film or use multiple sheets.
Step 8: Walk the roll around the furniture and wrap the film around it.
Grab the handles of the roll if the first edge is stuck to the surface.Release the film in the roll as you walk around the furniture.Allow the film to peel off of the roll when you walk and pull it tight against the furniture as you turn.As you walk around the furniture, stick your fingers into the hollow center of the roll, if there are no handles on it.If the legs of your furniture are thin and spread far apart, you can skip them.
Step 9: Wrap the furniture until it is secured.
The film should stick to the furniture as you walk.You can apply film to uncovered surfaces by moving the roll up or down.With an additional lap around the furniture, cover any loose film.Every piece of furniture needs to be wrapped.
Step 10: Put the shrink wrap into the furniture.
Remove the film from the furniture and press it into the plastic film that is stuck to it.If the film is too thick to be cut by hand, use a small knife or scissors.The plastic film is designed to stick to itself.It is not necessary to heat the shrink wrap to secure it.
Step 11: If you are wrapping them individually, repeat this process for each item.
Once you have wrapped your first piece of furniture, place it next to the other items that are ready to be moved.Stand your next piece up.The wrapping process can be repeated using moving film.Wrap your furniture until you are ready to move it.
Step 12: You can measure the dimensions of your furniture.
Take a tape measurer and look at the largest part of your furniture.Measure the height, width, and length of the area.If you want to wrap your items, you need to know the width of the industrial shrink wrap.If you are buying a single sheet, measure every side of your bundle or biggest individual item and add them together to find the length and width of the sheet.Industrial shrink wrap can measure up to 100 feet (30 m) wide, so it's important that you purchase wrap that isn't too big for your purposes.Each item needs to be cut into separate sheets.Measure the length, width, and height of the line if you are wrapping your pieces individually.To find how much shrink wrap you need, double the sum of these measurements.
Step 13: You can order a roll of industrial sheet wrap based on your measurement.
Purchase industrial sheet wrap from a company that specializes in industrial shrink wrapping.If you only plan on wrapping your furniture once, you can purchase a single large sheet of shrink wrap.If you plan on repeating this process every winter, it is a good idea to buy a roll.When you heat it up, industrial shrink wrap tightens.It costs between $50 and 500 depending on the amount of wrapping you get.
Step 14: Wrap your furniture with shrink wrap.
Spread the single sheet gently over the furniture.If you have a long roll of shrink wrap, put it on the ground to face your furniture.Lift the plastic over the furniture.Pull the edges out from underneath the roll if that is how it came.If you have a long roll of shrink wrap, it is a good idea to cut the wrap at the roll to completely cover the bundle.To remove a portion of the roll, use a utility knife.If you want the fabric to hang evenly over your furniture, adjust it.
Step 15: The wrap hangs at the sides if relief cuts are placed in the wrap.
If you want to cut the shrink wrap at any point, use a utility knife.Cut through the plastic at the point where it hangs and run your cut all the way to the ground.If the shrink wrap doesn't hang cleanly, repeat this process for every location.A table with 4 corners will require 4 cuts at each corner where the plastic hangs.The goal is to place as little relief cuts as possible.Place relief cuts where you think they will help the shrink wrap tighten against the furniture because each cut will require heat to seal it.
Step 16: With your knife, trim any excess material.
Use your utility knife to cut off excess plastic on the ground or corners of shrink wrap that you don't need.If you want to cut the shrink wrap, drag your blade through the material.You only need a small amount of plastic to wrap around the furniture, so trim any portions that you don't need.
Step 17: Pull and tape the areas that you cut.
To keep the shrink wrap from blowing around in the wind, use basic tape to secure any cut portions together.Pull the shrink wrap taut for every location where you placed the relief cut.To hold the fabric tight, place a small piece of tape over the tear.Don't press the pieces of tape into the wrap so hard that you will not be able to remove them later.You can use regular clear tape.You can use painter's tape, masking tape or any other tape that won't leave a mark.Duct tape will not work for this.
Step 18: The fabric should be secured with a strap or heavy-duty tape.
The shrink wrap needs to be secured at the bottom with a shrink-safe woven cord or flame- resistant tape.Wrap the woven cord around your furniture and pull it taut.If you pull the cord tight to the furniture, use the woven cord's buckle to hold it in place.Pull the tape tight to the furniture by wrapping it around the base.The woven strap and buckle are required to complete this step.You can purchase these items from a shrink wrap company.The tape looks like foil.It is often used for gas lines that get extremely hot.
Step 19: Use your heat gun to heat the material around the strap.
Put on gloves to protect your hands.Plug in a heat gun or shrink wrap gun and set it to the lowest setting.The shrink wrap should be folded over the tape or cord at the bottom of the furniture.To shrink the shrink wrap over the tape, hold the heat gun 6–10 inches away from the surface and move it back and forth in 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) lengths.Continue until you have heated the wrap at the bottom over the tape or cord.Special heat guns for shrink wrap are $400-1,000.If you prefer, you can use a standard heat gun.
Step 20: Cut the edges together and remove the tape.
Since you heated the base of the furniture, you no longer need tape to hold shrink wrap in place.Take your tape and fold the cut edge over itself.The heat gun can be used to heat the seam where the 2 pieces meet.Don't hold the cut edges next to one another; overlap them and heat them so there is no space between each cut.This can be awkward depending on the shape of your cut.Keep your hands away from the heat gun while you work and try to get the shrink wrap as tight as possible.
Step 21: Shrink wrap can be heated to tighten it.
You can move on to the larger sections of the shrink wrap with your base and cuts secured.Work your way down from the top of the furniture.The heat gun should be held 6–10 inches away from the surface and moved back and forth in 1–1 ft sections.You can see the wrap moving away from the heat source as you heat it.If you want to wrap your furniture, you have to run the gun over every section.Shrink wrap doesn't need to be burned or melted to shrink and stick to furniture.A light layer of heat is enough to hold the film to the surface.
Step 22: If necessary, install a vent to prevent condensation from building up.
If there is no air flow at the bottom of your furniture, you should install a vent.There is a plastic vent cover for sale.Follow the manufacturer's instructions to remove the backing from your shrink wrap.Cut a small hole in the shrink wrap inside the area covered by the vent to secure your outdoor furniture for the season.The vent will keep condensation out of your furniture.It is not necessary if there is a lot of air flow in the furniture.
Step 23: If you shrink wrap each item individually, repeat this process.
Set your piece of furniture out where you plan to store it for the season if you didn't bundle it together.Stand up your next piece of furniture.Pull out a new roll of shrink wrap.Continue shrink wrapping until you have all of your outdoor furniture.