How to Keep Your Glider Sliding

One of my favorite pieces of outdoor furniture is the glider. Whether it’s a bench, chair, or swing, an outdoor furniture glider is sure to bring comfort and entertainment to your backyard. However, gliders are unique pieces of furniture, and therefore can require a little more maintenance than a plain old bench. The reason that gliders are able to move back and forth is their gliding track system. A track system that isn't kept well-oiled, will not be able to properly slide back and forth, causing the gliding motion to be choppy. If you go long enough without oiling, your glider swing could even become locked in place, causing it to be unable to move even the slightest bit. How often you should oil your glider’s track depends almost entirely on location. Weather, such as rain and other forms of precipitation, are the most influential factor on how often you need to oil the track. Rain, snow, sleet, and ice all wear away at the oil, causing the protective coating which allows the glider to glide to erode at a much faster rate. So if you live in a rainier climate or place your glider in a location where it is more exposed to the elements, you will probably have to oil your glider’s track system more often.