Jean Carroll
Your step-by-step guide to painting outdoor wood furniture like a pro and make it last a long time in the rain and shine! I’ve got you covered with all the details you need to totally take outdoor furniture and turn it into the perfect pieces for your patio! One VERY lucky Saturday morning (which was Valentine’s Day), I found a bench and 2 chairs on the curb at the end of our block!
The bench and chairs were very sturdy and strong but looked very beaten up! I highly recommend starting with a stain-blocking primer to paint outdoor wood furniture , followed by 3 coats of latex outdoor primer and multiple coats of exterior latex paint. Outdoor latex paint usually has ultraviolet protection that protects the color and finish of the paint in the bright outdoor sun during the summer months.
Outdoor latex paint usually has ultraviolet protection that protects the color and finish of the paint in the bright outdoor sun during the summer months. Start by vacuuming off any old spiderwebs and their inhabitants and any loose dust. Finish by washing off the soap with a high-pressure attachment on a hose or a power washer. If you have dents or holes, you could fill them with wood putty at this time too! The chairs I had were a little wobbly and were very easily able to locate a couple of screws that needed to be tightened. Mine was pretty worn out and a light sanding worked perfectly.
I got about a dozen paint chips and taped them to the bench and try them in the setting. While I deferred the decision on the color, I got to work on getting everything ready to be painted.
RELATED: See how I created a cozy and colorful corner in my new patio Primer needs to be applied in 2 steps on this old wood furniture –
Start with applying one coat of Zinsser oil based primer using a disposable chip brush. For the 2 additional coats, you could use the oil-based primer with a brush, but I like to use my paint sprayer to make it faster.
Washing out the water-based primer from the paint sprayer is a lot easier. I used Glidden’s “whisper white” color-matched to Behr Marquis Exterior semigloss paint.
Love the fresh look and having a spot to hang out and enjoy summer evenings! Obviously, I had to build a matching outdoor coffee table to go with my patio set.
