How to Paint Wooden Garden Furniture

As the Summer months come around it's time to start thinking about getting that garden furniture out and ready for BBQs, parties, or for any other reason. If your garden furniture is looking like it has seen better days you may consider giving it a fresh coat of outdoor furniture paint before you start inviting friends around.

But where to start? And how do you prepare your furniture for painting? If you are not sure where to start, you are in luck. In this actionable guide, we will be explaining everything you need to know about painting wooden garden furniture.

Steps to Paint Wooden Garden Furniture

So, how do you paint garden furniture? Here is our step-by-step guide.

Clean your Furniture

Giving your garden furniture a clean is the first step. After a few years of neglect or a few years of braving the elements outdoor furniture tends to accumulate all manner of dirt, grime, and organic growth, all of which will need to be washed away before work can continue. As with any painting task you need a clean, stable, and dry surface to work with.

To clean the surface you will need a cleaning agent such as our Maalipesu. Once you have washed the surface wait for it to dry completely before proceeding.

Sand The Surface

Now you will want to sand the surface of your furniture with sandpaper that is around 120-grit removing any flaking or loose paint to create a smooth surface that strips back any previous treatment. You may even want to consider a stiff wire brush if it's particularly bad. Once you have finished dust it off with a small brush.

It may take a bit more time but stripping back to wood will ensure a perfect finish.

Repair Any Damage

Once the furniture has been sanded down you will be able to see any cracks, rotten wood, or imperfections you will be able to deal with. You will need to use a wood filler or exterior caulking. Give any areas you have worked on another sanding down to ensure a nice smooth finish.

Apply a Primer

Next, you will want to prime your garden furniture. Wood is a porous and grainy surface by priming your garden furniture you ensure a solid adhesion when applying your top coat.

For priming wooden furniture we recommend Ultra Primer. It is possible to have your primer tinted to the colour of your top coat, this will help the overall finish.

Time to Paint

And finally, it is time to apply your paint. We have a couple of options here to choose from but we tend to recommend Ultra Matt (matt finish) or Ultra Classic (semi-matt finish) if you are looking for solid paint.

If a solid paint colour isn't what you are looking for there is always the option of a Lacquer. This will retain the wood grain to ensure you maintain that natural appearance. If this is what you are looking for we recommend taking a look at Valtti Opaque.

What Colour is Best to Use on Garden Furniture?

Selecting the right colour to paint your fence can be a challenge. You might just feel like choosing your favourite colour, however, there can be a few reasons you would want to choose a particular colour.

Many factors can influence this such as how your garden is currently designed, or the size you are working with as certain colours will make your garden appear larger such as green paint would. We've written a lot more about choosing a fence paint colour if you want to learn more about your options.

Selecting a Furniture Paint

We have talked a bit about this how-to about the options you have when choosing a furniture paint. First, decide if you are looking for a solid paint or a translucent lacquer. Both are great options, you just need to decide if you would like to see the natural features of the wood. To see the options refer the to paint section of the how-to.

If you already have existing paint on the furniture you will need to strip this back to bare wood if you intended to go for a wood stain.

Outdoor Furniture Painting Tips

Now that you know exactly how to paint wooden garden furniture here are a few helpful tips to make sure the DIY project goes smoothly.

Take your Time with Preparation

Preparation is the most important stage in any decorating project, especially if you are talking about anything which will need to contend with the elements. Not taking your time with cleaning, sanding, and priming your furniture can lead to poor adhesion of the top coat causing you to redo it or risk your furniture becoming damaged.

Check the Weather

You might be keen to get stuck in and start painting your garden furniture, however, taking a minute to check the weather forecast in advance can save you from being stuck in the rain halfway through your decorating project.

If you have an indoor space where you will intend to take care of this job such as a garage you will still want to check the weather. The temperature or amount of humidity in the air can also be factors that can impact how well your exterior paint adheres.