A wood bench in the grass, a wood garden table with chairs on the patio or simply a wood stool to put that one plant on; wood patio furniture gives your garden that little bit extra. At least, when it still looks good. It looks a little sad when the wood furniture starts to get ugly. Your wood furniture defies wind and rain every single day, so a bit of a clean up is definitely in order once in a while.
Step 1: cleaning
Before you can get anywhere with wood, you’re going to have to clean it. The best way to do this is by using a mixture of warm water and a degreaser. You could also mix one part ammonia with nine parts water. Leave this to soak on the furniture and then rinse it with clean water. Then wait until the wood is completely dry.
Step 2: filling in imperfections
Holes and cracks are unavoidable when it comes to wood patio furniture. Little creatures start nibbling the wood and if this doesn’t happen you can always count on moisture to cause the wood to crack. Go to the hardware store and buy a type of filler that is suitable for wood and fill the holes and cracks. Try to get a result that is as smooth and even as possible. Sometimes the filler will cause imperfections, but you can simply sand these away. Do make sure no wood chips are left behind.
Step 3: taping
Get out some masking tape and tape off everything that doesn’t need a coat of paint. You won’t need to paint any hinges, for example. Lay down some old cloth or some canvas to put the furniture on in order to avoid stains on the ground. You might even want to put a soft blanket underneath the canvas. That way, when you need to flip the furniture, you won’t damage it by putting it down to hard.
Step 4: priming
Time to start painting! First, you’ll need to cover the wood with a base layer. Use a wooden stick to stir the primer and use a small brush to paint the small corners and pieces. You can use a paint roller to cover the larger surfaces. Don’t be stingy with the paint and make sure everything is evenly covered with a nice layer of primer. Try to avoid streaks and paint everything horizontally. Next, let it dry properly.
Step 5: sanding
It might just be that your paintbrush has left some hairs on the painted furniture. Lightly sand away any of these imperfections. If you want to apply the final coat of paint within 24 hours, you should lightly sand the entire piece of furniture anyway.
Step 6: painting
The final step is to give the piece of furniture a final layer of paint. Apply the coat of paint and leave it to dry properly. It’s possible that one coat of paint isn’t enough and the furniture wants another layer.
Circumstances
Although you’re doing great if you keep to these six steps, it’s also important to look at your specific circumstances. For example, the ideal temperature to paint in is between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius. You also have to make sure the nighttime temperature doesn’t fall any lower than five degrees. If it does, the paint won’t dry properly. The same goes for when it’s windy: always make sure your wood patio furniture dries in a windless spot.