How do you restore timber outdoor furniture?

[#1]

The first task is to sand back any flaking paint. I personally use a Ryobi 18V ONE+ Random Orbital Sander and highly recommend it as it is a great option that copes well with large jobs and intricate work. I also own a belt sander and larger random orbital but this unit is by far the most used.

I would suggest starting with an 80 grit pad and knocking off all the larger flaking paint. Don't press too hard as you'll leave scratches in the timber. Once the bulk of the paint is removed you should step up to a 120 grit and start working down to bare timber.

Once all the old paint is removed you can then coat with new paint. If you want to oil the timber and keep the natural look there is more work to do. You'll notice that there is still paint between the slats which you won't be able to remove without a lot of elbow grease. The only way I can think of to remove that paint is by sliding a piece of sandpaper between the slats and working it back and forth.

A suitable coating would be Dulux Weathershield or your choice of outdoor furniture oil. One litre of paint will cover eight square meters with two coats. I would also advise applying two coats. - MitchellMc

[gregorybourchie]

I have two small chairs and table from Ikea that I want to fix up with varnish etc. How much and what do I need?

[EricL]

Hello @gregorybourchie 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about varnishing your two small chairs.

Would it be possible for you post a photo of the chairs? This will give our members a chance to assess their size, we can then make suggestions on how much paint to get. It will also tell us in what condition the chairs are in. If you've done a quick read of the steps suggested above on our best advice, the procedure is fairly straight forward, sand the chair down, clean it off and then you can paint it.

I suggest having a look at this guide: How to restore wooden furniture

If you wish to use a clear sealer, I suggest having a look at Cabot's 500ml Satin Water Based Cabothane Clear Polyurethane Timber Varnish. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric