Best material for rendered outdoor table?

[DIYer88]

Hello,

I’m looking for some advice about the best type of material to use for an upcoming project. 

I’m hoping to make an outdoor bar table that looks something similar to the attached photo. I was thinking I could do it by making the top and base from MDF boards with a cement paver attached to the inside of the base to keep it weighted down. I know MDF isn’t waterproof but I thought if sealed it with some sort of external varnish and then covered it in a lime plaster render suitable for outdoors, that should protect it against any rain? The alternative is using marine plywood but I would need to use a few pieces glued together for the top since it doesn’t seem to come in the same thickness as the MDF boards. 

 

Grateful for any tips!

[JacobZ]

Hi @DIYer88,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

I'd suggest you are better off creating a frame out of H3 Framing Pine and then cladding this frame with HardieFlex before rendering the table. 

The H3 pine is suitable for external use as it is treated against rot caused by contact with moisture. HardieFlex is a fibre cement sheeting product that is fine to get wet and is a fantastic substrate for render. These materials will give you a much stronger structure that is fine to be outdoors.

You can use Dunlop Fine Coat Render to render the table and use PVC External Render Trims to get sharp, clean lines at the corners.

You might like to check out How To Render and How To Render Corners for some further guidance.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob