How to restore outdoor furniture please

[rustyicon]

 

  

 

 

 

 

Hi All, I’m very new to this, our first attempt at restoring outdoor furniture. We have a outdoor table & two bench chairs. Unfortunately they have been through bad weather but all still in good condition. We Want to restore them ourselves rather than having to buy a whole new set. Would love to know where do we start, the process please & what to buy to make it all happen, any feedback would be helpful. Thankyou very much

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @rustyicon. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your questions.

Did you want to re-paint the setting or restore it to the original timber?

Do you have an electric sander? If not there are plenty of budget-friendly options. I personally use a Ryobi’s 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.

I asked what type of finish you want as 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.

Please let me know if you need further information or had questions.

Mitchell

[rustyicon]

Hi Mitchell

Thankyou very much for your very quick replies to my post, very gratefull.

Yes we are only sanding back & repainting the outdoor set, a friend is lending us an electric sander which is great.

So I will choose a Dulux Weathershield colour, how many litres do you think i would need & how many coats would you recommend please?

The table is 200cm X 100cm & the benchs are 200cm each

Kind Regards

Nev

[MitchellMc]

Hi @rustyicon,

One litre of paint will cover eight square meters with two coats. I would estimate that one litre should be enough for your project. I would also advise applying two coats.

Mitchell

[rustyicon]

Thankyou very much Mitchell, 

much appreciated for help