Painting Wooden Garden Furniture
7 min reading time
Table of content
As temperatures rise and the sun draws us outdoors, enjoying those warm garden days is pure balm for the soul. With the right colours and a bit of know-how, **painting your garden furniture** can be a real pleasure. With just a few brushstrokes, you can transform your garden into a cosy, inviting haven. What's more, you'll also be doing your bit for the environment, as renovating is always **more sustainable than buying new furniture**.
Your piece will be touch-dry after just a few hours and will develop its full durability during the **curing period of approximately 10–14 days**. Once fully cured, you'll have a robust, hard-wearing surface that you'll absolutely love!
Ideas for painting garden furniture from the MissPompadour Painting community
Clearly, white and grey are the classic colours for painting garden furniture. You'll find great colour shades in our collections. But why not dare a little more? You can bring more colour into your garden with more than just flowers. Here you'll find original ideas for painting your garden bench, varnishing your garden table or painting teak.
Alive
- The old garden bench deserved a new coat of paint.
Party location
- Orange with Chestnut enchants this outdoor kitchen.
Quiet
- With their new coat of paint, the garden chairs fit perfectly among the colourful roses and hydrangeas.
Type change
- Our customer has given this bench a new look with Vienna wickerwork.
Renewed
- A difference like night and day.
Gaming fun
- At this sight, everyone would like to be a child again.
Preparation: How to choose the right colour for your garden furniture
paints: You can beautifully paint your wooden furniture with our hard-wearing balcony & garden paint. Whether wood, metal or plastic, it's no problem. The paint is UV- and weatherproof.
Our Easy Eggshell! is also suitable for outdoor use. To ensure the paint lasts as long as possible, garden furniture painted with it should be protected from the rain.
Which garden furniture do you want to paint?
Which material do you want to paint?
Please note: Even the best varnish does not turn indoor furniture into weatherproof garden furniture. The former lack constructive wood protection. Many pieces of indoor furniture are made of wood laminates that swell in damp conditions.
Which paints are suitable?
The best choice for painting your garden furniture is a highly durable and weather-resistant paint, like our subtly shimmering, silky matt Balcony & Garden Paint. It comes in 12 fantastic colours, allowing you to personalise your furniture to your heart's content.
How to Paint Your Garden Furniture: A Guide from MissPompadour
Before Painting
Before applying your new paint, any old paint that's flaking off must be removed. If it's still adhering well, you can simply paint over it. Make sure you thoroughly sand off any flaking paint beforehand. If there are metal parts on your furniture, always carefully sand off rusty spots and prime them with a rust-inhibiting primer.Step 1: Remove Paint
Can you paint garden furniture without sanding? Yes, you can! However, this only works if the old paint is still adhering very well to your furniture. If it starts to flake, you must remove it. For smaller sanding jobs, use medium-fine sandpaper or our sanding pad To Sand. For stubborn paints or larger areas, use an electric sander. You can find out more in our 'How-to: Remove Old Paint' guide.
Step 2: Fill
Easily repair larger imperfections with To Fill. Once the filler has dried, sand the surface smooth.
Step 3: Clean
Thoroughly clean your garden furniture, removing all oil and grease – then you're ready for the first coat of paint. Even if cleaning isn't your favourite job, it's essential for achieving a beautiful and durable paint finish. To Clean creates grease-free, perfectly clean surfaces, which are the foundation for an even and long-lasting paint finish.
You should pay attention to this when painting
Step 4: Masking
Now the actual painting begins. Either remove fittings and parts such as handles or knobs beforehand or tape them off in this step before painting. Always remove the tape immediately after painting while the paint is still wet. This prevents dried paint from being torn off when you peel it off. Then re-tape for the next coat of paintStep 5: Priming
On very smooth surfaces and with certain types of wood, priming with To Bond & Block ensures that the paint adheres well to the substrate and that no tannins from the wood penetrate. Important: Spread the primer evenly; if discolouration occurs after the first coat, apply several coats and allow to dry thoroughly for 8 hours or overnight. Make sure to use clean tools here.Step 6: Painting
Now apply your desired colour. The first coat does not have to be perfectly opaque. It's better to let the colour dry and then paint over it again 4 hours later. This will make the colour nice and even. Your piece of furniture will shine in new splendour.Step 7: Drying
Oh yes - even if the garden bench still looks so inviting after painting: Don't sit on it just yet. After 1 to 2 days, you can carefully sit on it with a cushion. However, the varnish is only fully resilient and scratch-resistant after the full curing time of 14 days. Protect your furniture from moisture during the drying time. Always avoid standing water, as this will dissolve the varnish.How to paint natural wood and rattan?
Rattan furniture can essentially be painted in the same way as wooden garden furniture. Make sure you use only a little paint. Otherwise, you'll clog up the rattan's woven structure with too much of the paint. For a second coat of paint, a wax brush works wonderfully. This way, you can effectively fill in any colour gaps. Alternatively, you can use a paint sprayer.
pro tip: You can achieve a beautiful, subtle effect if the rattan's natural tone still subtly shows through.
Video Tutorial: Paint a Striped Plant Shelf
Video: Paint for Garden Furniture
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about painting wooden garden furniture
Can I varnish wooden garden furniture without sanding it?
If the surface is in good condition and the old paint still adheres firmly to the furniture, you can start painting immediately after cleaning.
Treat garden furniture with oil
Use special wood oils to enhance the colour shade of natural wood furniture and make it more resistant to wind and weather.
Oil penetrates deep into the wood, nourishes it and highlights the natural wood grain and natural colour shade. Sand the wood lightly before applying the oil.
Painting garden furniture: oil or stain?
Both oil and a stain are suitable for painting your wooden garden furniture to make it more weather-resistant and durable. Both penetrate deep into the wood and bring out the wood grain.
How often should I paint my garden furniture?
Whether varnishing, staining or oiling, you should always repaint your garden furniture when it is no longer attractive.
How quickly weather-related damage appears depends not least on where you have your furniture. Standing water on surfaces always puts a lot of strain on them. You should therefore move your garden furniture into a dry place in bad weather. How often you need to treat your garden furniture depends on several factors and can vary between 3 and 6 years.
Any questions about painting garden furniture?
So now you know how to turn your old wooden furniture into real pieces of jewellery again. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with our customer service team! Your prank concert will impress your friends at the next garden party.
A good opportunity to pass on your tips - for more colour in our gardens and in our lives.
You need these tools for varnishing garden furniture
- Furniture Cleaner: To Clean - Cleaner from MissPompadour is a powerful cleaner. It creates grease-free and absolutely clean surfaces.
- Brushes: Garden furniture also has corners, edges and hard-to-reach areas. You will find the right brush for every purpose in our range of brushes. The narrow angled brush is particularly suitable for corners and angles. The MissPompadour wax brush is a valuable helper when painting rattan furniture.
- varnish roller: varnish rollers are ideal for larger surfaces, such as garden tables. They give you a nice even coat of paint.
- Adhesive tape: A high-quality adhesive tape that doesn't peel off during painting and let paint run under the tape is worth its weight in gold. You will find a large selection in various widths at MissPompadour Tools.
- MissPompadour Sanding Pad: The MissPompadour Sanding Pad To Sand is gentle on your garden furniture and effectively removes old varnishrests at the same time.
Bring colour to your garden
How to make your project perfect
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