For most of us summer is coming to an end. How much do we love those lazy summer days relaxing outside in our favourite chairs? The hot summer days and rain take their toll on our lovely wood or metal outdoor furniture. Even though it’s coming to the end of summer, why not use these cooler days to repaint your wood outdoor chairs so they are ready to go for next summer.  I don’t know about you, but after a long winter I just want to get out into the yard and enjoy the sunshine with as little work to do as possible. So let’s get a head start on next summer and give those chairs a new coat of paint.

What you’ll need: 

A Paint Scraper
150 Grit Sand Paper
TSP Powder – Use as directed on the container

Paint Sprayer or Paint Brush (Make sure the paint brush can handle the outdoor paint. Not all brushes are created equal.)

Outdoor Paint – Use an oil based paint designed for wood and other materials. Or ask your paint supplier which outdoor paint is best if they do not have an oil based paint. Now’s a good time to pick a new colour. Change things up a bit.

Note about paint types and the weather:  An oil based exterior paint works best on these chairs. An oil based Porch and Floor paint can work held up quite well. Talk to the paint supplier and ask which paint is best suited to the climate in your area. What works best for warmer climates may not work best for those us that get a lot of snow and cold temps.  

A good, longer lasting paint job starts with good preparation. You want to make sure you remove all of the loose bits of old paint that may be on your furniture. Also to clean up the dust, dirt and oils that has accumulated.

Start with a good paint scraping tool and scrape off all the loose and blistering bits of paint.

Once all the loose paint has been scraped off, sand the chair everywhere with a medium grit sandpaper.  We recommend a 150 grit. (It will say this on the back of the sandpaper or on the package) You can also use a palm sander if you have one and give it a really good going over. It’s also less stressful on your hands. It won’t reach everywhere, but it will do a good part of it.

Then gave them a good scrub with some TSP (use as directed on the container) and a scrub brush. Rinse your furniture off after with the garden hose.  You can dry them off with an old towel and let the sun take care of the rest.

With your paint brush or paint sprayer give those chairs a good coat of paint. Make sure you do this at a time of day when they will have hours to dry afterwards outside. You don’t want any night dew getting on them before the chairs are dry, this could leave stain like marks on your furniture. You could put a piece of plastic or tarp over them, (create a canopy if you do this) you want to make sure the tarp or plastic does not touch the chairs while they are still drying.

This technique works for wood or metal furniture. Remember to get the right paint for the type of material your furniture is made of.

Presto, your done. Once the furniture is completely dry you can either use them again if you are one of the lucky ones that don’t get snow or cold weather. Or store them away for the winter and smile knowing that you are ready when the warm weather comes again.

Tip: If you have natural wood furniture and don’t want to paint it, use a wood oil and give your furniture good oil treatment before you store them away for the winter. You can do this a few times during the summer too. It will help to prevent cracking of the wood from the heat of the sun.