Summer is nearly here, and it can’t come soon enough. The thought of garden parties, barbeques, or just a quiet few hours sunning ourselves in the garden helps us to ignore the April showers until the skies are clear.
But what if summer rolls around and, upon stepping foot into the sun, you find that your garden furniture isn’t quite as bright? Faded paint, dirt, and maybe even rust will ruin what should be the centrepiece of your outdoor area. Instead apply a fresh coat of paint that will impress your friends and family.
Can you Paint Garden Furniture?
You certainly can! Most garden furniture can be painted, and a fresh coat is the best way to protect it from the elements.
You can paint wooden garden furniture and metal furniture pieces, including chairs, tables, swing seats, and more! Even something as simple as a firepit or chimenea can benefit from fresh garden furniture paint, although in this case you will need something heat-resistant!
Should you Paint Garden Furniture?
A full set of garden furniture is an expensive investment. And while it will look fantastic in your garden or on your patio, you want to get your money’s worth. A few years of rain, wind, hail, and snow, and the surface might be coated with grime and any paint will be starting to wear out.
Instead of splashing out on a new set, you can save yourself a fortune by simply repainting the surfaces yourself. It’s a fairly quick job, as exterior painting projects go, and the results speak for themselves.
In the case of wooden furniture, a lot of pieces don’t come painted, and may have not even been treated. This makes them vulnerable to the weather, rot, as well as fungal and insect attack. If left unprotected, your furniture pieces won’t last nearly as long as they should. Painting them early saves you a lot of headaches in the future.
We’ll talk more about the best garden furniture colour more in a moment, but it might work out better (and maybe even cheaper) if you buy an unpainted garden furniture set and then apply the perfect shade yourself, which will save you shopping around.
The Best Paint for Garden Furniture
There are a few paint options for outdoor furniture, depending on the look you’re going for. Unlike with other projects, this time the material doesn’t matter as much, as there are all-rounder paints that can be used on both wood and metal surfaces.
However, sometimes a specialist product is best. For metal paint, you want something that will repel rust and to do that it needs to have additional water resistance. In this case oil-based paints are the way to go, as their extra thickness and oily compound prevents water from seeping into the surface over time.
For painting wooden furniture, you have a few more options to choose from.
The first is our very popular shed and fence paint. Despite the name, this is the perfect exterior paint for garden furniture. It’s durable, weather-resistant, and comes in a wide range of bold colours that will match any garden. There are both acrylic and oil-based versions available, so you can choose the best sheen level for your furniture pieces.
This is one of the most versatile paint products, as it can be used on multiple wood surfaces throughout your garden. If you’re looking to rejuvenate multiple surfaces, a few tins of this gives you the most value for money.
If you prefer the extra tough stuff, why not buy our oil-based satinwood paint? Its thickness gives the painted surface a smooth finish, ideal if you aren’t a fan of the woodgrain showing through. Some oil-based paints can look plasticky, but our satinwood selection keeps some of the natural texture that is ideal for wooden furniture.
Both of these paints are available as part of our colour system. Simply enter a British Standard or RAL paint code and we’ll mix any colour you need, giving you the opportunity to express yourself.
Alternatives to Painting Garden Furniture
If you want to spruce up your wooden furniture, you aren’t limited to just paint.
Our water-based woodstain is absorbed into the porous wooden surface, giving it long-lasting protection than a layer over the top provides. It is semi-transparent, so the natural woodgrain will show through, but with a new bold colour that will look great for a long time.
If you want to take this one step further, we also have a timber preserve that is available in clear, so that the wooden surface looks natural but has all the protection you need. There’s also creocote, which although only available in a single colour (dark brown), is a treatment that enhances the way the wood looks naturally.
How to Paint Garden Furniture
Once you’ve picked the perfect paint or paint alternative, it’s time to get to work.
As with every painting project, the preparation of the surface is the most important part. Any flaking paint, dirt, or stains will show through multiple layers of paint, so it’s vital that you clean the surface as thoroughly as possible before you apply the first layer.
If you’re painting metal furniture, you need to inspect it thoroughly for any rust. Rusty metal is a nightmare to paint, and no amount will prevent the rust from spreading further once it has begun. This can be frustrating but goes to show why it’s so important to protect your exterior surfaces.
The Best Garden Furniture Paint
Your garden is your pride and joy, don’t let rusty or worn-out furniture let the side down. Instead of purchasing new pieces, you can simply paint your existing ones to make them look better than new.
With multiple types of paint to choose from, and any colour you can imagine, you can do something special with your garden furniture. If you were never happy with the colour, or just want to try something new, we have everything you need to be bold.
