How to Paint Patio Furniture Like a Pro
Hey guys, happy Friday! Jacqueline here. It’s been a minute since I’ve hopped on to share a post with you guys, let alone a DIY project, so I’m excited to be back. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me working endlessly on my most recent house project- refinishing and painting our existing patio furniture. I’m not going to lie…it was a big project (one I grew tired of very quickly), but I’m so happy with the end result and think it was 100% worth the effort. Our patio is not quite put back together yet, but soon enough I’ll be enjoying the outdoors in a newly revamped space. I wanted to share my tips & tricks for refinishing patio furniture, since I’ve had a lot of people reach out asking for help. It sounds like we’re not the only ones desperately needing to refresh our outdoor furniture. Continue reading for my step-by-step tutorial, plus some images of what our furniture looked like before and throughout the process.
This is what our outdoor Ikea patio furniture looked like before- very worn and damaged by the sun and weather. It honestly didn’t hold up as well as I had expected, given I purchased the dining set back in 2015. It was only used for three full summer seasons and we took pretty good care of it.
I started by sanding all six chairs and the table by hand with a piece of sand paper. If you have access to an electric hand sander it will probably make your life and project easier, but I was sort of in a rush and just wanted to get started. Sometimes you have to go with what you have and this was one of those cases!
Once I finished sanding all of the furniture, I power washed everything from top to bottom to make sure it was nice and clean, then I allowed the furniture to completely dry out in the sun.
The next step was priming. I heard mixed reviews that this step is not always necessary but my hope was that by doing it, I could extend the life of our patio set until we are able to replace it altogether. I sprayed multipurpose primer to give the chairs a quick coat in hopes of increasing their durability and longevity.
The last step was painting. I decided to purchase this paint sprayer after Sarah & Emmett used it on their veranda makeover and DIY planting station last year. I had been considering one for awhile but they sold me after I saw how smooth the paint went on and how quickly they were able to tackle some of their projects. It might be the best $150 I’ve ever spent. We also plan to use it to paint our fence laster this summer, so I felt like it was a good investment! I used Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258 from the Emerald® Exterior line.
I was amazed at how quickly I was able to paint with the sprayer… it was SO much faster than painting by hand. Sarah had suggested a few light coats and she was right! I only had to do two coats on the top and sides of the table and one heavier coat along the bottom. I am always amazed at what a huge difference paint can make. It looks 100 times better than it did a few weeks ago! See for yourself below. It’s truly instant gratification.
I’m curious to know… are you an avid furniture painter? If so, leave your favorite products or tips below! I have painted a few pieces in the past, but I wouldn’t consider myself a pro… yet. I am always looking to learn new tricks and try new things out though. I can’t wait to enjoy the fruits of my labor once our patio is set up for the season. Stay tuned for a post dedicated to our patio revamp coming in a few weeks. Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends! I know Sarah has a post coming this weekend with alllll the sales.