Weather-Tough Furniture
Looking for a rocking chair or a dining table for your deck or patio? Save money by shopping your attic or basement and giving pieces you already own a weather-resistant finish. Here’s how to prep different materials for a new life outdoors.
Weatherproofing Furniture: Wood
Try an outdoor deckstain, such as Thompson’s WaterSeal (about $32; Amazon). First, sand the piece down to bare wood, making sure to wear a respirator mask. Seal any exposed end grain—typically the bottoms of chair and dresser feet, which tend to soak up moisture—with a clear penetrating epoxy sealer before applying the stain. If you prefer to paint, prime the piece and use a paint made for outdoor surfaces, such as Rust-Oleum Restore.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to protect outdoor wood furniture with varnish—it will blister and flake and need almost constant maintenance. A semitransparent penetrating stain with mildew inhibitor and wood preservative is a better choice, as it blocks harmful UV rays without forming a film that can peel.
Sanding Tip: When sanding down to bare wood, always sand in the direction of the grain. Start with about 120-grit sandpaper and work up to 150 or 180-grit. Avoid belt sanders, which are too aggressive and can get you in trouble—especially if the piece has a thin veneer layer. Hand sanding gives you total control over the process.
Weatherproofing Furniture: Wicker
Give your piece two coats of the paint of your choice, then top it with a layer of spray marine varnish, such as Minwax Helmsman Indoor/Outdoor Spar Urethane (from $10; Amazon). Wicker traps moisture easily; if it gets under the finish, it will damage the fibers from the inside out. Unlike spray lacquer, varnish is strong enough to seal out the moisture. Follow up every two to three years with a fresh coat to maintain a durable, water-resistant finish.
Weatherproofing Furniture: Metal
If you’re starting with a metal piece that’s in rough shape, sand off as much rust and peeling paint as possible. Treat it with a fish-oil-based primer, like Rust-Oleum’s Rusty Metal Spray Primer (about $5; The Home Depot)—it prevents corrosion and binds to the rust to create a paintable surface. Then give it a fresh coat of paint. If your piece is already rust-free, a coat of spray paint is all it needs; black holds up best against the sun’s rays.
The approach differs depending on the type of metal. For aluminum furniture, rough up the surface slightly with 100-grit sandpaper, then smooth with 220-grit paper—there’s no need to prime, just apply an exterior-grade acrylic enamel paint. For wrought iron or tubular steel, use a wire brush and sandpaper to sand any rust spots or chipped paint down to bare metal before priming and applying an exterior enamel topcoat.
Pro Tip: Mauro, a This Old House painting expert, advises using oil-based primer on metal rather than water-based: “There’s two different types. There’s a water-based that is not good for metal in general… And then we have an oil-based primer that blocks odor and stains.” He also recommends spot-priming only the rusted areas rather than coating the entire piece: “We’re not going to prime the whole thing with this primer. We take care of all the areas that we sand with a lot of rust.”
For heavily rusted pieces, consider a five-step restoration process outlined in This Old House Magazine: After scrubbing with a wire brush and filing rough patches down to bare metal, spray all exposed metal with phosphoric acid (such as Ospho), which converts hidden rust into a stable, inert crust of iron phosphate. Wait a full day for the acid to penetrate and react, brush away loose flakes, then apply a thick base coat of oil-based metal primer. Be sure to protect your eyes, skin, and lungs when using the acid spray.
