Help with paint Painting outdoors

How to paint garden furniture

A wooden or metal garden piece is repainted over a dry weekend: washed, sanded — or de-rusted — primed with Multi-Surface Primer, then two thin coats of Multi-Surface Eggshell or Satin, in the shade, between 10 and 25 °C. The weak point of garden furniture is not the paint but standing water: on a table top or a flat seat, it gets through in the end. Hence three rules: dry the wood first, paint the undersides and the ends, and bring the furniture in or tilt it for winter. Done well, the work lasts several seasons before a maintenance coat.

Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France colour team

Wooden garden table and chairs painted in a matt mid blue on a stone terrace, under a lime tree, linen tablecloth, terracotta pots, dappled light — Boathouse No.33 in Multi-Surface Eggshell: the terrace blue, in the shade of the lime tree

Understanding

Wood, iron, aluminium, plastic: what can be painted, and how

Garden furniture is the worst-treated furniture in the house: sun, rain, dew, frost, and a horizontal top where water stays. What paint can do is protect it and give it back a colour; what it cannot do is hold on waterlogged wood or on rust still working underneath. The preparation counts more than the coat.

Wood (pine, spruce, acacia, greyed teak) is painted after sanding and priming; an oiled hardwood must first lose its oil — a season outdoors, or a degrease and a deep sanding. Iron and steel are de-rusted, degreased and primed; paint holds on them very well. Aluminium is degreased, sanded very fine and primed; adhesion is good over a primer. Plastic (resin, PVC) is the borderline case: Multi-Surface Primer grips it after fine sanding, but the result is less durable and is tested on a hidden area. The finishes: Eggshell for a soft look, Satin for seats and tops that get washed — both are formulated for exterior use, over primer.

The method

Repainting a garden piece in eight steps

01

Dismantle what comes apart

Cushions, a screwed-on top, hardware: into a bag. A folding chair is painted open, then closed for the hidden areas. Probe the wood at the feet and joints with the tip of a screwdriver: what gives gets replaced.
02

Wash or degrease

Wood: sugar soap with a sponge, rinse, two days' drying under cover — garden timber is often damper than it looks. Metal: degreaser or alcohol, especially on a piece that has had sun cream and hands on it.
03

Sand or de-rust

Wood: 120 everywhere, 180 to finish, along the grain; greyed wood is sanded back to pale wood. Iron: wire brush then 120 on all rust, back to bright metal; a rust converter on pitting you cannot reach. Aluminium and plastic: 240, barely.
04

Fill

Exterior wood filler in splits and holes; sanded at 180. On metal, an epoxy filler for losses. Dust off with a damp cloth.
05

Prime

Multi-Surface Primer by brush, over the whole piece — two coats on end grain (feet, ends of slats) and on de-rusted metal. A night's drying. On metal, the primer must cover every millimetre: wherever it is missing, the rust will come back.
06

First coat

Piece upside down first: underside of the top, underside of the seat, inside of the legs. Then the right way up: round brush for spindles, flat brush for slats along the grain, foam roller laid off with a brush for a top. Thin coat; a run on a spindle always shows.
07

Second coat

Recoatable after 3 to 4 h in dry weather; the next morning is safer outdoors. A light rub-down at 180 between the two on a top. A third coat on a table top and on seats, which wear.
08

Let it cure, then live

Touch-dry in 2 to 3 h, handleable after 24 h, hard in two to four weeks: no wet cushions or pots stood on it the first week. Then a sponge wash each season, and a maintenance coat when the top dulls.

Wrought-iron garden chair upside down on trestles, half de-rusted to bright metal, half still pitted with rust, wire brush and tin of primer beside it — Iron: de-rust to bright metal, prime every millimetre — the paint will do the rest

By piece

Table, chairs, bench, lounger: the points to watch

The piece	Weak point	Finish	The advice
Wooden table	The top, where water stands	Satin, 3 coats on the top	Paint the underside too; in winter, turn it over or cover it; do not leave a pot on it
Wooden chairs	Ends of the legs, joints	Eggshell	Two coats of primer on the leg ends; felt or rubber pads to lift them off the ground
Bench	Slatted seat and back, end grain	Eggshell or Satin	Paint between the slats with a round brush before the faces
Wrought-iron furniture	Rust in the scrolls and welds	Satin or Gloss	Fine wire brush, primer brushed into every hollow; two thin coats rather than one thick one
Lounger, deckchair	End grain, joints	Eggshell	Paint open and closed; do not paint the rubbing surfaces of the joints
Resin or PVC furniture	Adhesion	Eggshell, light or mid shade	Test on a hidden area a week beforehand; dark shades heat up and distort

New teak or acacia, factory-oiled, refuses paint: let it grey for a season, then sand and prime — or keep it oiled, which is a handsome option too.

The colours

Six garden furniture colours, by terrace

Outdoors, a colour looks lighter and brighter: these shades are chosen one step deeper than the effect intended. The furniture is the garden's accent — one colour for the set, or two that answer each other.

Boat blue

The mid blue of boats and seaside shutters: with stone, terracotta and the green of leaves, it never dates.

Table & chairs · Boathouse No.33

Bottle green

The green of park benches: it disappears into the foliage and brings out the flowers. On wrought iron, in Satin.

Bench · Pleasure Gardens Green No.214

Stone white

The white of classic garden furniture — a warm off-white, never a pure white, which dazzles in sun. On a gravel or flagged terrace.

Chairs · Lots Road No.24

Sage green

The soft green that goes with every garden and every façade; the easiest to live with on a big table.

Table · Hurlingham No.181 Chairs · Sorrel Green No.207

Ochre and coral

For a southern terrace: an ochre table and coral chairs, on pale flags, with olive trees in pots.

Table · Haymarket No.47 Chairs · Coral Orange No.277

Black-grey

The black-grey of contemporary furniture and old wrought iron: it draws the silhouette and goes with any façade.

Wrought iron · Downing Street No.10

To avoid

What makes garden furniture peel

Painting damp wood. Two days under cover after rain or washing; garden timber is almost always damper than it seems.
Painting over rust. It carries on underneath and lifts the paint in one winter; back to bright metal.
Forgetting the undersides and leg ends. That is where water gets in; the piece is painted upside down first.
A thick coat. Runs on the spindles, skinning over; two thin coats.
Leaving the table flat in the rain all winter. No paint withstands water standing for months; turn over, tilt or cover.
Painting in full sun. Brush marks, blisters; in the shade, in the morning.

Park bench of wrought iron and wooden slats painted in satin bottle green, in front of a flower border, gravel path, evening light — Pleasure Gardens Green No.214 in Satin: the bench that disappears into the foliage

Frequently asked questions

Your questions, our answers

Which finish for garden furniture?

Multi-Surface Eggshell or Satin over Multi-Surface Primer: both hold outdoors. Eggshell for a soft, low-sheen look, Satin for tops and seats that get washed often. Gloss on classic wrought iron.

How long does it last outdoors?

Several seasons on a well-prepared piece brought in or covered for winter; a maintenance coat when the top dulls. A piece left out all year, flat in the rain, needs going over every spring — it is the standing water, not the paint.

Can a table top be painted?

Yes, in Satin, three coats, top and underside; but a horizontal top holds water, and no paint withstands a three-month puddle. An oilcloth, a parasol, and the table turned over in winter.

Can my woven-resin garden set be painted?

It is possible but not very durable: the weave moves and the paint ends up cracking. On a smooth resin, Multi-Surface Primer grips after fine sanding, in a light or mid shade; test for a week on a hidden area before committing.

What about the same colour as the shutters?

A fine idea: furniture in the colour of the shutters or the door ties the terrace to the house. See Using exterior paint colours and How to update outdoor spaces.