Cleaning your outdoor furniture

A guide to painting perk-ups
Paint does wonders for reinventing your patio furniture. A fresh coat can coordinate mismatched pieces, save dingy plastics from landfi ll, prevent wood from rotting and reduce the risk of metal rusting. But don’t think you can just start spraying. Prep work is a must if you want your chairs and table to look as good as new (or even better!). Mark Ksiezyk, senior product manager for Krylon Retail, offers the following tips.

• Trapped dirt and moisture can make paint pop off, and glossy surfaces will keep paint from adhering, so when it comes to a painting project, “the golden rule is clean, dull loose paint, remove dust with a tack cloth, then let dry. and dry,” says Mark. Follow the cleaning tips on these pages, sand any slick surfaces or loose paint, remove dust with a tack cloth, then let dry.
  
• Spray-paint outdoors whenever possible; if painting indoors, make sure the area is well ventilated. Avoid painting in very hot weather and in direct sunlight, or paint will dry too quickly, which will result in an uneven finish.

• Protect your surface by spreading out drop cloths or pieces of cardboard. Tape off any areas of the piece you don’t want painted. If spray-painting a small item like a pot, you can create a “spray booth”: place the item inside a large cardboard box turned on its side.

• Start with an oil-based primer as necessary (especially important in the case of wooden furniture), then add a top coat in your colour of choice.

Spray technique tips

• Shake the can vigorously before spraying. Practise your technique on scrap material a few times to make sure you’re not overspraying and causing drips. Mark recommends starting and ending your spraying motion off the piece, releasing the button at the end of each pass. Use an even side-to-side motion, with each pass overlapping by about one-third.

• "Applying one thick coat is the worst thing you can do," says Mark. Take your time and apply multiple thin coats.

• Check the can instructions for the recoat time – the drying time recommended before applying a second coat.

Read more in Decorating & Design and Outdoor Living