Here are some general Frenchic painting tips for painting outdoor garden furniture
Wooden furniture lasts almost forever if it's stored properly. Painting it is a quick and inexpensive way to give it a new look.
The Al Fresco paint series has been developed specifically for painting garden furniture.
Al Fresco paints are weatherproof, withstanding rain and normal summer temperature fluctuations well. They have the protective agents needed for outdoor furniture already built into the paint: UV protection and mold prevention.
We have compiled comprehensive and useful tips for spring and summer DIY patio and garden furniture projects for you.
Take good care of your painted furniture and store it protected from the weather during the winter according to our instructions.
Tighten furniture screws as needed and touch up paint as needed. Avoid direct contact with the ground when arranging wooden furniture. Wooden furniture reacts to changes in weather and humidity.
By caring for and maintaining your furniture, it will almost last forever.
Painting outdoors is a nice summer activity - the best weather for painting is a warm and overcast day - with a suitable breeze and calm.
This guide will give you useful tips on how to best paint outdoors and what to consider when painting your garden furniture with the Al Fresco series!
Here we have listed a few reasons why Al Fresco paint is the best paint for your garden furniture.
Say goodbye to multiple products and choose Al Fresco:
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- The Al Fresco series paint is an 'all-in-one' paint, so you save on both working time and material costs.
- Quick-drying and virtually odorless, Al Fresco is pleasant to use
- Your paint waste is reduced when you can use Al Fresco series paint on many surfaces: wood and metal - for exterior and interior applications.
- Al Fresco is ' Self-Sealing ', ' Self-Priming ' and ' Self-Levelling ', so there is no need for thick, long-drying and toxic primers, undercoats or varnishes.
- Al Fresco is water-based and low in VOC. It has a mild, short-lasting scent.
- Al Fresco is EN 71-3 certified: 'Toy Safe', which means this paint is also a safe choice for children's garden furniture or playhouses
- Al Fresco is moisture and wear resistant
- Al Fresco paints contain anti-mold agents and UV protection.
- Al Fresco paint can significantly extend the life of your garden furniture
Painting your garden furniture is a quick and easy way to update your outdoor space; terrace, balcony, yard or garden. The right color can completely change the feel of the space (and your garden).
You won't find the beautiful shades of the Frenchic series at your local hardware store!
Start choosing your color conveniently here.
Plan your painting project for good weather
So, on a hot day, seek shade and avoid painting in direct sunlight.
Paint that dries too quickly may crack and brush marks will appear as clear grooves on the surface when the paint and brush dry too quickly.
Are you painting the front door?
The same advice applies to painting the front door.
+10 degrees for the first 48 hours
It's also not a good idea to paint when it's too cold, as the paint won't dry or stick to its surface in the cold.
It is also worth avoiding rain and excessive humidity; nighttime humidity and summer rain will ruin the drying process of freshly painted furniture and damage the newly painted surface.
It is therefore worth checking the weather forecast in advance.
The painting temperature must be at least +10 degrees for the first 48 hours so that the paint starts to dry properly and the surface becomes durable.
Store painted furniture protected from the weather during the winter
The Al Fresco series has many stunning matte shades that go beautifully with outdoor furniture in the garden, on your terrace and balcony.
Powdery Frenchic shades are suitable for both old environments and modern, built-up courtyards, combined with stone and wooden surfaces.
Only paint outdoor furniture that you can store away from the weather during the winter. Read more about all Frenchic series here.
Do you think your patio furniture is too old to paint?
You might be surprised how beautiful they turn out!
Before deciding on painting, consider the age and condition of the furniture.
The exception is soft, even rotten and grooved old wood, which collects moisture, water and snow in the grooves and is therefore not the best possible painting target.
Paint cannot cover or fill the grooves of rotten wood indefinitely. In order for the surface to be beautiful, durable and even, the surface to be painted must also be intact and even.
Al Fresco is EN71:3 certified, like all other Frenchic paint series, so it is safe to use on children's furniture or playhouses. 
Paint outside during good weather
So first check whether it is too cold or hot to paint outside - in order to dry outdoors, Al Fresco paint requires at least +10 degrees for the first 48 hours (day and night).
Or paint outside and carefully carry the outdoor furniture inside or under a canopy overnight, after a few hours of drying.
Care and patience will be rewarded with a durable paint finish!
Paint a dry and clean surface with at least two coats
When using Al Fresco series paints, always apply at least two coats.
Two opaque and intact layers of paint make it moisture-resistant. The Al Fresco series is suitable for both indoor and outdoor furniture.
If you wish, you can add a few layers of Finishing Coat to the dry paint surface (24 hours), it adds shine and provides more wear surface for high-wear areas.
So it's a matter of taste, not a necessity. Al Fresco shades dry matte.
Always try first
If you are not sure whether Al Fresco is suitable for your project, try it on a small area first - there is a handy small 250ml jar for testing.
At the same time, you will get a feel for the paint's coverage and how opaque the shade you choose is, and you will notice how truly high-coverage Al Fresco paints are!
However, water-based Al Fresco paints are not suitable for previously oiled surfaces, objects that are not stored indoors during the winter, or rotten and grooved wooden surfaces.
All paints in the Frenchic series are 100% water-based and repel dirt, grease and oil.
If wooden outdoor furniture has previously been oiled, the durability of the paint cannot be guaranteed - sometimes the oil seeps from the wood to the surface for years.
The type of wood can also have an impact on the durability and use of paint: some types of wood are naturally very porous or oily, such as teak or other 'hardwood' types.
Some garden furniture may have been factory-finished with an oil-based coating or wood preservative, which is intended to prevent other substances from adhering to the surface.
It is possible that the paint will not stick to these protective treatments. Especially if you have purchased your furniture second-hand, there is not always complete certainty about the treatments used in previous years.
Large yard swings and old, grooved yard fences, etc., that cannot be stored protected from the weather, are in contact with the ground year-round, or the surface to be painted is too old to be painted - we do not recommend painting.
However, if you decide to paint a piece of furniture or other item that will be left to the mercy of the Finnish winter, be prepared for annual maintenance painting: even old wood expands and contracts due to weather and humidity fluctuations, and can easily crack the paint film. Water, snow and ice can get under the paint surface through the crack and easily lift the paint.
Tarpaulin also accumulates a lot of moisture in the furniture, especially if the furniture is stored on the ground during winter storage.
Store your painted furniture in a dry and spacious space where it will not get dented by stacking and cramped storage. Dents and scratches on the paint surface are easy to repair in the spring during normal maintenance painting.
Do a test painting before a larger painting job
Pre-treatment and preparations
All surfaces to be painted must be clean and dry.
Don't paint wooden furniture that has been stored in the cold too early in the spring: the wood will still be wet inside for a long time.
The Frenchic series paints have excellent adhesion, so it is worth making sure that nothing extra is left between the paint and the surface to prevent the paint from adhering.
Peeling or flaking old paint or loose varnish should be removed before painting.
Painting metal furniture
Al Fresco is suitable for painting metal.
If you are painting metal, please note that Al Fresco paints do not contain anti-corrosion agents. We recommend using a Finishing Coat as a base coat.
Mold and rust must also be removed, because mold and rust left under the paint will eventually seep through the new paint surface.
You can slow down the formation of rust by applying a Finishing Coat to the base; 2-4 layers if you do not want to use toxic rust inhibitors.
Painting rattan furniture
If your rattan furniture hasn't been oiled recently, painting it will be successful if you follow the same instructions as for painting anything else.
When painting textured surfaces, the paint consumption is often higher than when painting a flat surface. The oval brush from the Frenchic series is handy when painting textured surfaces.
Painting polyrattan furniture
Painting plastic-coated polyrattan furniture is a success if you follow the same instructions as for painting anything else. Careful washing and cleaning are important, as is roughening the surface.
When painting textured surfaces, the paint consumption is often slightly higher than when painting a flat surface, so reserve enough paint for your project.
The oval brush from the Frenchic series is handy when painting braided surfaces.
Read more about painting plastic surfaces here.
Painting plastic patio furniture
Painting plastic-coated patio furniture is easy if you follow the same instructions as for painting anything else. Careful washing and cleaning are important, as is roughening the surface. Remember to allow the furniture to dry according to the instructions before using it.
If the paint surface gets scratched, for example when stacking furniture, touch-up painting is a normal maintenance measure.
Read more about painting plastic surfaces here.
First wash then paint
Only paint a clean and dry surface. It is a good idea to wash the furniture before painting (do not use a pressure washer, which will push the water deep into the wooden furniture). You can wash it with Sugar Soap furniture cleaner and a scrub brush.
Washed wooden furniture/furniture with a woven surface must be dried carefully.
A good rule of thumb is to wash and paint on different days.
Wooden furniture that has been outside during the winter or has been outside all rainy summer may be too wet to paint in early spring/autumn, so take the furniture out of the weather to dry before painting.
Please leave painting until next season if you can't get the furniture dry - or dry and paint indoors.
Painting Tip!
Raise the piece of furniture you want to paint a little higher - on an old table, for example - so you can see into corners and crevices better. However, make sure that your platform or surface is sturdy and can withstand the weight of the piece of furniture.
Start painting from the bottom - so turn the chair or table upside down and paint the bottom and legs a couple of times first. We recommend painting all surfaces of the furniture.
If the furniture has a lot of small gaps, use additional risers to raise the gaps, making them easier to paint twice.
If you can also position the painting surface so that you can easily turn it around, the painting will go quickly and you can easily view the painting result from different sides.
Protect the bottom of the furniture with an old cloth or sheet and wear protective equipment yourself when painting: remember to wear gloves, goggles, a long-sleeved shirt and pants. You can read more about protective equipment at this link .
Remember to take before and after pictures!
Also protects the paint can from contaminants
Tip: keep a lid or cloth on the paint can when painting outdoors to prevent impurities from the air or the brush from getting into the paint can: dust, dirt, pollen, needles, etc. Dirty paint will not last.
Do not thin the paint with lake or rainwater.
Do not leave paint cans or brushes in the hot sun.
Always wash new brushes before starting a project and at the end of the painting job.
A clean and slightly damp brush will give you a beautiful painting result. You can read more about choosing and caring for brushes here.
Al Fresco is a furniture paint for your outdoor furniture, but our customers also use it to paint many other materials and objects.
You can find all kinds of ideas, experiences and tips in our FB group.
Should I paint the shaggy carpet on the stairs?
For example, stencil and pattern painting on concrete slabs or asphalt surfaces outside on paths and stairs has been a summer painting hit in Britain - just like rag rug paintings here - a nice summer painting project that needs to be painted again the following summer.
Sand, rain, ice and snow eat away at the paint surface from the ground and porous surfaces, but the most enjoyable part is planning and implementing a new painting project.
Drying time and paint hardening
Paint drying and paint hardening are different things.
Al Fresco is a water-based paint and is touch-dry quickly.
However, it is important to observe the drying times between coats of paint. Although the paint dries quickly to the touch, the minimum drying time between coats of Al Fresco is always 2 hours.
The drying process begins when the paint is applied to the furniture - it takes about 20-30 days for the water to completely evaporate from the paint, while the other protective agents in the paint harden.
You will notice a huge difference in the durability of the paint surface when you allow the surface to reach its final hardness.
You can use the furniture with caution after 48 hours of drying, but remember that the paint will still be fresh for about three weeks.
Please do not place cushions, cloths, dishes or heavy pots, etc. on a freshly painted surface.
Al Fresco is touch dry in 1 hour and can be overcoated after at least 2 hours in good weather.
Always follow drying times and read the instructions on the side of the paint can before painting.
At least two coats of paint - The shade, age and condition of the furniture's wood material affect the paint consumption and the final result
Depending on the surface to be painted, its material and color, painting tools, painting technique, and the new shade you choose, you may need to paint a few more coats than normal, especially if there is a large difference in shade between the old surface and the new paint.
You can read the FAQ questions and answers here.
Only use clean and undamaged tools for painting.
Normally, at least two coats of paint are needed.
For example, porous or old, grooved wood surfaces and unplaned raw wood surfaces can absorb a surprising amount of paint.
Please note that old and grooved wood surfaces can retain water in deep grooves. If water gets under the paint film, it will easily lift the paint off.
Spot and maintenance painting is a normal procedure for painted utility furniture.
The shade, age and condition of the furniture's wood material affect the amount of paint used and the final result.
Painting won't make a wooden surface in poor condition look like new again.
Do a test painting first, so you can see the paint's application and coverage better in your particular project.
Al Fresco's moisture resistance is achieved with at least two covering layers.
Storing painted outdoor furniture protected from the weather during the winter
Only paint outdoor furniture that you can store protected from the weather during the winter.
Store your painted garden furniture in appropriate, dry storage during the winter and prepare for normal maintenance painting in the spring if the furniture has been damaged due to cramped storage or stacking.
A good storage space is dry, cool and spacious.
Tarpaulining outdoors can create a lot of moisture - moisture swells wooden furniture and is not good for the paint surface.
Patio and garden furniture is exposed to heavy use outdoors
Moving and stacking furniture, temperature fluctuations, sunlight, rain and humidity put a strain on surfaces.
Sunscreen, sand, grill grease, needles, leaves, bird droppings and other loose dirt should be cleaned from painted surfaces immediately, using water or a mild detergent.
Would you like to paint the front door?
Read more about painting a door here.
