Here are some general Frenchic painting tips for outdoor painting of garden furniture
Wooden furniture is almost forever if it has been stored correctly. Painting gives you a new look quickly and affordably.
We put together comprehensive and useful tips for do-it-yourself projects for you.
Wooden furniture reacts to changes in the weather.
Take good care of your painted furniture and store it protected from the weather during the winter according to our instructions. Tighten the screws of the furniture if necessary and Patch paint if necessary. Avoid direct contact with the ground when arranging wooden furniture.
By looking after and maintaining your furniture, they are almost "forever".
Painting outside is a nice summer activity - the best painting weather is a warm and cloudy day - suitably windy and calm.
In this guide, you will get useful tips on how to paint outdoors the best and what you should consider when painting your garden furniture with the Al Fresco series!
Here we listed a few reasons why Al Fresco paint is the best paint for your garden furniture
Say goodbye to multiple products:
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- Al Fresco is ' Self-Sealing ', ' Self-Priming ' and ' Self-Levelling ', so there is no need for thick, long-drying and toxic primers, primers or varnishes.
- Al Fresco is water-based and has a low VOC content. Mildly scented and the scent is short-lasting.
- Al Fresco is EN 71-3 certified: 'Toy Safe', which means that this paint is also a safe choice for children's garden furniture or playhouses
- Al Fresco is moisture and abrasion resistant
- Al Fresco paints have a mold inhibitor and UV protection.
- Al Fresco paint can significantly extend the life of your garden furniture
Painting 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 mood of the space (and the garden).
You won't find the beautiful shades of the Frenchic series at your local hardware store!
Start choosing a color conveniently here.
Plan your painting project for good weather
On a hot day, seek shade and avoid painting in direct sunlight - paint that dries too quickly may crack and brush marks can be seen as clear furrows on the surface when the paint dries 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 not good to paint in too cold either, the paint doesn't dry and doesn't stick to its substrate in the cold.
You should also avoid rain and too much humidity; nighttime humidity and summer rain spoil the drying process of freshly painted furniture and damage the newly painted paint surface.
So it is worth researching the weather information 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 wonderful matte shades that go beautifully with outdoor furniture in the garden, on your terrace and on your balcony.
The powdery Frenchic tones are suitable for both an old milieu and a modern, built-up courtyard together with stone and wood surfaces.
Only paint outdoor furniture that you can store away from the weather during the winter. Read more about all Frenchic series here.
Think your patio furniture is too old to paint?
You might be surprised how beautiful they turn out!
Al Fresco paints have new features that you won't find in other paint sets: with durable and UV-protected Al Fresco shades, you get an even and smooth, wonderful matte surface without primers or coatings.
Before deciding to paint, check the age and condition of the furniture
As an exception, old wood that is soft, even rotted and grooved in places, collects moisture, water and snow in the grooves, and is therefore not the best possible painting target. Paint cannot endlessly cover or fill the grooves of rotting wood. 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, therefore it is safe to paint children's furniture or a playhouse. 
Paint outside in good weather
So first check if it is too cold or hot to paint outside - even to dry outside, 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 the canopy overnight, after a few hours of drying.
Care and patience will be rewarded with a durable paint surface!
Paint at least two layers on a dry and clean surface
When using paints from the Al Fresco series, always paint at least two coats.
Two covering and intact layers of paint make it a moisture-resistant surface. The Al Fresco series is suitable for both indoor and outdoor furniture.
If you want, you can add a few layers of Finishing Coat to the dry paint surface (24h), it increases the shine and gives more wear surface to objects with heavy wear.
So it's a matter of taste, not a necessity. Al Fresco shades dry to a matte finish.
Always try first
If you are not quite sure whether Al Fresco is suitable for your project, try it on a small area first - for testing there is a handy small jar size, 250ml.
At the same time, you will get to know the coverage of the paint and how covering the shade you have chosen is, and you will notice how the Al Fresco paints really are!
However, not on oiled surfaces, items not stored indoors during the winter, or rotten and grooved wood surfaces
All paints in the Frenchic series are 100% water-based and repel dirt, grease and oil.
If the wooden outdoor furniture was previously oiled, the permanence of the paint cannot be guaranteed - sometimes the oil seeps from the wood onto the surface even for years.
The quality of the wood can also play a role in the durability of the paint and the flow of the paint: other types of wood are naturally very porous or oily, such as teak or other 'hardwood' qualities.
In some factory processing of garden furniture, an oil-based coating or wood preservative may have been used, the purpose of which is to prevent other substances from sticking to the surface.
It may be that the paint does not stay on top of these protective treatments. Especially if you have purchased your furniture used, there is not always complete certainty about the treatment materials from previous years.
Large yard swings and old and grooved yard fences and other objects that cannot be kept protected from the weather, the object is in contact with the ground all 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 furniture or something else that is left to the mercy of the Finnish winter, be prepared for repainting: even old wood expands and cracks due to changes in weather and humidity, and can easily crack through the paint film. Water, snow and ice escape from the crack under the paint surface and it lifts the paint up easily.
Tarpaulins also accumulate a lot of moisture in the furniture, especially if the furniture is against the surface of the ground.
Store your painted furniture in a dry and spacious space where the painted furniture will not get bumped from stacking and cramped storage. Bumps and scratches on the paint surface can be easily repaired in the spring during normal maintenance painting.
The Al Fresco paint series has been developed specifically for painting garden furniture. Al Fresco paints are weatherproof, withstand rain and normal summer temperature fluctuations well. They already have the protective substances needed by outdoor furniture in the paint: UV protection and mold inhibitor.
Do a test painting before a larger painting job
Pretreatment and preparations
All surfaces to be painted must be clean and dry.
You don't paint wooden furniture that has been stored in the spring too early: they will still be wet inside the wood for a long time.
Frenchic series paints have excellent adhesion, so you should take care that nothing extra is left between the paint and the surface to prevent the paint from sticking.
Loose or flaking old paint or loose varnish must be removed before painting.
Painting metal furniture
Al Fresco is suitable for painting metal.
If you are painting metal, note that Al Fresco paints do not contain rust inhibitors. We recommend the Finishing Coat coating for the base
Mold and rust must also be removed, because mold and rust left under the paint can penetrate the new paint surface in time.
You can slow down the formation of rust by using a Finishing Coat coating on the base; 2-4 coats if you don't want to use toxic rust inhibitors.
Painting rattan furniture
If your rattan furniture has not been treated with oil in the near future, painting will be successful if you follow the same instructions as when painting otherwise. When painting braided surfaces, the paint consumption is often higher than when painting a flat surface. The oval brush from the Frenchic series is handy when painting braided surfaces.
Painting poly rattan furniture
Painting polyrattan furniture with a plastic surface can be done if you follow the same instructions as when painting otherwise. Careful washing and cleaning is important, as is surface roughening.
When painting braided surfaces, the consumption of paint 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 of plastic garden furniture
Painting plastic-covered garden furniture can be done if you follow the same instructions as when painting otherwise. Careful washing and cleaning is important, as is surface roughening. Remember to allow the furniture to dry according to the instructions before use.
If the paint surface is scratched, for example, when stacking furniture, patch painting is a normal maintenance procedure.
Read more about painting plastic surfaces here.
First washing, then painting
Only paint a clean and dry surface. The furniture should be washed before painting (do not use a pressure washer, which takes water deep into the wooden furniture). Washing can be done with Sugar Soap furniture detergent and a washing brush.
Washed wooden furniture / furniture with a wicker surface must be dried carefully.
As a rule of thumb, wash and paint on different days.
Wooden furniture that has been outside during the winter or the whole rainy summer may be too wet to paint in early spring/autumn, take the furniture to dry and shelter from the weather before painting.
Preferably leave the painting until the next season if you can't get the furniture to dry - or dry and paint indoors.
Painting Tip!
Raise the piece of furniture to be painted a little higher - on an old table, for example, so you can see the corners and recesses better. However, make sure that your podium or platform is sturdy and can withstand the weight of the 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 repainting the furniture on all surfaces.
If there are a lot of small gaps in the furniture, 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 go around it, the painting will go quickly and you can easily examine the paint mark from different sides.
Protect the base of the furniture with an old cloth or sheet and use protective equipment yourself when painting: remember at least 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 dirt
Tip: keep the lid or cloth on the paint can when painting outside so that impurities from the air or the brush do not get into the paint can: dust, dirt, pollen, needles, etc. Dirty paint will not last.
Do not thin the paint with lake or rain water.
Do not leave paint cans or brushes in the hot sun.
Always wash new brushes before starting the project and at the end of the painting job.
With a clean and slightly damp brush, the painting result is beautiful. You can read more about choosing and caring for brushes here.
Al Fresco is a furniture paint for your outdoor furniture, but our customers paint many other materials and objects with it.
You can find all kinds of ideas, experiences and tips in our FB group.
Would I paint a rag rug 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 the UK - just like rag rug painting - a nice summer painting project that needs to be painted again next summer.
Sand, rain, ice and snow eat away the paint from the ground and the porous surface, but the best part is planning and implementing a new painting project.
Drying time and hardening of the paint
Paint drying and paint hardening are different things.
Al Fresco is a water-based paint and it dries to the touch quickly.
However, it is important to follow the drying times also between painting layers. Although the paint surface dries quickly to the touch, Al Fresco paint layers are always separated by a minimum of 2 hours.
The drying process starts when the paint has been applied to the furniture - it takes about 20-30 days for the water to completely evaporate from the paint, and at the same time the other protective substances of the paint harden.
You will notice a huge difference in the durability of the paint surface when you let the surface reach its final hardness in peace.
You can put the furniture into careful use 48 hours after drying, but remember that the paint is still fresh for three weeks.
Please do not put cushions, cloths, dishes or heavy pots, etc. on top of the freshly painted surface.
Al Fresco is dry to the touch in 1 hour and Overpainting can be done at least After 2 hours in good weather.
Always follow the drying times and always read the instructions on the side of the paint can before painting.
At least two layers of paint - The tone, age and condition of the wood material of the furniture affect the flow of the paint 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 have to paint a few layers more than normal, especially if the shade difference between the old surface and the new paint is large.
You can read the FAQ questions and answers here.
Do the Painting job only with clean and undamaged tools
Normally, at least two layers of paint are needed.
For example, a porous or old, grooved wood surface and an unplaned raw wood surface can absorb a surprising amount of paint.
Note that an old and grooved wood surface can retain water in deep grooves. If water gets under the paint film, it will lift the paint off easily.
Spot and maintenance painting is a normal procedure for painted utility furniture
The tone, age and condition of the wood material of the furniture affect the flow of the paint and the final result.
Painting does not make a wooden surface in poor condition look new.
Do a test painting first, and you will notice how the paint goes and the coverage better in your project.
Al Fresco's moisture resistance comes from at least two covering layers.
Storage of painted outdoor furniture protected from the weather during the winter
Only paint outdoor furniture that you can store away from the weather during the winter.
Store your painted garden furniture in an appropriate, dry warehouse during the winter and prepare for normal spot painting in the spring if the furniture has been dented during cramped storage or stacking.
A good storage space is dry, cool and spacious.
Pressing outdoors can incubate a lot of moisture - moisture swells wooden furniture and it is not good for the paint surface.
Yard and garden furniture are under heavy stress outside
Moving, stacking furniture, temperature fluctuations, scorching sun, rain and humidity stress the surfaces.
Sun oils, sand, grill grease, needles, leaves and bird droppings and other loose debris should be cleaned from painted surfaces immediately, using water or a mild cleaning agent.
Would you like to paint the front door?
Read more about door painting here.
