Here are some general Frenchic painting tips for outdoor painting
Wooden furniture is almost forever if it has been stored correctly. Painting gives you a new look quickly and inexpensively.
We put together comprehensive and useful tips for do-it-yourself projects for you. 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!
Read here also our customers' experiences and feedback about the Frenchic series.
Here we listed a few reasons why Al Fresco paint is the best paint for your garden furniture
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
So seek shade on a hot day 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.
+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 begins to dry properly and the surface becomes durable.Store painted furniture protected from the weather during the winter
The Al Fresco series has a lot of wonderful matte shades that will go beautifully with outdoor furniture in the garden, on the terrace and on your balcony!
The powdery shades are suitable for both an old environment and a modern, built-up courtyard together 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.
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.
Al Fresco is EN71:3 certified, like all other Frenchic paint ranges, so it is safe to paint children's furniture too.
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So first check if it's 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.
Carefulness is rewarded with a durable paint finish!
Paint at least two layers on a dry and clean surface
When using paints from the Al Fresco series, always paint at least two layers. 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 adds 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.
Try it first
If you are not quite sure about the suitability of Al Fresco 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!
All paints in the Frenchic series are water-based and repel dirt, grease and oil. If the wooden outdoor furniture has been 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.
So do a test painting before a larger painting job.
Pretreatment and preparations
All surfaces to be painted must be clean and dry.
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 peeling old paint must be removed before painting.
Mold and rust must also be removed, because mold and rust left under the paint can penetrate the new paint surface in time. If you are painting metal, note that Al Fresco paints do not contain rust inhibitors.
The furniture should be washed before painting (do not use a pressure washer, which takes the water deep into the wood). Washing can be done with Sugar Soap furniture detergent and a washing brush.
Washed wooden furniture 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. If you can't get the furniture to dry, leave the painting until the next season - or dry and paint indoors.
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 platform 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 view 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 trousers. You can read more about protective equipment at this link.
Remember to take before and after pictures!
Memo list:
- cleaning the furniture, rinsing the detergent and drying the surface
- surface roughening and removal of dust from the surface
- paint the first coat on a dry and clean surface
- let dry according to the instructions for 2 hours
- paint a new layer and let it dry for 2 hours
- paint the necessary additional layers and let the furniture dry protected from the weather for at least 48 hours before careful use
- beware of surfaces for three weeks
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.
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, at their own risk of course. You can find all kinds of ideas, experiences and tips in our FB group.
For example, stencil and pattern painting outside on the paths and stairs has been a summer painting hit in Britain - just like rag rug painting here - a nice summer painting project that needs to be painted again next summer.
Sand, rain, ice and snow eat away the paint surface from the ground and porous surface, but the most pleasant thing is planning and implementing a new painting project.
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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. Do not place cushions, cloths, dishes or heavy pots etc. on the freshly painted surface.
Al Fresco is dry to the touch in 1 hour and Overpainting can be done at least After 2 hours when the weather is good. Always follow the drying times and always read the instructions on the side of the paint can before painting.
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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.
Do the Painting job only with clean and undamaged tools.
A narrow microfiber roller is a convenient and fast painting tool.
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 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. Do you need more painting instructions? Also read these.
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Storage of painted outdoor furniture inside 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 be prepared 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 exposed to a lot of stress outside: moving them, stacking them, temperature fluctuations, scorching sun, rain and humidity stress the surfaces - sun grease, sand, barbecue grease, needles, leaves and bird droppings and other loose matter should be cleaned from painted surfaces immediately, using water or mild detergent.
Take care and maintain your painted furniture, and they will stay beautiful for a long time!
Happy painting moments!
