help needed to repaint wooden garden table

skintmumof3

hi,
i hope someone can give me advice.
i have a wooden garden table which is in desperate need of repainting
do i need to rub it down?
can i use paint normally used for fences.
many thanks

ukwoody

yes to both, but if you're using fence paint dont rub down much, just a light sand over

woody

skintmumof3

thanks. do i need to varnish it afterward?? or can i just leave it.
cheers

ukwoody

Right, here goes. Fence paint is very thin and runny and really is only suitable for rough sawn timber - such as fence panels, but can with care be used on smooth planed wood. The paint is water based - basically it is a very thin stain.

I would guess if so desired you could indeed varnish over it, but i've never tried it.

What is the current state of the table? Is it Hardwood (like Mahogany), is it light coloured softwood or is it already painted? - in which case you'll need to use proper paint. You can get proper colour restorer for outdoor hardwood furniture that is supposed to bring back that original brown colour, and then you could use a good quality outdoor stain such as sadolin.

Woody