Patio table advice, please


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Old 04-15-08, 03:53 PM
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Patio table advice, please

I purchased a cherry wood dining room table that I have great vision of painting white and using as an outdoor patio table. However, I'm not entirely certain how to go about doing that. I'm sure I have to sand it and use something for weatherproofing. I've looked around online but can't find much. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
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Old 04-15-08, 04:52 PM
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Well, I confess it's not something I would do, but what you would probably need to do is sand it, as you mentioned, and give it several coats of a good spar varnish. You will need to make sure that every single square inch of exposed wood is coated, including places like leaf edges and the tops (and bottoms, of course) of the legs.

Oops, just noted you said "white". That would involve a good exterior enamel vice the spar varnish.
 
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Old 04-15-08, 05:03 PM
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Hi Heather and welcome to the DIY Forums!

I hope you got a great bargain on that table, because even following the tow guy's excellent advice, I don't think that table will last more than 2 seasons outdoors.

If you have a covered porch, that would help. If it is going to be on a patio, you'll need to find some way to make the bottom of the legs watertight, so water doesn't wick up into the wood.

No paint or finish is going to stand up to the elements to protect an indoor piece of furniture for long.

I'm sorry- I'm not trying to discourage you, because it sounds like an elegant idea, but I
don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't hold up well.

Connie
 
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Old 04-15-08, 05:55 PM
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My father was appalled that I would corrupt cherry wood in such a manner but I saw a photo in a magazine that just looked wonderful. I'm sure it was taken outside just for that one photo.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give what I can a try. I don't plan to keep it outside when it's not being used, so I hope that will help keep it around longer. But, to be honest, even if it doesn't last forever it was still cheaper than the patio furniture I've seen in stores.
 
 

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