My mother recently bought a new kitchen set and decided the old set would be good on the patio. The table base and chair bases are metal so I am going to spray them with a rustproof paint.
My concern is the table top. It looks like there is a laminate on the top and sides but the rest is some pressed type wood.
Chipboard is not usually recommended for outdoors, since the tiniest bit of water can cause it to chip, bubble, buckle, swell, etc.
You COULD paint it with an exterior paint, do lots and lots of coats, then cover it with plastic tablecloths to protect the finish. But you could also just get a plastic table. Craigslist and Freecycle are full of people’s nice (solid) wooden or plastic tables.
Araminty, I didn’t know the name for that “wood” I was going to call it plywood. She never liked the look of a plastic table and felt wood needed too much upkeep.
I will though present this solution to her. I am worried that although it survived a rain storm with no damage it will fall apart during the winter and be a mess to get rid of.
a few events might not matter but over long time just the moisture of outdoors will cause the wood to swell, even underneath.
you could try sealing any exposed wood and cracks with a number of coats of exterior paint or sealing finish. but it could become junk after a year or two. maybe it will make it to four.
You could try to finish it - nowadays, that means multiple coats of urethane, but, if it is MDF/pressboard, it is not going to last in any real weather.
Something that’s much more weather resistant than paint is fiberglass epoxy. You’d have to seal top and bottom. Couple of coats because it will soak in. Then sand well because it will look like hell. Then paint with an outdoor paint (preferably spray).
It’s a lot of work just to make it last for a few years. But the materials are cheap and it’s a busy work project if you’re looking to stay busy.
A couple cans of RustoleumHammered finish paint would be worth a try. That stuff is awesome. I used to to refinish a radiator and a clawfoot tub, and it held up fine.
I agree, it may swell up after a few years, but ~$20 worth of paint and a few hours is a reasonable trade to me. It’s very easy to buy new furniture that doesn’t last long, either. I’m sitting on a sofa I got 4 months ago that is already sprung.:mad:
Any of the above sealing methods will make it last a few years. If you don’t leave it out in the winter, and keep it out of direct sun in the summer you’ll get more life from it. I have a piece of Formica counter top that’s been sitting outside for more than ten years. It’s no longer flat, the exposed ends are rotting, the bottom is beginning to disintegrate, so you might get 3 or 4 years without doing anything.