How to refresh outdoor furniture

Here is the weather damaged table

This table is solid wood so I was able to sand away the damaged surface

Weathered table after 30 minutes of sanding

To do this I used my rigid orbital sander and 80 grit sand paper first and then finished with 220. The lower the # the faster and deeper it cuts

Rigid orbital sander

This sander is nice because it catches the dust and has adjustable speeds

Just some options. The grit # is marked on each piece

There are many ways to sand as well as types of sandpaper. Power tools are the fastest way to go, but you can use elbow grease if you don't have the tools

I have two tables so you can see how sanding brings it back to life. You could stain it at this point, but I chose to spray paint them

I'm priming first then using two similar blue tones

Before painting apply some elbow grease and wipe down the now sanded tables

A wet towel will grab the dust. If you miss this step the paint will not adhere properly. Look at how much just one pass picked up. Don't use solvents as they may keep the paint from adhering

I forgot to take a picture of the drop cloth. Cut up a garbage bag and tape it down to keep from ruining the surface your working on

I chose to prime it first. It helps the next coat to stick better. Also the wood will draw the paint in so this way I need to use less of the color

You don't have to paint the underside but I'm going to leave these outside so I wanted to better protect them

Spray the areas that will be covered most first. When the paint is dry use painters tape to cover it, leaving the area your going to paint exposed

I decided to use the darker blue on the top, bottom, and this channel

When it's dry peel off the tape and use a 400 or higher # wet sandpaper and hand sand any rough areas. Be gentle. You don't want to cut too deep

One painted and one sanded and ready

Different direction with less harsh light. It's a shame to cover such beautiful wood with paint but now it will match our armoir and be protected from water damage

Hard to see the darker blue top from this angle

Top view