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Can I put a wood dining table outside?
Can an Indoor Table be used Outdoor? – Why not? Because most indoor dining tables are made of wood that is not treated to withstand outdoor conditions, they are susceptible to water damage. But you can safely use most indoor dining tables outside on a temporary basis.
Can you use an old dining table outdoor?
More table DIY projects for you to love – How to paint pine furniture >>>> How to paint mahogany furniture >>>> Garden table decor in summer >>>> From now on my table will be living under my very new and highly coveted patio cover. But for over more than two years (including winters) my table was standing outside without any shelter and she wasn’t even repainted then. Whenever the weather was wet and foul I put an oilcloth table cloth tarp over her. And she survived. So if you are thinking about using a wood dining table outside and you don’t have a covered patio, just cover the table itself whenever needed and it will last for years. Paint and stain her well and shield her from the worst of rain and moisture attacks and she will be fine. You can read more about weatherproofing wood, metal, and wicker outdoor furniture here. Well, why don’t you all just come on over for some tea or lemonade and we can chat about the virtues of turning your indoor table into garden furniture?
Oh, and in case you are wondering. That last bit of my fence was only finished a couple of weeks ago, the rest of my fence was finished last year. So the new bit hasn’t had time yet to age and to turn beautiful grey all by itself yet. It will blend in with the rest soon enough. And of course, if you want to pin, like, or save this post for future use, go ahead! And make a blogger happy in the meantime
Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.
What is the best outdoor furniture to leave out?
Don’t leave outdoor furniture out all year round Furniture made from materials like wrought iron, aluminium and teak wood is some of the best options for leaving outside.
What is the best metal for outdoor furniture?
Aluminum doesn’t rust, making it a fantastic choice for outdoor living. It’s low-maintenance and easy to refurbish if needed. Heat retention is less of a concern than with steel or wrought iron, reducing the risk of sizzled skin. Aluminum patio furniture resists corrosion, so it can be used near a pool or ocean spray.
Can you waterproof a wood table to use outside?
How to Weatherproof Indoor Furniture for Outside Use Furnishing an outdoor living space with “outdoor” furniture can get expensive. Often, it’s simply easier and more resourceful to upgrade a piece of “indoor” furniture for outdoor use. Shutterstock/Chen Liang-Dao Use sealants to protect a wooden table on your porch.
Hardwoods and softwoods alike can make the transition to being, For example, if you have old kitchen cabinets, you might find that you can use them to enhance storage on an exposed porch or add functionality to an outdoor kitchen. Extra coffee table? Put it on the patio to round out your morning coffee spot.
Even conventionally “indoor” sofas, sideboards and accessories can be sealed and safely repurposed as outdoor features. Sealing your furniture will help protect it from moisture penetration that leads to discoloration, cracks and even mold. There are a wide variety of weatherproof sealants that you can apply to indoor furnishings that will help them endure the outdoor elements.
- teak oil
- Danish oil
- tung oil
- spar urethane
- spar varnish
- exterior latex paint
- chalk paint
Shutterstock/VipadaLoveYou Applying sealant to a piece of wooden furniture.
- Apply weatherproofing when the temperatures are moderate. Between 60 and 80 degrees is ideal.
- Avoid shaking cans of sealants. Shaking the liquid can create bubbles that transfer to your furniture.
- Proactively avoid damage by shielding your furnishings from harsh weather conditions. Move your wood furniture indoors over the winter and cover it on rainy days.
- You will have the best results with routine resealing. Plan to add another coat of weatherproofing every year.
Shutterstock/Chiociolla The base of a wooden sofa, a wooden chair, and several coffee tables are treated with wood oils so they are waterproof and UV resistant. Massaging a generous layer of oil into the surface of your wood furniture enhances its waterproofing abilities.
- is a common outdoor wood oil used specifically for hardwoods like teak, rosewood and mahogany. It penetrates deep and creates a durable, UV-resistant finish.
- is a water-resistant blend of resins and natural oils. It is toy- and food-safe and dries to a hard finish. High-quality products offer UV filters.
- dries quickly and is also naturally non-toxic. It offers a waterproof but flexible finish that allows the wood to contract and expand with fluctuations in temperature and humidity. It does not naturally offer UV protection, but UV absorbers are often added to exterior tung oil products.
- Prep the furniture surface with 400-grit sandpaper. Sanding helps open the grain.
- Wipe the surface with a tacky cloth to remove any dust created when sanding.
- Stir the oil in the can. Do not shake the product.
- Use an oil-dampened cloth or a paintbrush to apply the oil directly to the wood. It will begin to absorb before your eyes.
- Use a dry cloth to wipe up any pooled oil. Massage the oil in and examine for areas that did not receive a thorough coat.
- Place the oily rags in a bucket filled with water and leave it outdoors. Oily rags can spark fires as they dry.
- Allow the furniture to dry overnight.
- If additional coats are desired, use a piece of 400-grit sandpaper to lightly roughen the topcoat. Once again, use tacky cloths to eliminate any dust before adding another layer of oil.
- Apply an additional coat of wood oil. Allow it to dry overnight. Repeat as needed.
Shutterstock/simona pilolla 2 Applying exterior latex paint to an old wooden cabinet to help it endure the elements when relocated to a porch. The process of weatherproofing wooden furniture with sealants isn’t much different than applying wood oil, but the products themselves offer different benefits.
- , an outdoor-friendly polyurethane, contains UV absorbers that are ideal for maintaining an outdoor wood finish. It is available as both an oil-based and water-based product and also comes in a range of finishes from satin to gloss. Spar urethane allows the wood to expand and contract with changing temperatures. It dries in just a few hours, but you should plan to apply several coats for the best effect.
- is a great topcoat for outdoor and raw wood projects, especially if they are going to be in contact with water and in full sunlight. It’s marine-rated, so you can trust that it will help your indoor wood furniture hold up to unexpected outdoor weather.
- is a great option for wooden furniture that needs a total makeover. Sand and prime the wood first for best results.
- is another great outdoor solution for outdoor furniture, but it must be covered by a to prevent fading in the sunlight.
- Prep the wood surface with 400-grit sandpaper. Sanding helps open the grain.
- Wipe the surface with a tacky cloth to remove any dust created when sanding.
- Stir the sealant. Avoid adding air pockets to any of these products, too.
- Use terry cloth, cheesecloth, a paint roller or a paintbrush to apply the sealant directly to the wood. Brushes and rollers are useful for applying spar urethane or varnish on flat surfaces, but you may find it easier to prevent drips by using cloths on detailed areas or vertical sections of your furniture.
- If you’re using an oil-based product, put the oily rags in a bucket filled with water and leave it outdoors. Soaking oily rags can prevent fires.
- Allow the furniture to dry according to the product directions. Some products cure in two hours, while others may need a full 24 hours to set.
- If additional coats are desired, use a piece of 400-grit sandpaper to lightly roughen the topcoat. Use tacky cloths to wipe down the furniture once it is sanded.
- Apply an additional coat and repeat as needed.
Be sure to treat cushions and fabrics, too. Indoor upholstery can easily fade in the sun and cushions certainly won’t be water-resistant without extra treatment. Give all fabric a healthy dose of so that it can repel moisture and damaging UV rays. Pro tip: You can extend the life of all outdoor fabrics by treating them for additional water repellency (even the specialty-fabric sun umbrella over your patio table).
How do you waterproof a wooden dining table?
How to Protect a Wood Table – There are two types of protection you’ll want to consider when working to keep your wood surface strong and protected, including day-to-day maintenance and long term care. For day-to-day:
- You’ll want to start with a lint-free cloth, as keeping your wood table dusted is one of the best answers when it comes to how to protect a wood table from scratches.
- A gentle one or two drops of dish soap in a cup of water is often a good solution to cleanse your table occasionally and get more than just surface-level dust off.
- Make sure you’ve confirmed that dish soap is safe for your kind of wood and its sealant or finish before using such solutions.
For longer-term care, sealing a wood table allows you to wipe away dust, fluids, and other potentially damaging substances much more easily. There are a variety of popular methods for sealing your wooden table, however, and the frequency of application varies.
Apply a natural oil finish.
There are three major brands that we use at Makers Woodshop. The first, and most heavily used is called ” Rubio Monocoat “, followed by ” Osmo, and Odies oil “. We have used all of these products for years now, and they are much simpler to apply than polyurethane,
- All of these are food-safe products that are a mixture of several natural oils, with an optional Accelerator for quickening the hardening process for the Rubio Monocoat.
- Application is simple, you spread the oil out on the table, let it soak for 5-10 minutes, then buff it off.
- The wood is dry to the touch after being buffed off, and will achieve full hardness and protection from water within 7 days.
Unlike polyurethane, oils soak into the wood, and are generally matte-satin in sheen, so re-finishing is much easier since you don’t have to remove everything down to bare wood to refinish. A light sanding and then a re-coat of the oil is all it takes to bring it back to its original beauty.
Consider traditional shellac.
Shellac is both a traditional substance for protecting wood tables and good for creating a moisture-resistant barrier between the table and its environment. A variety of types are available at any home improvement store, and it’s important to apply multiple coats using the instructions on the container.
Polyurethane finishes may be right for your project.
For an extremely durable finish, oil-based polyurethane creates a strong, impenetrable barrier and protects woods that would otherwise be vulnerable to dings or wear and tear. Make sure to apply it with patience, making sure to keep your individual layers thin.
Furniture wax adds extra protection.
Furniture wax adds an additional layer of protection to your table. Once it has hardened it protects the layer under it from scratches. This is most useful to apply over a natural oil finish since these work well together, but you can call us if you have questions about putting wax over other finishes.
How do you weatherproof a wooden outdoor table?
Add an outdoor sealant to wood. – Do you have a wooden table that would make the perfect patio dining table, or a wooden bench that would look lovely underneath your backyard tree? Turn it into an outdoor piece with the help of sealant. “While ideally you would choose furniture made of naturally water-resistant materials like cedar, teak, or cypress woods, any wood furniture can be treated with an outdoor sealant,” says Morgan McBride, founder of DIY home improvement website CharlestonCrafted.com,
Should I cover my outdoor furniture every night?
#2 Cover Up in UV Radiation and High Heat Conditions – Another way your furniture can start to fade from its original design is through UV rays and sun exposure. Depending on the material, it’s a good idea to know when to cover up your patio furniture in the summer months.
If your furniture is plastic, it’s likely that it will crack and break easily underneath extreme heat and cold. Covering up every day could be a hassle and isn’t necessary, but if you’re not using your plastic furniture, it’s a good idea to cover it up to keep it at a regulated temperature. Further, natural wicker is also very prone to sun damage and fading.
The more colorful your furniture is, the more prone to fading under extreme heat and use in the sun. It is definitely worth it to cover up your natural wicker furniture when you’re not using it! Synthetic wicker, again, is durable because it is coated, and covering it isn’t necessary all the time.
Wooden furniture is also prone to sun damage and fading of the original color. Covering outdoor furniture up when not in use could prove very helpful in the long run. Similarly, iron furniture can also fade, however, rust-resistant and weatherproof iron is coated and is not as likely to need excessive covering for sun damage.
For larger things like umbrellas that are hard to store inside during the winter, getting a cover for them as well for protection against sun fading is always recommended.
What is the lowest maintenance patio furniture?
What is the easiest outdoor furniture to maintain? In terms of materials, always opt for designs made from high-quality rust-proof aluminum that has been powder coated, or sustainably sourced teak. This type of outdoor furniture lasts the longest and can withstand all weather conditions.