We have an inexpensive pine chair that will be kept outdoors all year. It really needs paint to hide its humble origins. How do I prepare it for painting, and what kind of paint is good for outdoor furniture?
It gets really hot and sunny here (southern California) so white paint would make sense–but DH doesn’t want white. It would show all the dirt, and besides, we’re just so tired of seeing neutral colors everywhere (DH says that beige is the unofficial color of Orange County).
What are traditional colors for Adirondack chairs? For that matter, what is the traditional wood for an Adirondack chair?
Janet
Replies
Adirondack chairs are typically humble in origin ; cedar, spruce, and pine being the most common woods.
In my opinion a natural clear finish fits anywhere but you can choose whatever color you wish to match the surrounding decor.
If you must paint, go with an exterior alkyd or enamel. Some stains may have a tendency to mark clothing if not properly dry.
Yes,I made it. No,not hard. Yes, a long time.
Most painted Adirondacks I've seen are green.
Are real Adirondacks put together with screws? I was wondering if I should hide them somehow.
janet
You can take out the screws, countersink the hole, glue and screw, and then plug the hole with a "button", a wooden plug. As you know, these are outdoor chairs, not Chippendale dining chairs.Enjoy.
I was wondering why the slats were screwed to the support, instead of the other way around? Because now the holes are visible from the front.
If they had drilled holes from the back, going all the way through the support, then used wood screws to fasten it to the slats, the holes would not be seen unless you looked at the chair from the back or underneath. You'd have to be care to choose the correct length of screw so it doesn't go completely through the slat and poke the person sitting in the chair, but that doesn't seem so difficult.
Janet
>> If they had drilled holes from the back, going all the way through the support ...
Cost. It would have taken more time and required closer quality control, and possibly required stocking another screw size, and then they couldn't have sold it for $30 retail.
Possibly quailty. Screwing into the slats from the back might result in shorter screw engagement that screwing into the support from the front, resulting in a less robust chair.
Esthetics. Visible fasteners, to my eye at least, are not jarringly wrong on an Adirondack chair, and may even emphasize the rustic look the maker was aiming for.
My understanding from watching The Antiques Roadshow is that a medium dark green is historically accurate. I believe it (painting outdoors chairs green) originated in England. And it was more than just Adirondacks. Basically any wood chair that went outside was painted green. I don't know the exact specs, but something like a Hunter Green would be very close if not dead on.<P>
<CENTER><B><A href="http://theindependentvoter.com/">The Independent Voter.com</A>
<P>"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud" - Sophocles.</B></CENTER></P>
Sprucegum and Jackplane,
Thanks for the information. What goes on under the paint--some kind of primer or sap barrier?
"Humble origins" was my way to avoid mentioning the chair's provenance to woodworkers who value quality. Adirondack chairs cost more than $200 on the Internet. This one came from an arts and crafts store and cost $30--so you can imagine the quality. I had to redo some of the pre-assembled parts to get everything to fit together.
But, I got my money's worth. And I had no idea that the Adirondack design is so comfortable!
Janet
Let me come at this from a different point. Pine is a very poor outdoor wood. With minimal moisture, it quickly wants to rot. The most often point of attack is the wicking up of moisture through the legs that are resting on relatively moist earth.
If you want the chair to last as long as possible, you need to "waterproof" the bottoms of the legs. There are a couple of ways of doing this. One is to make up a brew of oil/varnish from 25% varnish, 25% boiled linseed oil and 50% mineral spirits. Put it in a deep tray and set the leg into at least three inches of the brew. Leave it there overnight and then let it dry. This will seal the bottom of the legs and minimize water wicking up.
Second, paint is a far superior solution for longterm protection than a clear finish. Use a good exterior enamel. Thin the first coat 25-50% and apply subsequent coats full strength. The darker the color the hotter the chair will become--just a warning.
Finally, nothing is forever outdoors. If you can keep it covered on in shady spot, it will last much longer.
As to the "best" wood. Woods like redwood, cypress and cedar or all excellent outdoor woods.
I agree with the comments from others; here's my take on your questions:
1) Paint. Benjamin Moore has an alkyd paint that I have used for years: Porch and Deck Enamel. ####latex version is also available, but Ithink the alkyd stuff is tougher and more durable. You can have the paint mixed in any color, but the stock line has a color (Country Redwood), which is very close the the red favored by Frank Lloyd Wright.
I agree, though, that a dark Forest Green is the accepted traditional color for Adirondack chairs.
Priming. the BM product above is self-priming, but as another has suggested, it would be prudent to thin out the first coat by 25-50%. This will penetrate better, and promote adhesion of subsequent coats (be sure to sand between each coat).
2) Leg bottoms. You should indeed treat the bottoms of the legs with something other than paint. The oil/varnish mixture suggested earlier in this thread will work fine; another technique would be to mix up small batch of two part epoxy glue and brush it over the end grain of each leg.
Good luck.
I'd put a liberal coat of wood preservative on first, especially the legs. (I don't know if the formula mentioned previously is similar to an off the shelf wood preservative.) Let that dry for at least a few days, then prime and paint. Look for FHB article, "Why Exterior Finishes Fail," for more details.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled