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White outdoor plastic bench with gray and white pillows

How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Painting advice to transform your porch with a simple bench project

White outdoor plastic bench with gray and white pillows

Cyndy was sponsored by PPG Timeless to participate in this project, but all opinions expressed are her own.

How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

When Cyndy Aldred, a DIY blogger from the Creativity Exchange, wanted to revamp a dark and tired outdoor bench on her front porch, she turned to PPG Timeless Exterior Paint. Originally, Cyndy planned to throw away the bench and replace it with a new one. "It had 5-7 coats of paint flaking off from over the 15 years that I had it, and it was just so beat up from our extreme Texas heat and humidity," she said. This is her painting advice to help you salvage your older outdoor furniture. (Looking for How To Paint Furniture for indoor use? Go here.)

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How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Painting advice

Preparing for the Project

Cyndy decided that this would be an opportunity to put PPG Timeless Exterior Paint to the test and see if she would like the paint. "I was especially curious to see what the finish looked like!"
 
Before painting, she sanded the bench from the many layers of paint flaking off.*

Next, she wanted to prime the bench but, after talking with our PPG technical experts, she found out priming was unnecessary because PPG Timeless is a one-coat coverage, primer and paint all-in-one.

Cyndy was impressed that PPG Timeless paint for exterior is only available in water-based. "For those of you in Texas or extreme weather states, you know that we wouldn’t consider using anything but oil-based on our exteriors. So this really had my attention!"

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* WARNING! If you scrape, sand or remove old paint, you may release lead dust. LEAD IS TOXIC. Contact the National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD, or log on to www.epa.gov/lead.

How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Painting advice

Painting Her Bench

Because she wanted to brighten up her bench, Cyndy chose Silver Reflection

During the painting process, she was very surprised with the results.

"The application of the paint is just like butter," she wrote on her blog chronicling the project. "Very smooth and easy going on, and I could go over areas multiple times without getting that gummy texture on my brush and paint finish like I would normally get when I paint in 100 degree Texas weather."

With the smooth and consistent texture of our paint, PPG Timeless paint was unlike any exterior paint she had ever used. 

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How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Painting advice

One Coat Coverage

Initially, she was worried when she started painting. Like most traditional exterior paints she had used in the past, she normally would go through a bunch of brushes because of the heat.

"Exterior paint normally goops up in that situation when I’m painting when it’s so hot and humid," she explains.

In fact, Cyndy was able to go inside and cool off a few times during the painting project because she did not have to worry about replacing any brushes. "No new brush was needed and I could go over where I previously painted and no sludge or goop that always happens with other exterior paints."

The paint project was completed in a few hours with one coat.*

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​*One coat coverage only when tinted to colors specified for PPG Timeless Exterior Paints.

How To Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Painting advice

The Final Product

"It was actually a joy painting because the paint is seriously so easy and smooth going on."

PPG Timeless has inspired her to take on future paint projects with our paint because of her great experience.

"If it’s this easy to apply on my bench, imagine how easy it would be hanging form a ladder painting a garage, front door or house trim. I was also thinking how much less paint would be needed for larger exterior projects. That also means less money!" 

The newly painted bench has a smooth, matte finish to it because it was painted with a satin sheen.
 
“It looked just like something that would take multiple coats and wax buffed for hours to achieve!" 

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