ᐅ Repainting wooden slat chairs: which primer or sealer should be used?

I know this might not be the perfect forum since I’m not planning to build a house, but I couldn’t find a DIY forum for Switzerland. 🙂

So, here’s my problem. I have some old BIGLA chairs, classic 70s style with a metal frame and wooden slats. The paint on the slats is peeling off almost everywhere, so they definitely need to be repainted.

First, I wondered how to remove the remaining paint. Should I use a paint stripper? Chemical paint remover? Or just sand it off? There are about 100 slats, so sanding would be quite a lot of work, but I think that might be the best option.

Now, the main issue: which paint should I use? Since these are basically outdoor garden chairs, the paint needs to be suitable for exterior use. It should also be fully opaque so that the wood grain is no longer visible underneath. I bought an acrylic wood varnish from the hardware store and thought that would be the right choice. Unfortunately, it’s more like watercolor paint, meaning the wood grain still clearly shows through.

Can anyone advise me on what type of paint would be suitable, or if I should have done something else before painting?

I’m really frustrated and hoping for some helpful advice. You can’t get much help at the home improvement store since most staff don’t really know about these things.. 🙂

Hello humpty3,

The best approach is a classic one: sand off the old paint, wash off the sanding dust, apply a wood preservative, prime, sand again, apply a base coat and sand once more, then finish with a topcoat.
Choose an opaque wood varnish suitable for weather exposure/outdoor use. Make sure to use a varnish that is resistant to saliva and sweat.

You can find all of this at a hardware store, but you’ll need to ensure that the individual products are compatible with each other; a specialized paint store will be better able to advise you on that.

For weathered paint, it’s worth taking the time to follow the entire process thoroughly, as nothing else will last in the long term. If you just quickly sand off loose paint parts and paint over them until it covers, the chairs will look just as worn again in a year or two – in that case, the effort is not worthwhile.

painting wooden slats

Thank you for the great answer.

I kind of expected something like that.. 🙂
There are about 100 slats for 5 chairs! That means roughly 100 hours of work following that method! 🙁 But of course, I understand that this is the best approach.

Damn. I really wanted to do it myself. But I don’t have that much time.. 🙁 Maybe I’ll have to hire a professional after all. That could get expensive, and above all, it would feel like a moral defeat for me.. 🙁

hmm....

Avoid Do-It-Yourself Store Quality

Completely remove old coatings. Consult a professional painter or a specialized paint supplier about a suitable coating system. Since these are seating surfaces, the seating area should possibly be coated with a PUR lacquer system.

schwarzmeier schrieb:
Remove all old paint coatings completely.
Consult a master painter or a specialist paint supplier about a suitable coating system. Since these are seating furniture, the seat surface should possibly be coated with a PUR lacquer system.

Exactly!

Is there already a way to see the results in photos?

Best regards!