Cane and wicker furniture, while great for outdoor use, often gets beaten down by weather and the elements. And (hopefully) your heavy use! So how can you keep it looking great? Using the right materials and a Preval sprayer, you can easily repaint and restore your wicker and cane pieces, either bringing them back to life or changing their aesthetic completely. Either way, your spruced-up furniture be the envy of your neighbors and the apple of your handiwork eye.
Tips and Warnings:
- While a pressure washer is a great and handy tool to remove flaking paint on rattan (also known as “cane”) furniture, be careful! Handle it with care to ensure you don't damage the reeds or weaken glue at furniture joints.
- Chances are you didn't undertake your spruce-up job to get hurt spraying paint! Make sure to protect your hands, eyes and lungs (the latter with a mask). Double-check for items that could serve as a fume ignition.
- Make sure to paint in a dry, well-ventilated area - a garage, workshop or man/woman cave is ideal. Your lungs will thank you.
- For best results, don't paint in direct sunlight or cold temps. It's more comfortable that way anyway.
- Don't get impatient! For best results, follow all the application directions that come with your paint and pay attention to the specified dry time.
- You don't want it spotty, right? Slightly overlap spray passes for even and uniform color and coverage.
- Keep it straight! Don't tip your Preval sprayer more than 45 degrees or spray at an angle.
- Prep and cleanliness ensure a durable, long-lasting finish. That's what you're going for, right?
Materials:
Eye protection
Respirator or paint mask
Latex gloves
Vacuum cleaner or shop vac
Preval Sprayer
Soft wire brush
Paint scraper or flat head screwdriver
Paint solvent (optional)
Carpenter's glue or hot glue
Bucket, sponge, water and detergent.
Bleach
Sandpaper #240 grit
Wood primer
Oil-base indoor/outdoor paint
Prep & Next Steps
- Clean off all the dust, debris and dirty cobwebs on the furniture. (Don't worry; we won't tell anyone those spiders have been camping out.) Proceed with a thorough vacuum between the reeds and on the underside of the furniture.
- Time to break out the latex gloves.
- Now take detergent and a damp sponge to the pieces.
- For mold or mildew, use diluted bleach.
- Tip: don't want to wait longer than you have to? Don't soak the wicker; it will take longer to dry.
- After you allow the chair to dry, take a wire brush to it to remove as much flaking paint as possible.
- You may need to apply solvent, so do so as needed. Give this time too. When done, take time to brush off any more of that remaining paint!
- Next, use #240 grit sandpaper to rough up your paintable surface.
- Check for loose reeds. Repair with glue.
- You're going to need to thin your primer out. Add 15% water to the total volume of primer and pour into your Preval bottle.
- Take a minute to put on the respirator and eye protection. You'll get to your work soon enough.
- Now you're ready to apply a coat of primer with the Preval Sprayer. Take a well-deserved break while you wait for it to dry.
- Do you need a second coat of primer? Apply to the top and underside and allow to dry.
- Mix the oil-base paint with 15 percent water, in your Preval Sprayer bottle of course.
- Spray one (or more) coats of oil-base enamel paint to the top and undersides of your furniture
- Allow your newly-painted pieces to dry and cure for at least 48 hours before using it. You don't want to mess it - or your clothes - up!
Disclaimer: Preval How-to articles, including this one, are for informational purposes only and are intended to provide general guidance. Because products, materials, techniques, building codes, federal, state and municipal laws (and ordinances!) vary, and are continuously changing, C.A Acquisitions LLC, Chicago Aerosol and Preval assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein and disclaim any liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project. It is the responsibility of the reader (you) to comply with all appropriate laws, manufacturers' guidelines, rules and regulations for any project or product used. You must also take any safety precautions and exercise caution when taking on any project and follow the MSDS warning for every product or paint used in conjunction with project completion. If you HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR DOUBTS IN REGARD TO ANY ELEMENT OF A PROJECT, PLEASE CONSULT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL.