How to Waterproof Outdoor Furniture {the EASY way!}
Looking to waterproof your wood yard furniture? Find out the easiest way to waterproof outdoor furniture!
Did you know we live in a tropical jungle?
Seriously.
My hometown gets around 50 inches of rain a year. That’s some serious damage potential to my outdoor wooden furniture.
How to Protect Outdoor Wood Furniture
Do you remember these awesome industrial spools we found and turned into a patio table? You can get the full step-by-step instructions here.
Although they started with a rustic, industrial look, it was important to me that they not get further stains or cracks from exposure and moisture and outdoor use. I also wanted to avoid mildew or mold, which can be a major problem in this damp climate.
And while oil-based or outdoor latex paint or lacquer could have been an option, I didn’t want to cover up the reclaimed look of these spools. Plus, the idea of rollers, multiple coats of paint, etc. and repainting regularly to avoid fading was not appealing.
In short, suffice it to say that I was very interested in making sure we protected our awesome new spool tables, so I did extensive research to find out how to waterproof wood outdoor furniture.
And let me tell you how pumped I was to find out I could do so with nothing more than an little index finger action. 😉
This post contains affiliate links. Click here for my full disclosure.
How to waterproof outdoor furniture:
No really, the folks at Thompson’s Water Seal were kind enough to let me try their aerosol water seal to waterproof our tables, and it has been wonderful.
I started by turning our spool table upside down and giving it one good coat according to the directions. Then I turned it right side up and gave another. One extra coat on the top and I was done.
Be sure to leave the proper drying time in between coats, but the beauty is that each coat only takes a couple of minutes and the clear coat allows the natural beauty of the wood to show.
And the tables have held up beautifully! You can see how well the water is repelled even a few months (and a VERY wet few months at that) after we applied the seal.
The importance of waterproofing outdoor furniture:
And just for comparison, here is what happens outdoors when your table is not sealed. See how the water soaked right into the wood? That will quickly cause rot, swelling, discoloration, and more.
These sealants also help me to keep the furniture clean, as a simple wipe with a clean rag now removes dust and dirt easily on the sealed surface. This makes our tables both durable and beautiful!
Our gorgeous new stamped concrete porch and antique brick patio in our backyard (get the full tour here) deserves it, don’t you think?
Do you have any outdoor furniture that needs protecting this spring? Try some aerosol sealer yourself and let me know how you like it! 🙂
Disclosure: I was compensated for my review of Thompson’s Water Seal, but as always, all opinions are entirely my own. See my full disclosure policy here.
MORE OUTDOOR PROJECTS:
Find out how to get the best protection for your
I love this! It’s so easy! Do you think this would work on painted “furniture”? We have an old painted door that we made into a table. I don’t want to spend the money to put tempered glass on top of it and thought about just putting something on it to protect it (at least somewhat) from moisture, etc. Thanks for any input!
Dana
Hi Dana,
So sorry for the slow reply! I’m not sure how I lost this comment… but my apologies. Unfortunately, the product is made to soak into raw wood; that’s what allows it to actually waterproof the material. Any existing finish will keep it from penetrating and preclude its effectiveness. But it is SO easy to use; next time you’ve got an unpainted wood piece, I’d definitely recommend it! Hope this helps. 🙂
Rachel
I will try it and see, thanks Rachel.
What can I spray on to waterproof a wooden bench with a finish on it?
I’m sorry, I don’t know of any spray on waterproofers for finished wood.
Acrylic varnish.
What a great way to keep wood waterproofed, especially if your furniture is by the side of your house and you get a lot of water runoff from your roof.
Thanks! I am glad it was helpful, Jemma!
Rachel,
This is a very interesting product. After waterproofing raw old wood, can you then paint of stain you furniture.
I think if you want a painted look you should prime the wood well, then paint. The waterproofing blocks out water from the natural wood.
I’m so excited after a long time looking hubby came home today with a wooden spool!!! I have been wanting to do this project for way too long! I will update after I seal and finish it! Thank you for the post!!! Btw LOVE the chairs!!!
How exciting! I am so glad he found you a spool. Enjoy!
For finished projects, you might want to look up “spar finish”. It Is compatible with certain other finishes and it was made for boats! I hope that helps!
Great tip, Kristi!
How y’all is the spool?
29.5″ 🙂
Hi
Awesome tricks to keep wood furniture waterproof. I will try it. Thanks for sharing.
So glad it was helpful!
I love this idea.. where did you get your chairs from? I am having a hard time finding some that I like and I love these! Thanks!!
Thank you! Unfortunately, the company I purchased them from online doesn’t seem to be around any more. But here is an affiliate link to some that look very similar to me: https://rstyle.me/n/bvt7mib5bux . I hope this helps!
Hi
Will it work on furniture which has been left in the garden for some time?
Thanks
Moni
It should, but they do recommend cleaning and preparing the surface first. You can find more instructions here. I hope this helps!
I liked this idea, it is really a great & i9nformative blog, I love these! Thanks
So glad it was helpful!
how fast did the first coat dry?
It will depend on the humidity of your weather, but I love how quick it is to do another coat.