How to paint oiled timber furniture?

lauravdh

I have some outdoor timber furniture which I painted in Cabot’s garden furniture oil last year. 
I’m wanting to give it a refresh and paint the furniture white. 
What is the process for painting on top of oiled wood? Do I need to strip the oil off completely or can I just paint on top? Is a primer needed? 
Is there a recommended outdoor furniture paint of can I use any external paint? 

MitchellMc

Hi @lauravdh,

Painting over furniture that has been previously treated with oil is always tricky because paint does not bond well to an oily surface. Ideally, the oil would be removed completely, but in reality, that is rarely practical. Timber oils penetrate into the fibres rather than sitting as a surface film, so standard cleaners will not strip them out fully, and sanding right back to clean, raw timber is often extremely labour-intensive with uncertain results.

What you can do is reduce the oil at the surface as much as possible, then use products that stand the best chance of bonding. Give the furniture a thorough scrub with Cabot’s New Timber Prep to strip off any remaining loose or surface oil. Once it is fully dry, you can move on to priming. A water-based primer will not bond to an oiled surface, so you must use an oil-based primer, because it has a better ability to key into the timber and tolerate any residual oil within the grain.

After the oil-based primer has cured, you can apply your chosen exterior top coat. Any good quality exterior paint will work once the substrate is properly primed, so you are not limited to a specific furniture product. The longevity of the finish will depend on how well the primer adheres, although this approach gives you the best chance without completely stripping the furniture. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell