How to fix up horrible peeling outdoor table?

[hughesie]

Hi all,

I was hoping I could get some advice on how I can fix up our outdoor table. The table as pictured, is a fake concrete looking outdoor setting that has now started to peel in lots of areas ( side and table top pictures included). It looks terrible and I was wondering could I somehow strip it and paint it? When I had the power hose out to clean something else  it did take some of the peeling areas off further but I’m not sure it would strip back the whole thing.  Any suggestions much appreciated as am pretty disappointed with it- it’s only about 3 years old and just looks horrible now and we don’t want to entertain with it like that.  
Thanks in advance for your help. 
cheers, 

Jo

 

 

[Jason]

Hi @hughesie,

Many thanks for your question. Do you know what the table is made of? Or perhaps the name of the manufacturer or supplier? It might assist community members to share how they would tackle the repair.

Our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL should be able to assist this evening when he is back on the site.

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We trust that you'll get loads of help and inspiration for all your projects from our wonderful members.

Jason

[hughesie]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the response. 
Unfortunately I don’t know the supplier or manufacturer of the table. We bought it at a shop near South Melbourne that is no longer there. 
I did find a sheet that came with it on how to repair the table which says “WeatherStone” Table Top on it but the putty, hardening agent and little bottle of what looked like nail polish was absolutely useless when I tried a repair the first time a tiny bit peeled off and the repair colour didn’t even match the table. colour.... Any help by anyone much appreciated! 
Thanks

[Jason]

Thanks for the update Jo (@hughesie). Let me tag our resident D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc to see how he would go about the repair.

Jason

[MitchellMc]

Hi Jo (@hughesie),

I apologise for the delay in my reply.

That's an interesting one, and I'd expect quite frustrating to experience this on a relatively new table setting. It appears that under this coating is some type of cementitious medium. You can see what seems to be the sand content in your close-up image. You'll either need to sand, scrape, blast or strip the surface coating back as it's compromised.

It might be worth trying some paint stripper in an inconspicuous location. If it works well and removes the coating, it could be a viable way of removing it all. Once you start this process, there's no going back, though. Perhaps you could sand the affected areas to see if you can blend them in. If you can reach sound coating that doesn't just flake away, then you could potentially paint over it as is. You'd want to at least rough up the entire coated surface with sandpaper, so the paint has something to stick to and do a test section to see how well it bonds. However, it would be my preference that you removed the whole coating before painting, as we can't be sure of the longevity of the paint over this unknown coating. I'd be more confident of the paint sticking to the cement base than the unknown coating.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[hughesie]

Thanks so much for the reply Mitchelll. If I manage to remove all the top surface layer so that I can re-paint it, what type of paint would I use so it lasts this time?

Kind regards, 

Jo

[MitchellMc]

There's nothing that I could suggest that would definitely work Jo (@hughesie). I'd think your best bet would be going with a concrete paint like Berger Jet Dry. It's designed for trafficked areas so I'd imagine it would stand up well to the rigours of a tabletop and bench seats.

If the cement underneath looks reasonably attractive, you could consider coating it with a clear concrete sealer.

Let me mention a few of our knowledgeable members @TedBear, @tom_builds and @Noyade to see if they have any thoughts.

Mitchell

[TedBear]

Hi @hughesie , I wish I had a good answer to that. I agree with @MitchellMc 's suggestions. I would consider using a belt sander (with fan & dust mask, since we're not sure what the top coat is) to get a reasonable, new, firm surface to work with. Since the substrate isn't actually concrete (? I assume, else you wouldn't have this problem), I suggest using a durable spray undercoat over it to start with, such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-340g-duramax-undercoat-spray-paint_p1400722?

Then when you have sanded out any blemishes (& recoated) to get a presentable surface, add a durable top coat such as has been suggested already.

[hughesie]

Ok. Thanks so much for your suggestions and help. 
Cheers

[hughesie]

Thanks TedBear. So you’d sand then coat in that duramax, then sand and coat again. Then after all that coat in the concrete paint Mitchell was talking about?

Just trying to make sure I have the correct order happening here. 
Cheers.