Two-three years ago, we discussed clear coats for outdoor furniture. It wa s proffered whether the base, for oil base house paint, was good or better than dedicated marine or other clear coats. The rationalle: Since house paint is understood to be appropriate for the outside of a house, the base (no pigment added) should work well for outdoor furniture.... it dries clea r.
Two years ago, I experimented with applying the oil base base, no pigment a dded. In the can, it was opague/milky, yet dried clear. It's the coloran t/pigment added, that provides the UV blocking qualities, however, I tried the base, as a clear coating, to see if it would hold up, worked well enoug h, long term. Initially, I used a Spar Urethane and it held up well for 5-
7 years. Two years ago, I stripped and refinished it with the oil base base . Here's the project, Mom's swing, to be hung under an oak tree.This above oil base base finish did not hold up well, at all. It quickly d eteriorated and turned black, as if the oil solvent biodegraded. Lesson: Do not use an oil base paint base for clear coating outdoor furniture. Als o, it was a pain to strip off, clean and/or prep, for subsequent refinishin g/painting, especially after it had deteriorated/blackened, as it had.
Update: Recently, I decided to paint the swing, rather than clear coat it, again. A landscape architect advised not to paint it white, or it would s tick out like a sore thumb against the natural background. That sounded re asonable. He recommended a dark blue frame and light blue slats. It was p rimed with Zinsser oil base primer. Here's the result, with the following
2 pics:Sonny