How to Decorate Wooden Picnic Tables

You can decorate a wooden picnic table to any color or design you like with a few tools and a little time. The wood picnic table provides a versatile canvas for your imagination and will serve you well for years to come. Get creative and start your picnic table decorating. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Sand the picnic table with an electric sander. New tables might not need too much sanding. Remove any larger splinters or rough spots so the paint can spread smoothly over the table. Wipe the dust off with the dampened rag. Set the table on a tarp or other ground cover for painting.

2

Paint the surface you wish to decorate with a base coat of primer paint to seal the wood. This will allow your decoration to go on smoothly and keep the wood surface from absorbing it. Allow it to dry overnight or according to the primer manufacturer's directions.

3

Set your stencil in place, and tape down lightly with the painter's tape. Fill your brush with enamel paint or another outdoor-friendly variety and tap inside the areas of your stencil. If not using stencils, you can paint stripes or circles or any other design you like on the primed surface. For stencils with many colors, you wait and allow drying time between each layer. Allow the finished decoration to dry overnight.

4

Sand the decorated surface very lightly with a fine-grit sandpaper, and wipe it down with a clean, slightly damp rag to remove any grit that might rough up the finished surface. This will help the final coating adhere tightly.

5

Apply 3 coatings of exterior oil-based polyurethane with a brush, allowing 4 to 6 hours of drying time between each coat. Paint in long, even strokes, trying not to go back over areas where you have already applied it. It will level itself out, resulting in a smooth finish. You can now use the table.