Best paint for outdoor bench

[Bernie Kopfer]

I am planning on constructing a nice sitting bench out of poplar.(Please forgive my heresy) And to compound my sins it will be painted.(SWMBO). There will be bottom of leg protection.
my question is what would be the best paint and primer for this? I don’t want to have to redo it for a few years.

[Jim Becker]

There's nothing wrong with using tulip poplar for projects...it's a great wood. But...it's NOT a good choice for outdoors and will rot very quickly. And by quickly, I mean within just a couple to a few years. White oak (NOT red) is a much better domestic choice and not that expensive if you don't opt for the fancy quarter sawn or rift sawn stuff.

Relative to what kind of paint to use...don't use paint. Use exterior opaque stain. It will last longer and breath better.

[John TenEyck]

Well I'll disagree. You can use just about any wood you want IF you keep it painted with an unbroken film. I built a pair of doors for my shed out of ash, which is just about as poor a choice as poplar for an exterior application. They are nearly 3 years old now and look just as good as the day I installed them. Why? I built them so that water doesn't collect in the frame and panel corners and I primed and painted them with quality paint. For your poplar bench, which I agree is a poor choice for an outdoor bench because it will see more severe exposure than my doors, I recommend you use an epoxy sealer followed by a top quality paint. Soak any end grain with epoxy really, really well, and use plastic, etc bottom spacers so the wood is off the ground.

When you see any cracks or blisters in the paint, be prepared to repair them immediately. If water gets in poplar rots quickly. Oh, I just remembered, I built an outdoor shelf for the East side of a house to replace one that had rotted after 20 or 30 years. The old one was made out of, yes, poplar, so that's what I used for the replacement. That was at least 10 years ago, which is why I had almost forgotten about it. I designed the new one to shed water a little better than the original and used top end primer and paint. As far as I know it's still doing fine.

John

[Bernie Kopfer]

Both your points are well spoken. Thank you. Since I have to paint the bench anyway I was choosing poplar because of its price and easy workability. Could you recommend a brand(s) of epoxy sealant? I think the latex paint will hold up longer if applied properly. But an opaque stain would probably be easier to reapply. That is why we have a forum so that ideas, facts, biases', experience and opinions can be expressed and learned from. Hopefully!

[John TenEyck]

Both your points are well spoken. Thank you. Since I have to paint the bench anyway I was choosing poplar because of its price and easy workability. Could you recommend a brand(s) of epoxy sealant? I think the latex paint will hold up longer if applied properly. But an opaque stain would probably be easier to reapply. That is why we have a forum so that ideas, facts, biases', experience and opinions can be expressed and learned from. Hopefully!

Here's a good one: http://www.smithandcompany.org/products.html

John

[Chip Byrd]

Great stuff! This is just what I was looking for. Only I think I will take Jim‘s advice. I have some white oak and I don’t really like the look of paint. Wifey wants outdoor furniture!

[John TenEyck]

Great stuff! This is just what I was looking for. Only I think I will take Jim‘s advice. I have some white oak and I don’t really like the look of paint. Wifey wants outdoor furniture!

Go for it! Look forward to seeing pics.

John