Assuming you’ve got a rickety old, neglected piece of outdoor furniture like I did, you’ll start by giving it all a rough sanding down with 80 grit sandpaper.

A quick note on sandpaper to use when you refinish outdoor furniture: The grit number refers to how rough or fine a finish you’ll have, so a lower number like 60 or 80 is good for removing anything caked on like wood filler or removing stubborn stain, whereas a higher number like 220 is better for a fine finish on furniture before painting for example.

Anyway, the 80-grit did a great job at really cutting down to the wood, but then I came back for a quick once-over with the 220-grit that made the beautiful, smooth finish that you want when you refinish outdoor furniture.

I gave it all a good wipe down with paper towel, because we all know the Sahara Desert your workspace becomes when you bust out the sander. For an extra-prepped finish, I went over it with tack cloth. This stuff kind of feels like beeswax and picks up all the tiny dust particles that paper towel or a rag won’t, and it just ensures the best possible surface to start staining on.

One tip I learned last time is to give it a good mix before you start, because the color tends to settle on the bottom. I’d say it took five minutes of constant stirring to get it all uniform, which is important on a big piece like furniture especially because you don’t want it getting splotchy when you refinish outdoor furniture.

And just like that, your refinished outdoor furniture looks brand new!

We’ll definitely be enjoying a few sunset margs under the string lights on what feels like a totally new patio set!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to sign up to our weekly newsletter where we share all of our favorite DIY updates.