Painting some outdoor furniture?

[Kiwibird]

I'm not thinking that will work then, as I would like to paint some of the tabletop, similarly to the photo above.

It would require extensive taping-off (separating) and that would add a ton of time and complexity.

The only thing that I have seen that works in that combination is thick coating polyurethane and as you have stated, the down side is keeping the junk out of it while drying.

Edit: It seems my 'favorite' method of figuring out a seemingly "impossible" DIY issue- looking at photos on google scanning for someone who's done something similar to what I'm looking to do then seeing how they did it, has paid off again I think this stuff is the right finish for applying to exterior wood over a combination of paint and stain on a single project. They even used pretty much the same colors I want and it looks great! I really like how the stain tones down the paint color too for a vintage look:

http://www.advancepainting.com/blog/diy-cornhole-boards-part-3-paint-clear-coats

 

[Kiwibird]

So just an update and warning to small space dwellers: Yesterday afternoon, I decided to sand and prime the bench and umbrella stand. I used Rustoleum spray primer and just as I was finishing up, my husband was banging on the door because the fumes were getting INSIDE (despite all windows and doors being closed) and he had just noticed after coming into the kitchen. We immediately converged all 3 air purifiers into Kiwi's area, and aimed a big box fan out the open front door and I took Kiwi out to get a can of paint at the hardware store while the smell dissipated. I also used Rustoleum outdoor oil based paint, but the version in a can was not even close to as bad smelling. You could only smell it directly from the can if you were super close. I would advise if you will be painting with a high VOC oil paint, do not use the spray variety if you don't have a large yard and can't move your project a good ways away from your house. Use the can kind that you hand paint on if you have to paint right next to your doors or windows. The finish is not 100% perfect, but it's decent enough for hand painted and Kiwi is alive and healthy and demonly

 

[SailBoat]

Thank-you, for that update! It is so easy to forget those points if you have not used those products for sometime!

 

[Kentuckienne]

If you didn't already pick something, marine spar varnish is nearly indestructible. It stays flexible when the wood expands and contracts.

 

[Kiwibird]

If you didn't already pick something, marine spar varnish is nearly indestructible. It stays flexible when the wood expands and contracts.

That s exactly what I got for my surfboard tabletop! I'm very close to being finished with it, just need to paint the stripes The bench and umbrella stand are both metal, hence why I needed oil based rust preventative outdoor paint for those applications. I hate oil based paint, but latex or acrylic would've lasted half a season in that application.