I was told it wouldn't need treating/painting as it was 'aged hardwood' however, after nearly a year of Thai sun/rain it is starting to suffer, I believe it never had and treatment or ageing so now I want to do something to make it last a little longer, I'm moving house soon and won't have the outside space to put the sunbed so I want to paint it white and use it as a snooze bed in the front room of our new home, can I just paint straigh onto the wood or is there something i should do to treat it first?

Thanks for any suggestions

Moved to the DIY forum

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If you like the natural wood look then you could use teak oil...you would have to reapply it every year or two I guess although I've never used the stuff. Oil finishes are easy to apply so having to do it evey couple of years is not that big of a deal.

Chownah

Give it a good wash and let it dry in the sun. A good whiite gloss should suffice but you may need 2 or 3 coats to get a nice finish.

If you like the natural wood look then you could use teak oil...you would have to reapply it every year or two I guess although I've never used the stuff. Oil finishes are easy to apply so having to do it evey couple of years is not that big of a deal.

Chownah

A coat of polyurethane (available at most hardware/home stores) will seal the wood and preserve it for years.

Thanks for your replies, I'm actually keen on glossing it as it will just dirty the front room if I treat it and leave it, I also want to brighten up my front room and don't think an old(looking) wooden sunbed will brighten it up that much!

I'll do as some have suggested and clean it with a damp cloth and then give it a few coats of good quality gloss