Sealing a Table for outdoor use.

[smidsy]

So I have been gifted this table, it's about 4ft round and made out of what I guess to be chipboard or MDF - it's a solid bugger, 32kg when I rolled it on the scales.
It won't work for what I got it for, but I am thinking of using it as an outside table - T-nuts underneath to take feet so the timber is off the ground.
It's not real timber, but lime green is just not my colour so I am half tempted to grab my 1/3 sheet sander and take it back to bare wood.
My other option is just seal it and use it as is.
Bearing in mind that I'm a pensioner so my projects have to be done economically, but what's the best way to seal this for outdoor use - I'm thinking sanding sealer or varnish.



New Table.jpg

[orraloon]

Chipboard and or MDF are really not suited to being outside. Whatever coating you use will only slow down it's turning to mush. There are some water resistant types of both mdf and chipboard usually used for kitchen and bathroom units but for the rest a bit of moisture and it falls apart. I don't think it's worth a tin of varnish just to be dissapointed in a short space of time.
Regards
John

[hurcorh]

Agree with John. Not suitable for outdoor use.

[havabeer69]

being melamine coated you won't really be able to sand it down to bare wood.

1. its not really bare wood, its MDF or chipboard
2. you'll have to just and sand down the plastic coating, and all the glue

you'd be better off trying to heat it up enough that the glue soften and peel off the melamine. but as mentioned above neither the MDF or Chipboard are suitable for being out doors.