Effects of Outdoor Exposure on Decorative Painting of Wooden Furniture and Toys

The cow shaped ornamental step stool on the left has been exposed to harsh weather extreems for 4 years. It is one of the early Geppetto made cows, painted with economy acrylic paint. Henry and his team will sand it down, fill, prime and apply a new, quality acrylic top coat.


Sunlight and UV Radiation can Damage your Decorative Painting Project

Direct sunshine will degrade the binder and pigment of the paint. Binder is the additive in the paint that helps it adhere to the surface being painted. Pigment is the material used for colouring the paint. Degradation caused by the sun can result in chalking (a white, chalky dust) and loss of colour. While all grades of paint suffer these effects to some degree, lower quality paints (and interior paints) will generally fail much earlier than quality exterior paints.

Some special paints such as used for military purposes, whilst lasting much longer, contain lead and/or other toxic substances and are definitely not suitable for children’s toys or decorative items, which can be touched by children, adults or pets.

The binders in acrylic latex water based paint tend to resist the effects of direct sunlight better than binders in oil-based paints. The reason is that the binders used in latex paints tend to be “transparent” to UV radiation, while oil binders actually absorb the radiation, which breaks them down. Red and yellow paint colours in your decorative painting project are especially vulnerable to fading from UV radiation.

Water and Moisture can Degrade Your Decorative Painting project

Moisture is especially hard on exterior paint. The source of the moisture can be rain, snow, dew, lawn sprinklers, condensation and humidity from the substrate (the plywood or wood boards). As with UV radiation, moisture tests the paint’s resistance to chalking and tint loss. Better grades of latex paints help fight these problems better than oil-based paints. This is primarily due to the characteristics of the binders they contain.
Water and moisture can also cause blistering of the paint. When wood gets wet, it expands. When wood dries it contracts. Expansion and contraction of the wood puts great stress on the paint, and can result in cracking and flaking.

Latex paint is permeable (breathable) and allows the water to vaporize and escape. High quality latex paints are very flexible, offering added protection against problems with cracking and flaking. Never attempt to paint wood that has high moisture content. Allow wet or moist wood to dry first, slowly, to prevent cracking or deformation, over several weeks, unless you have access to a proper wood-drying kiln.

Temperature Changes also has the Potential to Damage your Decorative Painting on Wood

Quite naturally, changes in temperature occur to a much greater degree out-of-doors than they do indoors. Like moisture, temperature changes cause the wood to expand and contract. This puts added stress on the paint.
Quality paints that offer both superior adhesion and flexibility help prevent cracking and flaking. Top quality acrylic latex paint is an exceptionally good choice for your decorative painting project. Remember, your hand made cow shaped step stool might live inside a lounge, in the bathroom, on the patio, sometimes in the garden and perhaps accidentally in the pool. The acrylic binder that is found in these quality paints is very durable and offers greater protection.

Real cows come in different size, pattern and color. Avoid "cloning" your cow shaped step stools, be creative, make each cow your unique piece of art. Be game, be different, follow our basic pattern for the construction, then apply your creativity for the painting and decorating.


It is not that difficult to achieve a good, long lasting paint finish, click on the links below and learn how you can do it better.


Performance characteristics of paints suitable for decorative painting your wooden cow step stool, ride on toys and furniture.

Choosing the best primer and paint for painting your wooden cow shaped step stool and similar wooden decorations.

Choosing the best acrylic paint brush for the decorative painting of your cow shaped step stool, wooden furniture and toys.