Repainting a swing set. I have repainted the swing set once since we got it. It takes me about 3-4 hours to do the entire project repainting our swing set. A perfect time to repaint the swing set / playset was when the kids were at school. Our swing set is about 11 years old, so it was time to repaint it.
First I cleaned the swing set of all leaves and needles prior to repainting. I actually used a shop vacuum and got all the pine needles and any leaves on the platform of the swing set.
Then I used Clorox spay cleaner to bleach the nasty black areas on the swing set prior to repainting it. I used rubber gloves, a scrub brush and a plastic scrubber, to clean the rungs and ladders. I rinsed the set down with water during and after cleaning. I also make sure all the wood was clean from dirt by rinsing it down. You can also wash down the playset the day before so it has times to dry, prior to repainting.
Repainting a swing set
Finally I painted the swing set using Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent – 717 Redwood Naturaltone, which I purchased at Lowes for about $36. I used gallon for the entire swing set.
- The Olympic Maximum paint is a one coat only paint. The worker at Lowes told me that if you use more than once coat, of the maximum it will not dry for months because this paint seals the wood , and does not allow anything to penetrated it (which is what you want since it will get wet outside) . The 1st coat drys quickly a few hours but I kept the kids off the swing set for about a day to be sure.
I do not use the paint straight out of the bucket I poured into another container and paint from that bucket so not to contaminate the entire can. I also used a large paint brush so it went quicker and I could get in all the nooks. I did not buy an expensive paint brush because at times it gets dirty with ground and I forced into corners. So I end throwing it out when I am done. I also wear rubber gloves.
- Please note do note do not leave a puppy near your paint bucket.. My puppy grabbed my paint bucket and proceed to runs around the backyard with the paint covering the bulldog, in a lovely shade of redwood.
The Play swingset was all finished but I love the results. It looks like new and it was ready for my daughters birthday party where most of the kids hung out at the party. 
I hope I inspire you to do this project in a day, paint, ladder, brush and you can spruce up your backyard.
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Our playset has the paint chipping off. How would you address that problem?
Billie Ruth- I am no expert. Ours had paint chipping of from be exposed tho the elements as well. I chipped all the loose pieces away with a steel brush or metal spatula. I did bleach/water the exposed wood to make sure there was no mold and rinsed with a hose and water as stated above, ( a garden sprayer works to apply the bleach to large areas great rinse well of don’t use on garden- bleach kills flowers). Wait for it to dry thoroughly .. Then I painted. The paint reseals the wood.
I will let you know some times if you use an oil paint over a water based paint or vice versa you can get chipping from them reaction after the fact. That is why be sure to ask your home center specialist what they recommend.. which is what I did, for me the Olympia worked great!
Thanks for commenting
Thanks for this tutorial! Seems easy enough. The house we bought came with a playset but it needs to be painted so very badly. Hoping I can tackle it this weekend!
We are getting ready to paint a wooden set that is about 10 years old. It is made from treated lumber. What kind of wood was your swingset? Do you think this would work for ours? I love the look/color of yours, but am confused as it looks like a paint (but the product says stain)? Advice?
Thanks!
Hi Katie,
Mine was pretreated lumber as well. Yes it does look like paint but it has held like a stain so it protects the wood. What I liked about this Stain/paint was we can never remember oil based non oil base, this stain it did not matter. I woulds ask your experts at the home improvement store for there advice. I actually painted it last march 2012 and 1 1/2 later it still looks great and is not chipping because it is a stain.
Hi,
I am getting ready to refinish a used wood play set that my family recently purchased. I am wondering how your stain job held up & if you would do anything differently? I am dreading this project and am looking for a solution that will last for several years. Thanks for your time! 🙂
I have painted my swing set twice in the last 14 years it makes a huge different and they are meant to last if you take care of them. The end of this summer we are passing ours on to my sister in law. She lives in a very harsh winter area so I hope she paints it every year so her little ones can get a lot of use out of it. It takes about a day to paint them.