All Decked Out
To say our deck was in bad shape would be an understatement. It was one of those projects that we thought we would take care of as soon as we moved in – well, that was two years ago.
The bones were good: large, multi-level, properly installed. The only issue was the battered old wood exposed beneath a curtain of chipped and peeling textured stain.
There was definitely no walking in bare feet on this bad boy.
Scrapping the whole thing and building a new deck was totally out of the question. We’ve got three kids to put through college in the not-too-distant future. Not to mention, our deck is massive, over 800 square feet!
We found this amazing product called Duckback® Superdeck® Deck & Dock Elastomeric Coating that solved all of our issues. This is not a sponsored post by the way -- it’s just a great product.
The stain is intended for use on surfaces that get a lot of water, like docks, so it’s incredibly weather resistant. That works perfectly for us because we get wicked snow and rainstorms in the Midwest.
Hubby and I thought we’d be able to manage the project on our own, but life got in the way, so we hired a painter.
First, apply a layer of deck stripper, then power wash the deck.
If you're looking for a more green option, no worries, there are quite a few out there. Check out this video by Leah on my favorite home improvement DIY channel on YouTube: See Jane Drill
Unfortunately, we had a popular (in the 1990’s) textured paint product stuck like glue to our wood deck, so environmentally friendly wasn't our best option; we went with a deck stripper solution. This process took an unusually long time -- the better part of four days.
Next, after drying for a few sunny days, we sanded the railings and rough patches. We did this ourselves to save a bit of money.
Finally, our painter applied two coats of elastomeric stain. The product was so smooth and comfortable underfoot we go without shoes.
I placed an array of planters filled with some of my favorite flowers: verbena, begonia, fuschia and geranium. Then I added creeping jenny, sweet potato vine and ivy to trail down the sides.
There was nothing left to do but fire up the grill and hang out with my family with a tall glass of ice cold lemonade.
According to Sherwin Williams the product is meant to last up to seven years before refinishing. I plan to enjoy every minute of it!