Summer DIY Project--Deck Makeover

After we got back from our trip I got to work hard on a big DIY project which I've been envisioning ever since we moved in but still hadn't tackled.  Finally, I decided that now was the time, since we've lived in this house for nearly 5 years.  I especially wanted to take it on while I still had a few days off before my new job.  Fortunately, the weather cooperated, too.  Just to warn you, the before pictures are nasty ugly.  I don't believe anything had ever been done to refurbish this deck, which is probably as old as I am.  Let's just say that I've had to do some touching up with color to make my hair look nice.  So, it was time to do the same for our old, weathered deck.  I looked up lots of tutorials on Pinterest and Youtube before taking on this project.  It turned out to be more labor intensive than I first imagined.  But, it was well worth the effort.  The first step, which my daughter helped me with, was to take putty knives and dig out all of the debris and junk that had been stuck between the boards.  You'd be amazed at what was stuck between our boards after years of leaves, birdseed and dirt falling down in those cracks.  Next I put wood filler in all of the holes in the wood.  Here's what it looked like at that point...

 

Next, I sprayed on a wood cleaner solution, which I bought from Home Depot and then sprayed the deck and swept it off with a new broom which I bought just for this purpose.  It helped get rid of a lot of the gray color that had built up from years of mildew and fungus growth on the wood.  Here's what it looked like after cleaning it.

 

The next step was to start by painting a lot of the deck where there were cracks.  I wanted to try to paint between the boards and in all of the crevices by hand with a bristle brush, first, before spreading stain over the entire deck with a long-handled brush. So, here's the photos after that initial painting.

 

Finally, I used the long-handled brush which I bought specifically for staining a deck and my Behr premium stain to cover all of the deck.  Here is the After photos.  I even painted the post which holds an owl to scare away pigeons.

 

 

Now, I just wish I were home more to enjoy my newly furbished deck.  It's much harder to do, since starting a full-time 40 hour job.  But, at least it will be nice to enjoy on the weekends.  Now for the final before and after photos comparing my deck/sunporch from prior to all of my painting and staining...

Ugly Before

Much Improved After

Family Reunion/Birthday Party June 25th