Why hello again friends! It's been a while. This whole professor thing has kept me under wraps for a while now. I submitted a grant proposal today, was in Boston last weekend, in Morocco the weekend before and... (gasp)... I'm finally coming up for air! I wanted to share with you a nice Spring project that will get you in springtime mood (aka grilling mood) in no time :0).
When we moved into our house 2 years ago, it was pretty clear to us that the deck was in BADDDD shape. Our house was 12 years old and it was very clear that it had not been re-stained well... ever. So, it was time. Not only that, but our deck is in the shade the majority of the day which means that mildew can build up. One day it was raining out and I ran after a groundhog... yea... and I slipped and fell on my butt because the deck was slippery from the mildew... great. So, deck staining and refinishing... here we come!
When we moved into our house 2 years ago, it was pretty clear to us that the deck was in BADDDD shape. Our house was 12 years old and it was very clear that it had not been re-stained well... ever. So, it was time. Not only that, but our deck is in the shade the majority of the day which means that mildew can build up. One day it was raining out and I ran after a groundhog... yea... and I slipped and fell on my butt because the deck was slippery from the mildew... great. So, deck staining and refinishing... here we come!
Blue Clean Ar118 for around $100.
The first part of refinishing your deck calls for a power washer! Remember that slippery mildew I told you about... yeah turns out our 'grey' deck was totally nasty and covered with brown mildewy type grossness (see picture on left where I power washed one board). I couldn't believe someone would let their property get so out of control! We do a lot of home improvement projects and have a wood fence so we found it most economical to go ahead and purchase a power washer from amazon. We ended up with the Power washing the deck took FOREVER because our deck is very large but in the end it made a world of difference! Here is our cleaned deck.
The next part of staining a deck is, well, staining. There are a couple of items you need to consider before staining your deck:
1. There can't be any rain in the forecast
2. The deck currently cannot be damp
3. You will not be able to use your grill (GASP) or sit on your deck for a period of 2-3 days after the stain is finished.
We did a lot of research on what type of stain to buy for our project (our deck was about 12 years old, we assumed), and we found the Behr Premium paint to be the best choice. The consumer reports rating on it is extremely high and I already love their regular paint line. I was a little bit concerned because it is a 'solid color' meaning that once you apply the 'stain' you can't see the wood anymore. That made me sad. However, it ended up turning out great, and the best part is... it lasts 10 YEARS. That means that the countless hours that I spent staining my deck were worth it!!!
1. There can't be any rain in the forecast
2. The deck currently cannot be damp
3. You will not be able to use your grill (GASP) or sit on your deck for a period of 2-3 days after the stain is finished.
We did a lot of research on what type of stain to buy for our project (our deck was about 12 years old, we assumed), and we found the Behr Premium paint to be the best choice. The consumer reports rating on it is extremely high and I already love their regular paint line. I was a little bit concerned because it is a 'solid color' meaning that once you apply the 'stain' you can't see the wood anymore. That made me sad. However, it ended up turning out great, and the best part is... it lasts 10 YEARS. That means that the countless hours that I spent staining my deck were worth it!!!
Once you have your stain picked out it's time to get to work. I started by 'trimming in' the deck nearest the house and painting the very little railing we had. Thank goodness our railing was so small because let me tell you... it is a pain in the butt! Do yourself a favor and purchase a small roller and an extension poll for the deck boards. That will make your life so much easier because it will save your back. You may get some blisters from rolling but hey, I'd rather have a blister than a sore back.
So, we started this painting job and got the railing done and then it started storming. Go figure, there was no rain in the forecast... and it proceeded to rain off and on for 2 weeks! That means we were without a grill for 2- weeks. It was pretty devastating. The entire staining job took us an entire weekend because our deck is so large it took 1 day per coat and we needed two coats. I also didn't wear sunscreen on my back and got roasted - I wouldn't recommend that.
So, we started this painting job and got the railing done and then it started storming. Go figure, there was no rain in the forecast... and it proceeded to rain off and on for 2 weeks! That means we were without a grill for 2- weeks. It was pretty devastating. The entire staining job took us an entire weekend because our deck is so large it took 1 day per coat and we needed two coats. I also didn't wear sunscreen on my back and got roasted - I wouldn't recommend that.
So you may be asking your self 'was it worth it?'. Hell yes it was worth it. My deck looks awesome. I don't have to mess around with it for 10 more years, and it really made all of my landscaping 'pop'. The Behr Premium stain was awesome. My deck has held up well through the summer and it's first winter - no signs of wear at all. I highly recommend this product and putting in the elbow grease to get your deck in tip-top shape.
-knowgirl Scarlett
-knowgirl Scarlett