Deck Do over

So it's been a while sine I last updated this blog.  Okay a long, long while.  But that's how it goes.   Life happens.

But the good news is that I've started things up once again and  today's post has to do with what I've done with the back 40 over the past few summers - specifically the deck.  I'd never been all that thrilled with the way my deck looked, probably because it had three different colours of wood making it a bit of an eye sore.

So I eventually decided to do something about it. Fortunately, it's a fairly large space but the finish was basically finished.   Putting aside delusional thoughts that I was going to do it alone, I hired a pro to do the job.  And after going back and forth over the question of paint vs. stain, he introduced me to this amazing product from Behr called DECKOVER.  It's a type of paint that Behr calls an, "innovative solid colour coating".   It also comes in many different colours and textures.

Be warned: watching You Tube product review videos will both encourage you and scare the daylights out of you at the same time.  But even after seeing a few negative experiences,  I decided to go for it anyway.


Step 1:  Power washing

My handyman started things off by giving the whole deck a serious power wash.  It's amazing how getting the dirt off alone made everything look so much better.

Step 2:  Sanding

It took him a good day to get everything sanded down and then he move on to patching holes in preparation for painting.

Step 3:  Ready to roll

  Over the next few days he cut in the corners then rolled the first coat of DECKOVER all over in a deep chocolate colour.  Then, he let it dry for a few days before rolling on the second coat.  It's a big job, especially considering the fact that  I have a have a pergola that has to be painted by brush.

Step 4:  The reveal

  And voila!  The final product.

 I've been very happy with the deck and just how durable DECKOVER has been over the past two   summers and  very cold Toronto winters. Oh and I should add that my south facing deck gets full sun almost the whole day.    This fall I plan to touch a few spots, but overall it's help up amazingly well.  My deck is my favourite room in the house.