The Deck

Ever since pleasant outdoor weather started this year, I've had our back deck on my brain. It is a great size deck, but it was in need of some serious tender, loving care.

There were two boards that had big holes in them; we're thinking from the huge dog that the previous homeowners had. My dad, being the good sport that he is, helped me get two new boards from Menards. They ended up being the wrong size (too thick), but my uncle, being the woodworking wizard that he is, notched them out so that they would fit correctly. I'm so glad that I have men in my life that are handy!

It had obviously been a few years since the last homeowners had cleaned and/or stained the deck. The areas that are mostly in the shade throughout the year, if you looked closely, had a small whisper of color to them, hinting that the deck used to look decent. The areas in the shade had a nice green mildew tint, as well. Just lovely!

New boards and green mildew tint. Pre-power wash.

With the new boards in place, I finally got in the mood to power wash. (Also, the weather decided to cooperate last weekend. I needed about 5 good days without precipitation for this to work!) Power washing is oddly fun. It is so satisfying seeing the nasty parts be blasted away. That portion of the project took me 4 hours.

Post-power wash.

Looked better already! Manta for this house:
Anything is an improvement.

Philip and I went to Menards to choose a stain. It is overwhelming. Originally we were going to go with some deck restoration stuff that is supposed to last a lifetime, but there was a ton of steps and supplies needed and I was afraid of screwing it up, so we just went with a solid color stain called Timberline. It ended up being almost exactly what we think the previous owners had stained it way back when, so it was a good choice.

I worked on the spindles and finished 85% of that part on Saturday. That part took me about 7 hours, but it's kind of a relaxing job. I put in my headphones and just zoned out! I finished the spindles on Sunday and then Philip started the floorboards. We also had to use a brush in between the boards and do a second full coat, which we did on Monday night. Here's the finished product!

Don't mind the hose. Need to put that away!

So beautiful!

The whole project took about 14 hours! Now we need to have a party so that we can enjoy it more. I also need to buy some gravity chairs for sunbathing purposes!