I'm sharing the steps for how we gave our "EW" deck a fabulous new makeover, rather than replacing it!

I was going to call this post "Decks are Ew" but decided that maybe not all of you have watched this Jimmy Fallon episode. You can watch it right here if you need a good laugh today!

Our deck was certainly 'Ew' before we gave it a much needed makeover!

Let's just say that staining it wasn't an option...time and weather had done their dirty work and our deck was gross!

It was dirty with cracks, splinters, gouges and wonky wood, including loose boards and one board that had rotted. Ew!


With no roof, our deck is fully exposed to all the crazy TN weather.

In an effort to get a few more years out of it, we opted to paint it.

Actually, I need to back up the bus first and say that this deck update started off as a deck cleaning...but as is the way with most things, it became a much bigger project.

Mr DIY spent the better part of a day scrubbing the deck, replacing a rotten board (Ew!) and then filling all the screw holes prior to painting. Oh yeah, and removing the outdated lattice because that was really Ew!


He went through a lot of Elmer's Wood Filler!


Once all the prep was done, the deck looked like it had the measles! But at least it was clean and ready for paint.


And yes, it was July when we started on this project. Between bouts of rain and other factors, this project took us awhile to complete!

We used a product that Home Depot carries, called DeckOver. Here is the total list of supplies we used.

Supplies Used to Repair a Deck

I'm not going to lie... painting a deck is a big undertaking! The prep work takes almost as long as the actual painting.

Clean, let it dry. Fill holes, let it dry.

Sand, sweep, clean.

Remove hinges, etc.

To make the job even more challenging, because our deck is not covered, we were subject to inclement weather conditions and August was a really wet month in TN this year! It was stop and start throughout the project.


We chose to paint the deck rails white and to do those first. When we bought the DeckOver, there wasn't a white available. The associate working at Home Depot recommended the Weather Proofing product, which comes in white. So we bought it. But it's a stain y'all (which of course we didn't realize until after trying to paint the vertical slats!)

Have you ever tried painting a vertical surface with stain? It's like trying to paint with milk! It was splattering and dripping and not really covering that well.

I'm sure it's amazing in the proper application, but this wasn't it.

So we took it back to Home Depot and they kindly replaced it with something that could tackle the job properly, Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior Satin Enamel (thank you Randy for all your help!).


Once I started using the exterior satin enamel, the job went much faster!

Here is proof that I did much of the painting...armed and dangerous with my hair outta the way and my shirt inside out because that's how I like to paint! Hehe.

At this point, I don't have it all over my knees and elbows yet...but that is coming, I promise you I was a mess when I was done!


Once the rails were painted and dry, we tackled the deck floor with the DeckOver.

If you've never used it before, be prepared because it is thick like pudding! It needs to be well mixed. We used a drill paint mixer attachment to make the job easier.

I cut in around the edges of the deck while Mr DIY poured a small amount of paint out onto the deck and then rolled it.

We needed to do two coats, but this was by far the easiest part of the whole job!

And I know that I know that I took pictures of this process, but I cannot find them. Ugh. Or should I say, 'Ew'!

The fabulous thing about the DeckOver is how it fills and levels.

Cracks disappear and deep gouges are mostly filled in. It does a great job of refreshing a tired deck and saving wood that has seen better days!


I think this progression says it all...

Remember where we started? The deck was Ew!!


And now it's not! The budget didn't allow for new deck furniture, but by covering the cushions with some quilts and throws, it adds a homey touch and looks so inviting.


And the bright yellow mums add a gorgeous pop of color. Our deck is now fresh and clean and we did it within our budget!


And we find ourselves wanting to be out there more!


It's far from perfect, but by updating our deck with paint, we've given it a few more good years.


The view from inside the kitchen makes me smile!


Have you ever painted or stained a deck? It's a lot of work (and I'm sure our neighbors wondered if ours would ever be done!).

Please let me know if you have any questions about this painted deck project; I'd be happy to answer them!

So how has our painted deck held up?

Update: I've had several readers email to ask me how our deck has held up since we painted it. We noticed at the beginning of the next summer that there were a few spots that were starting to bubble. The good folks at Home Depot offered to replace the paint, but we found out we were moving and so we didn't do it. I do believe that having an uncovered deck is what caused the paint to do this. It was exposed to the elements all the time. My in-laws used the same paint on their covered deck and it has held up for several years. So please keep that in mind before starting this project!