How to Repaint a Deck
This guide will walk you through how to repaint a deck. When I was redoing my screened-in porch, I knew the old dingy carpet had to go! When I pulled it up, I was disappointed to see a dark red paint color. I was even more disappointed to find that the previous owners did not screen underneath the deck.
I was able to refresh the decking with new paint and even came up with a creative solution to the screening problem!
Step 1: Prep Boards
To start, I vacuumed the deck boards with a shop vac. I then went around with a hammer and hammered in any nails that were sticking up.
Step 2: Sand
Using my palm sander and 220-grit sandpaper, I lightly sanded the surface. The space I was redoing is only 12’x12′. If you are working with a larger space, I recommend renting a larger sander from Home Depot or Lowes!
Step 3: Clean Boards
After I finished sanding, I wiped the boards down with denatured alcohol.
Step 4: Paint!
Before I started painting, I taped up the trim around the room. Then, I started by using a 2″ Chip Paint Brush to paint the edge of the space. Once I have the edges fully trimmed out, I used a paint roller and paint stick to roll the floors.
Note: Before rolling a second coat, I went back with my 2″ Chip Paint Brush and painted any gaps between the decking boards that weren’t covered with the roller.
Color: The color I used is called “New Cedar”. I got the paint from my local hardware store, so linking a similar option below!
Step 5: Install Backer Rod (optional!!)
Finally, with the boards painted, I was ready to address the screen problem! The most obvious choice would have been to go under the deck and add screens, unfortunately this wasn’t possible for me! The deck sits just 3″ above the ground in certain areas, so I couldn’t fit underneath.
So I thought about ways to fill the cracks. Ultimately, I decided to use Backer Rod. I used a screen spile tool to push it into the gaps between the decking boards.
Note: I was only able to do this because my porch is under cover! If you have a deck that is not covered, then filling the gaps could cause the boards to rot as rain water will sit in the filled gaps.
Want to see what else I did to give my screened-in porch a whole new look? Check out my porch reveal here!
How to Repaint a Deck Links
How to Repaint Floors
Equipment
- Shop Vac
- Palm Sander
- Hammer
- Paint Roller Extension Pole
- 2" Paint Brush
- Paint Roller
materials
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Denatured Alcohol
- Deck Paint
Instructions
- Prep Boards
- Sand
- Clean Boards
- Paint
- Install Backer Rod (optional!!)