My deck is looking good! Just in time for our winter snow. 
Our front deck was in desperate need of some sort of stain to protect it from the elements. Besides needing protection from our weather, my kiddos feet needed some protection from the slivers they were getting from the wood.
I chose to use DECK RESTORE™ to change the look and feel of the deck. I bought it at Lowes and I needed the 5 gal to do my deck of about 120 ft.
I
ordered the color of Pewter, but the moron at the paint desk at Lowes
that day incorrectly mixed the color and I actually have Granite. I'm
super sad about that, but unless I want to go to the trouble of
repainting, I'm stuck.
To prepare the deck, I bleached and pressure washed it. I also sanded down some super rough areas.
DECK RESTORE™ has the texture of a thin grout. Honestly, the whole process is like painting with grout, which makes it very labor intensive.
I bought the kit that you need to use to get the rough texture finish
I found the best way to put it on was to paint it on thick with a paintbrush and then go over it with the textured roller
I went over some of the gaps with a screwdriver to get out big lumps.
To say that this is a messy process would be an understatement. It is REALLY messy. And REALLY hard. I was sore for days afterward. I've stained many decks in my day, and I've even grouted tile. This was harder than any of those. I'm thankful my deck is small.
I had it in my hair, and on every available surface. The textured roller really spins the paint everywhere (check out my hand and feet!!!)
And the walls!
This is where the grout type texture comes in handy. It didn't stain the vinyl siding at all. Some water, a wire brush and muscle were all it took to take it all off the walls (and my hands, haha) 
If I had to do it all over again, I would still use it on this deck. The texture feels good and the slivers are non-existent.
What I would do different is to use a browner toned color so that the gaps
in the deck would be hidden.
I would also make sure the paint desk
mixed the right color. I had to repaint my beloved black door silver to save the look of my house.
I love how my front porch looks now.
I got a new welcome mat on clearance. It's made of recycled materials.
The wreath is one I bought last year, but I added the sweet stone harvest hanger from JoAnns. I love it's message.
You might recognize 3 of my rainbow of chairs out here
I was not compensated in any way for this project. I just haven't seen it honestly reviewed anywhere. If you decide to tackle something like this yourself, be prepared to work really hard...or maybe just rope your husband into doing it.
Linking to:
Winter Blues Wednesday @ DIY by Design
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
I actually like that color and I think it looks great with your colorful chairs :)
ReplyDeleteLooks good! Maybe the guy at the Lowe's counter was just having a bad day. The color is nice and not too dark. The texture reminds me of the paint job my dad did on our breezeway when I was a kid - he mixed paint in sand to prevent slipping.
ReplyDeleteBob mixed in sand with paint for our inside stairs going down to the basement. One thing about that is dirt catches on the bumps, in time you might be having this happen. It looks beautiful now with your chairs and all. You really worked yourself out on this one Miranda!
ReplyDeleteI love the color you got, it looks wonderful. We used Deck Restore this summer, on two deck areas. by the time we got done, we went thru 5 , five gallon cans! After my husband doing most of the work ( poor guy) got it done. We love it! Due to the rain in the Pacific NW,we wanted a safe non slippery surface, this is perfect. Our color ia Winchester.
ReplyDeleteYour chairs really show it off!
Your rainbow chairs look great on your deck ~ which also looks great, so the mess and difficulty pays off ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking up at the Wildly Original party.
<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Your deck looks fabulous! We moved into a fixer upper and the deck had its last summer, or so I thought. Thanks for inspiring me to work with what I have.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to visit me too if you like! :)
I love the pops of color you added. So cute! Thanks for linking up to our Pretty Things party. Hope to see you back next week!
ReplyDeleteMiranda your deck looks fab lady and I am loving your chairs! Thanx for partying at THT.
ReplyDeleteYour deck looks great! Your hard work really paid off Miranda! Loving the bright colored chairs on either side too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining the party at Keep Calm and Link Up! Come back again this Thursday night!
Barbara at Chase the Star
chasethestar dot net
Oh my gosh that looks so pretty! I'm loving the paint color, it looks good on you :) It makes the chairs really stand out and I love it! Thanks for linking up to Throwback Thursday :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Miranda - Your deck looks amazing! You did a great job. I like how the deck is a similar color to your door. Very nice! The vibrant chairs are perfect! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteHello! I’m stopping in to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/clever-chicks-blog-hop-7-country-craft.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
Your deck looks really good, Miranda. I like the colorful chairs, by the way. It really brightens up the entrance to your home! I bet children love staying there. :)
ReplyDeleteChristian Renwick
Your porch looks so pretty, Miranda! That's an awesome transformation. It's nice that you used teal. It made your porch look more welcoming. You should be proud of yourself for a great DIY makeover. :)
ReplyDelete-Angelina Garcia
I agree with Christian, Miranda. You've gotta love those colorful chairs. I bet passersby are always looking at those chairs. :P They are attractive, indeed. No doubt, those colorful chairs added more life to your deck.
ReplyDeleteKylee Groves
I love your decking material. I would prefer mostly the composite decking material. Recently I have added into my new house and was looking great. It was cost-effective material for me that I have purchased from Futurewood.
ReplyDelete