Finding Friday- Deck Restore to the Rescue!

Hi, Friends! I have found my way to Friday again. It’s been ALL about the deck restore this week. The outside wall, french doors and lighting had been replaced…but…oh, so much more to do to bring that deck back to life! The deck redo was needed after the 5 fire trucks and 11 firefighters visit.

The deck definitely needed a rescue!

Here’s where we began with the outside the night before Thanksgiving.

Here’s what the street looked like when those firefighters arrived.

Deck Restore

The outer wall of the dining room was burned and replaced, as well as, those french doors.

New lights installed, siding added and painting of the trim and doors ensued.

But that deck. Oh, my goodness, that deck needed help.

To begin, those burned boards were removed and replaced.

The soot and heat from the fire really did a number on all of the deck. This side of the deck was a nightmare.

We truly thought the next time we dealt with this deck that all of it would be ripped out with new supports, configuration and composite decking would be used. No more painting needed at our age would be wonderful. No such luck.

But…because the insurance claim just covered replacing the ones damaged by fire…that’s was how this deck restore would continue.

Other boards that needed replacing were later marked with a bit of spray paint and then replaced before the deck repainting could begin.

Deck Cleaning

Next, last weekend the deck was emptied and pressure washed to prepare for the painting.

The soot mixed with paint revealed in layers and rippled lattice with a bit of green in the mix was a nightmare.

Not a beautiful framework for my herb garden, container garden planters, or a sitting area. Really.

Our contractor provided us a check for this job and my husband went into full swing on finding sources and the right fit for a pressure washer to clean and strip old paint from the deck.

My husband doesn’t hand over jobs he can do often…but, the need for a pressure washer that could do a better job with this deck was found and hired.

Pressure washer guy cleaned the deck and removed paint in preparation for the next step of painting.

Deck Paint

So, the NEXT issue was what paint or stain and color would be the best in the deck restore.

Research and recommendations had given us lots of colors and paint and stain that didn’t hold up to the wear; and until a full deck replacement happened, we just needed a great product and color to enhance the new look of the outside.

More conversation led to if we had used a stain before, we had to continue in the stain world. Oh, dear…we had done every type of deck covering just getting it to last better than the one before.

We have had all sorts of colors on the deck…lighter colors were not the best. The brown one year was the worst before we went back to a gray.

Because of the black trim on the house, I thought some touches of black needed to be somewhere in either lattice replacement or the deck itself.

See what I mean…Truly, if we could find a paint that would adhere and last a bit longer with better results…we would be all in.

Research, conversations and visits to more contractor operated expertise was my husband’s favorite method to find the correct paint or stain…that was a new question added to the mix.

As I have shared with you, his years of painting all the amusement park rides at his family’s park…those carousel horses, train, rides, ticket booth and buildings gave him a great deal of understanding of what and how to use different paints.

This deck always was his least favorite painting job.

Deck Paint Selection

My husband wanted the paint to match the slate gray of the sidewalk. I wanted a deeper charcoal to complement the black gutters and doors.

Lots of discussion over colors finally led to a compromise that we both agreed would work.

Then, the rain began to stop the next step of painting.

But planning to paint began while the thunder and rain moved through…again and again this week.

My husband has always rolled the paint.

Gayla, his twin, loved to paint with him…so the last painting of the deck was with her and me watching in the sidelines. I’m thankful that she wanted to help and watching them together always warmed my heart. PLUS, if you guys saw me with the porch painting last year…well, let’s just say…my husband is a MUCH better painter than I am!

Deck Vinyl Replacement

The lattice was beyond the point of salvage around that deck…and somehow, that wasn’t included in the insurance claim.

It had to be removed, but revealing underneath that deck, made me hesitant.

Have you priced anything vinyl related in building materials lately?

It’s not for the faint of heart.

We were tired of the white latticing around the deck, so the next step was to research what would update the deck and yet be affordable.

My heart really wanted a black pvc latticework…but, my budget yelled back a resounding, “No”!

Meanwhile, I’m looking through garden magazines, Pinterest, and local stores for a new “fix” for the deck.

Keep reading to see what we come up with in the days ahead!

And then a new idea happened for the deck restore..

Do you remember last week when I shared about container gardens?

There was a huge number of flowers and peppers and tomatoes were still left unplanted among the plants still left.

In how to get them all planted, my thoughts kept going back to what Pamela had used on her deck–railing planters.

We measured and decided that boxes outside of the deck railing that would overflow flowers and vegetables would be wonderful idea.

This is what I would love to add…aren’t they lovely?

New container garden ideas, too.

Last year, containers of herbs, flowers and a garden tower overtook the deck.

This week large containers filled with jalapeno peppers and green peppers were added to the patio.

Before they were even planted, those jalapeno peppers are producing! Bring on the salsa!

This year we decided to give raised beds a go with more of the vegetables in a corner of a picketed fence area that might survive the deer and groundhog a bit better. Here’s what’s for consideration–

When that deck gets repainted, I want to be more thoughtful in groupings of herbs and flowers on the deck itself.

The hosta planters are large themselves and will get a bit of a new grouping after the painting is done.

I can’t wait to share with you all how it comes together.

Meanwhile, I am hoping that sunny skies allow us to begin the deck restore with railing planters, deck painting and moving some plants to raised beds.

Wish us luck!

Have a glorious weekend!

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