Whoever lived here before us didn’t seem concerned with the obscene amount of rain we get in the pacific northwest and saw no reason to put any sort of finish on the front porch deck. The wood was weathered and worn, dirty and grey; much like the wood I take off of a pallet for some DIY project. I thought for sure that we would need to replace the whole deck if I ever wanted it to look new again. Boy was I wrong!
So here is what I was starting with…
I know, I know…it’s not THAT bad! But just dirty and dingy enough to drive me crazy knowing I wouldn’t get that beautiful look of stained wood grain. So, I ventured off to Home Depot to see what I could find to remedy this. As I was in the paint aisle looking at the variety of different colors of deck paint, an employee restocking the shelves asked if I had any questions. I said “No thank you, just deciding on a color” and he went back to his work. Then, something caught my eye…something that would change my life forever! I said to the man, “actually, that wood cleaner behind you, is it important to use that before I paint my deck even if I pressure wash it?” “Absolutely” he said.
I left the store with my stain, paint brushes and the Behr All-In-One Deck Cleaner and got to work. First I pressure washed the entire deck. This did remove quite a bit of the grime but the wood still had the same dirty look. With the wood still wet, I pulled out the wood cleaner. I poured the entire contents of the bottle into a large bucket and added an equal amount of water. After mixing the solution, I used a stiff bristle brush and began applying the wood cleaner in a scrubbing motion, let it sit for about 10 minutes and then rinsed it off. To my amazement, this is what happened…
Incredible, right?!?! It looked like a brand new deck! I was beyond excited (and also a little weirded out that I so excited over a deck…apparently this is what happens when you get older?) Next step was to allow the wood to dry out for a couple of days before staining and painting. I used Behr Semi-Transparent Weather Proofing Wood Stain in Padre Brown for the deck with Behr Solid Weather Proofing Wood Stain in Ultra Pure White for the railings. And here is the finished product…
Looks Beautiful, looks brand new compared to the first time I saw it. Very Proud of you.
A great way to increase the value of your home. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so impressed! Looks great!
You are so amazing, I can’t find words to describe you!
Love this look! How has it held up over the years? About to start this project!
It really has! We love how it looks. We live in the Pacific Northwest so to really keep it up we should repaint it every year. If you don’t get as much rain though, you could easily repaint with just 1-2 fresh coats every other year.
Hello! I was on Pinterest trying to figure out if painting my deck to look stained or actually staining it would be worth it. I came across this post from years ago, and found it so helpful! I did have a few questions if you wouldn’t mind answering them?
Thanks!!
Amy S
Wow!
Just Wow!
I am Jane Nelson and welcome. I saw your post it’s very nice. Love this look. I have a backyard with deck paint and it is very beautiful. I clean it every day.
Thank You!
Looks amazing! Love the semi transparent stain. We had this done with the same product but the sun exposed areas faded and the color didn’t hold. We were told we need sand down to the bare wood, clean it, and reapply semi transparent stain. $2500! I was told we would need to do this each year unless we used a solid deck paint color which I don’t particularly like the look of. I love natural looking wood. Is this the process you need to repeat each year?