(**See the bottom of this post for a two year update on our deck!)
I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do this project earlier.
We’ve lived in our home for 7 years and we are just now starting to use our deck.
Our home was unoccupied for an entire year before we purchased it. Several things went without maintenance and the deck was one of them. I don’t think any of the five previous owners stained or maintained the deck at all.
Our wood deck was structurally sound but was it was splintering badly. We were so worried about getting splinters that we wouldn’t walk on it without shoes on.
We could have replaced the deck. We also could have installed composite decking on top of the splintering wood. But both these options are expensive.
We found a less expensive option that sealed in the splinters and has given our old deck new life!
Our budget solution to fixing splinters really paid off! We now have a beautiful functional deck where we love to eat meals and spend time together as a family!
I love this little reading area we created. It’s a great place to have a cup of coffee & read! We decided to paint the spindles white to add some character. Adding the two-toned paint scheme really added a punch of personality to our once boring deck!
There’s plenty of room for everyone. One of the things I love about our deck is that it it big enough for a party! The new railings and white spindles are a lot safer and provide a great contrast against the darker paint.
Even the neighborhood cat approves!
We found a low cost option for permanently fixing splintered wood on a deck. The good news is I’m going to share all the secrets with you!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my full disclosure here.
How To Refinish A Splintered Wood Deck On A Budget
Instead of choosing an expensive option like replacing the deck or using composite decking, we decided to paint the deck with Restore Deck and Concrete Paint. (update: the product we used has been discontinued. However, this deck resurfacer looks to be pretty similar to what we used) This paint is specially formulated to be 10x thicker than normal paint. The thickness of the paint helps to seal in splinters. It was the perfect option for us since it cost a lot less than the other options.
Budget Deck Makeover
First we washed the whole deck with a power washer to clean off all the dirt and moss. (If you need a power washer, this one gets great reviews and is the #1 best seller in power washers on Amazon)
As you can see I had a little too much fun with the power washer…
After giving the wood some time to dry, we applied the paint on with this special Restore paint roller.
Our deck is fairly large, so it took a good amount of time to complete the painting process. This project will take some time but it’s totally worth it! I would estimate for a medium sized deck it will take about two weekends to complete.
Some Other Helpful Tips:
Plan to do this project during a mild season. The spring and fall are great times to work outside! The middle of summer….not so much!
If you’re planning on installing new spindles, paint them before installing! We learned this the hard way. Painting hundreds of these with a hand paint brush takes a lot more time once installed!
Paint all vertical surfaces first, then paint the horizontal surfaces. Otherwise you’ll end up with LOTS of paint drips, especially if the horizontal surfaces are being painted a different color.
The Results
It took a lot of work but we couldn’t be happier with the results!
We can walk on the deck in our bare feet without any worries of splinters!
We use our deck all the time. The kids and I love to eat lunch outside most summer days. Having a great place to dine together has helped us make a lot of family memories together.
Even when the weather is up in the 90s, the shade really makes it more comfortable than you would think.
It’s like we’ve added an entire living room to the outside of our house!
** Two year update
We’ve now had our deck painted with Restore for a full two years, so I thought I should give you guys an update on how it’s held up.
We live in the midwest where the weather is very hot during the summer and very cold during the winter. The deck has seen many days over 100 degrees and just as many days below 0 degrees. It’s also weathered several ice storms, heavy rains, snow, hail, and severe wind.
Final verdict: Restore has held up very well. There are a couple small areas where the paint has come off but those spots were the areas where we didn’t properly apply the paint. In my experience, this product holds up very well as long as it’s applied exactly as the directions say.
This is not a sponsored post. I’m just sharing my positive experience I had with Restore. The lovely folks at Restore are more than welcome to reimburse me for the cost!
This post linked to Inspire Me Please, Link Party Palooza, Saturday Sharefest, Share Your Creativity, The Makers, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Creative Spark, Thrifty Thursday, Project Pin It, Project Inspire{d}, Work It Wednesday, Your Turn To Shine, DIY Sunday Showcase, and Weekend Wind-Down.
I’m so glad you did an update on this! I have plans on doing this to my front entry porch this summer. My back deck is in much worse condition but it is too far gone for this. Lot’s of boards need replaced, it’s missing some railings, etc. We also want to expand the back deck as it isn’t very big. But I want to do the front deck to keep it from getting any worse. Glad to know it holds up well. 🙂
It sounds like this would be a great solution for your front deck. We love what it did for ours!
How did you get the paint between the floor boards?
Since the special brush isn’t small enough to fit we just let the paint drip down in between the boards. You could also take a regular paint brush and paint a little in between the boards. This may be pretty time consuming so that’s why we chose not to do it. You can barely tell the spaces in between aren’t painted since the bare wood and the paint are similar colors. I hope that helped Pam. Let me know if you have more questions!
I really like the color contrast you used. Would you mind sharing what colors you used? Thanks 🙂
Thank you–I love the contrast too! We used Winchester on the horizontal surfaces and white for the railings. I hope that helps!
I’ve never heard of this before. It looks so neat! I wonder if it would go over boards that are starting to need replaced. My deck for the most part is still in great condition, but there are a couple boards that are starting to rot…..and of course they are in places that have the railings or a bench built on top of them. So removing them really isn’t an option. I may need to consider this next spring. Your kids are ADORABLE by the way!
It may be a good option but you’d probably want to use it over the whole deck surface. If you decide to do a deck makeover, feel free to contact me with any questions–I’d be glad to help!
Very nice job on the deck makeover! It looks great. I also love the picture of the kitty sunbathing – so cute! =)
I couldn’t help myself including that photo. If it’s kitty approved, you know it’s good 🙂
It looks great, Carrie! I remember you mentioning last summer you all were considering Restore when I shared our deck. I hope you love it! We used our deck tons more after adding the Restore as well — but had to move in December 🙁 That post is one of our highest – traffic posts and we get a fair amount of negative comments about the product now — particularly from areas in the North with harsh winters. We’d had a few snows as of December last year, and had seen no issue with the Restore. How long have you had your deck painted? What part of the country do you live in? I still would apply Restore again, without question, if I had a splintery but structurally sound deck. Luckily our new home has a deck that is in great shape — so we don’t have to worry about it.
Thanks Lora! Your post was the one that really convinced me to try Restore! We live in the midwest and we have had several bad months of cold weather and haven’t had any issues with the paint. We’ve had it painted for just over a year. Sorry to hear you had to move–but glad you’re still enjoying nice traffic off that post!
Oh, I didn’t realize it had been a year! That is great 🙂 Would you care if I recommend your post (within the “update” portion of our post) as a resource as well? So many people ask for a 1-yr update on our deck but since we moved I can’t share it. Don’t feel like you have to say “ok” — I don’t want you to think I’m passing them off to you — I just really believe they’d find the info valuable!
http://craftivitydesigns.blogspot.com/2013/08/rustoleum-deck-restore-review-reveal.html
Sure sharing my post to your readers that want a one year update would be fine with me! Thanks so much for asking!
Thanks!
Maybe it is the area where we live but I had a horrible experience with Restore. We called customer service more than once and when they finally got back to us their response was good. But this product did not hold up on our deck and it is rough and HOT. Our deck isn’t shady like yours though (I sure wish it was!). I hope yours holds up better than ours because the deck looks great. Any who doesn’t love baby feet 😉
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that! I’m glad they had a good response through customer service. In the year we’ve had this product on our deck we’ve had temperatures well over the 100 mark and a very cold winter as well. It seems to be holding up really well.
Congrats you have been featured on Creative Spark Link Party this week as the Most Clicked Link! What a great project! Be sure to check it out and link up again with us this week http://bit.ly/1lVogBN
Yay how exciting! Thanks so much for letting me know and featuring this post! This really made my morning a lot more exciting!
Wow! that is really pretty!
Loved the before and after and that cute photo of the baby legs lol
That photo of those cute baby feet is my favorite shot in this whole post!
Your deck looks gorgeous! I love the addition of the white spindles – you are right – they made a huge difference and the color contrast looks lovely. I really love your reading corner. I’d want to stay there all day! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I’m sure you will enjoy lots of fun times there this fall.
I would love to stay in that reading nook all day too–but this week the weather has been crazy hot and humid. I’m looking forward to enjoying it more in the fall! Thanks so much for your kind words, Karen!
Wow Carrie your deck looks awesome and how great to let those cute little toes go free without having to worry about splinters! I’ve never heard of that product, but so great to know! Thanks for linking up with us at The Makers! We love having you!
This paint really is a cool product! I’m so thankful it worked in saving our deck. I love linking up to the Makers–thanks so much for giving us a fun place to mingle!
Gorgeous! Y’all did an amazing job and I love the idea of the thicker paint to avoid splinters!
Thank you Jessi! We’re really happy with the results. It’s like we have a whole new deck!
Gorgeous deck!! It turned out beautifully! Thanks for the great tips, I’ll have to keep the Restore in mind for future projects!! Visiting from Creative Spark Link party. 🙂
It’s definitely something worth considering for a deck that needs some TLC. Thanks for stopping by!
Those little feet on the deck are the most precious!
What a transformation! It looks fabulous. I found you at Creative Spark. Great blog!
That’s by far my favorite photo of the whole post! There’s just something special about baby feet!
Gorgeous! A big reason I bought my house was because of the deck and patio area. You’re right, it really is like having an extra living room outside! Glad you all are enjoying it so much. 🙂
Thank you so much Deborah! We really have enjoyed the deck so much more now that it’s friendly to our feet!
Your deck looks so beautiful now, Carrie! We redid ours this summer too! We use it all the time like you guys and it’s so worth it! Enjoy your long weekend!
Thank you Kendra! I’m sure we’ll be having a couple meals out on the deck this weekend (as long as the weather cooperates!)
This is such a cute deck! I love all the pops of color with the planters and pillows!
Thank you Ashleigh!
I used Restore several years ago and did a blog post as well, this is a great product. Next year will need to apply another coat. Thanks for sharing and linking up with us at the #WWDParty.
Isn’t that stuff great? I’ve had great results with it! When we have friends over we love to show them the difference it made on our deck!
Wow! This looks so great Carrie! That reading nook has just got to call to you! AND, I love your pillows 🙂 Such a welcoming space.
I think the pillows are one of my favorite parts!
If you live where it snows and gets really cold, don’t do it. we spent over $500.00 to do our deck and the next spring, it all peeled up.
What a bummer! We’ve had this paint on our deck for a full year (it took us a long time to finish the whole project!) but we haven’t had much peeling.
Oh wow you did such a great job. It looks wonderful
Thank you! We’ve really enjoyed our new outdoor space!
This looks great! I love a fresh clean outdoor space! I always dread those kinds of projects, but the end result is so worth it!
I have to admit we were dreading this project when it was half way done! Sometimes it’s hard to plug through but the end result makes all that work worth it and more!
It turned out beautifully!! We actually just made over our deck too!! Love the two-tone and the new spindles. I may have to add a reading nook to mine 🙂
The reading nook is totally worth it–you should do it! Thanks so much for the encouragement, Samantha!
Great update! I absolutely love that paint can make such a huge impact on any space, item, etc. I think me and paint have been dating for like… 10+ years. It’s getting pretty serious. 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Ha ha yes–my love affair of paint is a pretty strong one! You just can’t beat the benefits of paint!
It turned out beautifully, Carrie!! Wonderful job! And thanks for the tips on salvaging a deck!
~Abby =)
Some decks are worth saving & I’m so glad to share this option to my readers! Thanks so much for stopping by Abby!
Love this! It looks so inviting and cozy.
lovely makeover! It looks so much brighter now
I love the after photos. What a great space!
I’ve been looking forward to this post ever since you hinted at it during your Tour Through Blogland. Wow, what a transformation! You did such an amazing job making your deck into a cozy place to spend time with family and friends. A nice deck is a priority for me in my next house! My parents recently expanded theirs and it is so nice when we all get together for dinner there.
This may have just looked like a deck makeover, but I really think it’s been a makeover for my family as well. Creating spaces for your family to spend time together is an awesome investment!
Looks wonderful!! 🙂 🙂
Gorgeous! You guys did a great job. Aww, I love those little toes on that color wood floor, so presh! Happy Wednesday!
This stuff looks amazing!