(**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.