Back Deck Makeover – Part One – Repair & Resurrection
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Over the years my back deck started looking very sad with peeling paint. With the cost of lumber and building these days, ripping down the deck and doing a total rebuild were out of the question. So I decided to do it in stages, like I did with my kitchen. The deck floorboards were a priority. Next would be the privacy wall and finally modifying the railings. Did I mention I also wanted to have the exterior of my house painted? (Fortunately I had my hubby and sons to help.)
Starting point...
The previous year the old screen door and back door were replaced with a steel door that had a window screen in. The piece of board and batten that was rotten at the bottom was also replaced. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to get the house painted.
Addressing the issues...
Beside the peeling paint and a few rotten boards, there was a leak in the mudroom that it had been built over. There was actually a steel roof on that section so I think it just needed a nail re-caulked. We found a bird nest in there too. To make it more waterproof, channel strips were attached to the joists on an angle away from the house. Foam insulation strips were cut to fit in between the joists and then all the edges were caulked.
Back deck makeover Stages...
Back Deck Makeover Demo...
Removing the old deck boards wasn’t as easy or straight forward as it should have been. Not only were some of the screws covered with paint, but every board had been caulked with silicone. (Drills and pry bars had to be used.) Plus it gets very hot back there, so my hubby didn’t want to work on it then. The privacy wall and railings were only partially removed until hubby was ready to work on them.
A few boards at a time...
Progress continues...
Privacy wall and railings...
Back Deck Makeover...Stairs...
Initially I was just going to refinish the stairs. After reassessing them I decided it would be best to just make new ones, change the angle at the top and have them secured properly with two posts in concrete. (I hired my contractor to do this.)
Railings & Finishing Details...
The much awaited railings finally got finished on the stairs. I had to buy different connectors for the stair rails because the ones I bought last year were the wrong ones. 😞And then the solar post cap lights were secured. Last year I bought two boxes of four, but I decided to get a couple more so I could do my guest suite back deck too. I will probably stain it at some point, but it will depend on the weather when I can get to it.
You can watch the video below...
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