Our Deck Makeover Project
Our Deck Makeover project is finally complete and I am thrilled to be able to share it with you! The before and after pictures tell the real story!
Most outdoor room projects are made up of several or many small projects and this one is no exception.
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Nature set the mood on an overcast afternoon and I added the finishing touches with some pretty placemats, dishes, pillows, flowers and succulents. My hubby and I took time to sit down and enjoy our deck makeover and reminisce the last seventeen years we lived in this home. We have loved it here and are looking forward to our next chapter in the new home.
We own a little over 2 1/2 acres in a country setting with lots of trees. The back yard is very private surrounded by Oaks and Pines inside and outside of the fence. The fence was added back in 2001 for the purpose of keeping our dogs home. They love the country setting too!
My husband designed and built the deck back in 2012 which is about a year before I started this blog. I do have some pictures from the project and plan to share it soon.
The above photo taken in 2014 is my before picture of the makeover. That is squirrel chaser extraordinaire Phoebe Lee basking in the sun. She lives in doggie Heaven now but she is one reason the fence was so necessary!
We began the project by removing everything and giving all the wood a good pressure washing.
Painting the table and chair set has been on my radar for a long time! My parents purchased this set many years ago and I treasure owning it as a memory of the many summer cook-outs and July 4th celebrations we shared at their home.
The color I selected for the paint makeover is Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze! It has a little shimmer and is really gorgeous on pretty much anything! I also used it on this Two Tier Tray project.
Being weekend warriors is no joke people, especially when the two of you decided to stain a large deck!
The deck staining project took us about three days which included one entire weekend as well as the next Saturday to complete. We completed the project using brushes after realizing we didn’t like the look we were getting with a roller or a mop. Just a friendly FYI, the roller and mop also used way too much stain which isn’t particularly cheap!
Another treasured item from my parents home is this old flower container. It is rather large and my Dad sometimes would grow a tomato plant in it and some years he would plant flowers. He never purchased potting soil though and it still had dirt from their yard including a little bit of Georgia red clay in it!
I dumped all of the dirt into a wheelbarrow so that I could put it back after the paint was dry. You can call me sentimental because yep, I even kept the old dirt!
Because our home was going on the market, I only planted about four containers on the deck for the less is more look. There is no way I could survive without beautiful summer flowers plus you want to add some color to outdoor spaces when your home is on the market.
I purposely sought orange and purple flowers to match the color scheme of the decor. The flowers used include Mexican Heather, Orange Portulaca, multi-color Portulaca and Marigolds. There are also a couple of succulents in the center of the table.
See my list of 15 Best Annual Flowers for Full Sun
My Solar Floor Lamp, a thrift upcycle project is now the center of the table rather than the old umbrella. Wasp like to build nests inside the umbrella so it had to go.
If you have been here before, you probably know that I like whimsical decor outside. The Solar Floor Lamp became my inspiration for the deck makeover decor. I was able to use the blue, purple and green throughout.
If you never learn to sew anything else, you may like to learn to make your own pillow slipcovers! Pillow slipcovers are a cheap and quick way to change your decor. I made these using this tutorial with fabric I just happened to already have!
Thankfully all of the pressure washing, painting, staining, planting and decorating projects have been completed and we can enjoy our outdoor space for a few more weeks before moving day arrives!
Deck Makeover Project List
Remove everything from the deckPressure washStainPaint table and chairs setPaint flower containersPlant colorful annual flowersSew envelope pillow coversAdd touches of decor
Visit our Americana Front Porch Makeover project to see the red white and blue details which brought the look together. Yes, both projects were completed this spring. Clearly we are bonafide weekend warriors! I wonder what projects we will come up with for the new house!
We party with these blogs!
Little touches make a huge difference. It looks inviting now. How long did it take to sell your home?
Your deck looks fantastic – like the perfect place to kick back with a cold drink 🙂 We recently re-stained our deck and it’s amazing the difference it made!
It definitely looks like it took plenty of hard work, but the results are worth it. It looks great!
Orange and purple is a really unique colour choice and it works really well on your deck. I love what you did with it. Having a house on the market is so much work, good luck with the house sale.
Your deck makeover looks great, Shirley. I love the color choices. I think it’s amazing that you still have some dirt and Georgia red clay that your father used for his tomato plants. I don’t blame you for holding onto it! Thanks for partying with us. Pinning to my outdoor board.
Shirley, your deck refresh is great. Thanks for the tips. It is always a little sad to leave a place that holds so many memories, but exciting new ones await and I’m looking forward to following along. Thanks for sharing with us today!
Thanks Laurie. There are definitely mixed emotions but we are excited about the new home!
Super cute makeover for the summer! Love that you added color, its always the easier most cost affective way to any makeover
Love it! Turned out great. We have a beagle too 🙂
What a beautiful makeover. I love those cushions so much and I’m so glad you didn’t change your rails because they are my favorite feature of your entire deck. Enjoy the summer in your lovely new space.
Thank you Cathy! My husband picked out those pretty black metal rails, I think they are called balusters. It’s our favorite part too!
Everything looks lovely! I can’t wait to see how quick your house sells with all the things you’re doing around there!
Thanks Kristen! Our house sold in the first week it was on the market! Eeekk!! The packing has officially began!
Shirley, you have such a beautiful space. Truely lovely! I am dreading having to stain my deck soon but it is no where the size of yours. Thanks for the brush tip. Its so sweet that you are able to have pieces that spark memories. That certainly makes it a home!
Thank you Mary! We stained the deck in the spring before the heat of the summer and even then we started early in the day and quit when it got too hot. I can’t wait to see yours at your new home!!
Your deck looks great. I love the pillow slipcovers. They’re super cute
I love your color choices! Pops of bright turquoise always make me think of pool parties, cookouts and badminton (we had turquoise rackets when I was little lol)