Painting decks make them look new again and here are step by step instructions on how to refinish a covered deck. First we clean everything and then we start with the roof and work our way down.

1. Remove everything from the deck.
2. Clean every surface of the deck with soap and water to determine just how bad the deck is. This includes the ceiling, railing, siding and deck floor.
3. Repair anything that cannot be cleaned.
4. Sand all the surfaces to get rid of anything that is not smooth.
5. Wash everything with Tri-sodium-phosphate (TSP). This will get rid of any grease and dirt that will keep the paint from sticking.
6. Pressure wash everything again using low pressure on the wood surfaces; and
7. Let everything dry.

We have a metal roof. It has seven sections. It was fading from the sun and the elements. It also had a few leaks at the seams so this is what we did.

1. Just on the seams, we used a gallon of Kool Seal Seam Sealer designed for mobile home roofs that remains flexible with seasonal changes.
2. Then 5 gallons of Kool Seal White Roof Coating was applied to the whole roof. We used 3 gallons one day and the remaining 2 gallons of sealer the next day. It was rolled in a cross pattern direction.

1. Cover the floor with plastic to keep any spills from getting on the deck floor.

SAFETY NOTE: Remember the plastic can be slippery, SO BE CAREFUL.

2. Next as you already have cleaned and sanded the posts and railing, painting decks continues as you are ready to paint. We painted ours with a paint brush.

1. We cleaned up the lights that hung along the outside of the ceiling. They had become dark brown with sunlight (UV) deterioration. We strung them between two step ladders in the back yard. The globes and light bulbs were removed and the sockets covered with masking tape. We sprayed the wiring and the plastic light fixtures with white paint. Now they look like new again. We did not remove the hangers holding them up on the deck so since they were still in place, re-installation was quick and easy.
2. Then some plastic crown molding was added around the chimney to hide the support brackets and just to make it look nicer.

   The cutting and fitting was a little tricky as the molding had to fit into the space between the vinyl end caps. I recommend buying some extra cheap wood molding to test fit the pieces before cutting the plastic. The final attachment was really easy as all I did was glue the plastic pieces to the aluminum roof and the vinyl siding.

3. Next, caulk the seams and paint everything gloss white to match the ceiling finish.
4. The grey siding was showing it’s age so a quick coat of grey paint freshened it up.
5. Finally, a new and larger patio table and chairs finished this project.

To Painting Ceiling

To Stripping and Painting Floor Boards

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