Deck Makeover On A Budget

(Original Post Date: August 6, 2017)

Hello Friends! I am excited to share my deck makeover with you. This is a deck makeover on a budget!

Friends of ours were so kind and gave us their deck furniture. The set consists of a loveseat, one chair, coffee table, and a side table. It is made out of wood and it just needed a little love. I knew that I wanted to go from the reddish-brown stained wood to a whitewashed sort of distressed, beachy look.

I went to Ace Hardware (this is not a sponsored post) and asked about chalk paint. A very nice manager there helped me pick out some paint. He assured me that I would love it. He said that customers have been very happy with it. When I went to the counter to pay for my items, the cashier said that she had painted several pieces with the paint and that she was very pleased with it. I wanted to try chalk paint and I have been reading about it and watching videos on YouTube about it for a while now.

The manager told me that the person who makes the paint recommends that you clean the furniture with Greased Lighting first.  My son helped me clean the furniture. Once we cleaned and rinsed the furniture, we let it dry. It was a hot day so it didn’t take long. 

Here is a before picture of our deck furniture. We moved to our house three years ago and we got rid of a lot of the things that we had. Well, you know the quote: the best laid plans….. We planned to buy new furniture for the deck and have the deck screened in, but college tuition for two kids put a halt to those plans.

So, we just used what we had on the deck and that has worked fine. Until, my kind friends asked if we wanted their deck and patio furniture. They are actually giving me their patio table also, after they build their own table. I already have the six chairs. They are made of metal, so I will be able to clean them and wax them and they will look like new.

Once we get the table, I will wax it and then show you the makeover before and after pictures, but that is another post. ☺ Now, back to the deck furniture.

Here is a list of the materials I used:

• Amy Howard At Home One Step Paint from Ace Hardware (Color Bauhaus Buff)
• Greased Lightning Spray Cleaner
• Paint Brushes – I bought the ones that Amy Howard recommended.
• Plastic Drop Cloth

We cleaned the furniture and let it dry, and then we painted the furniture with the Amy Howard paint. We only used one coat and like the people at Ace Hardware said, a little goes a long way. I still have paint left.

I only painted one coat and I did not buy or use wax because I read that waxing outdoor furniture could cause the paint to bubble up. I do not know if that is true or not but I did not want to take any chances. I wanted the brown color of the wood to show through, so one coat is all I needed. I like the distressed look. I think it looks beachy and very pretty.

The paint not only goes a long way but it dries very fast. It did not have much of an odor either. My son and I were outside painting and sweating the first day because it was very hot and humid. The next day was cool and sunny and beautiful. We had two more pieces to paint. We got the last two pieces of furniture painted pretty quickly and we were done.

By the evening, we were able to put the cushions that we had cleaned back on the furniture. It was a cool, sunny beautiful evening and we were able to sit and enjoy the furniture. It was so nice and it totally changed the look of the deck. 

I found three beautiful lanterns at Pier One. They were on sale!

I had a hard time finding a rug. I ordered one online, which I never do, and it did not look good at all. We went to At Home and at first, we didn’t really see anything. It is the end of the season and most of their rugs were gone. We went to look at the indoor rugs and then we circled back around to the outdoor rugs again.

My son told my daughter and me to wait and he disappeared under the first shelf!! I thought what in the world is he doing?? Well, he emerged with an aquamarine rug! I could not believe it!

He later said that something told him to go under the shelves and that if someone wanted to hide something that’s where it would be.  Well, he hit the jackpot! At first, I was a little doubtful as to whether or not I wanted it because the designs were off white instead of white.

My son and daughter thought I should try it and I decided that they were right. Well, guess what?! When we got to the register, the cashier informed me that the rug was on sale for 50% off!!! I was so happy and I said “now I know I’m getting it! I will make it work!” The cashier thought I was funny. Glad I could make someone smile! ☺

We got the rug home and it looks very nice! It matches the lanterns and the rug has the same design that two of the lanterns have. The rug that I ordered online that didn’t work was $110.00. The rug that we like was on sale for $39.99. That’s my kind of deal! 

I plan to get wall art to hang up, and I also plan to try to find another chair. Next, hubby has to stain the deck again and then we hopefully will get it screened in. Even though it is not screened in, we have enjoyed it so much more with the furniture and atmosphere that we have created. It’s relaxing.

The first evening we sat outside after dinner. When it got dark, we ate ice cream sundaes and lit the lanterns. It was cool that evening and a nice breeze was blowing. It was so nice.

I’m glad that we were able to complete the makeover on a budget. That makes it all the better! 

Until next time! 

Xoxo,