Waterproof vinyl decking material over living space. I really think this is the best material for going over a living space. You do have to moderately maintain this material, (basically keep it clean), and eventually replace it as it's life cycle comes to an end. I would say the typical life is 12 to 15 years for a medium grade product with a higher millage vinyl lasting 20 plus years with proper care. The railing is a powder coated aluminum with pickets. A great space to take in this water view. Photos by Doug Woodside, Decks and Patio Covers

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

Zuri® Premium Decking in Walnut.
Example of a deck design in Charleston

Wood stained using Penofin Deck Stain.
Inspiration for a craftsman deck remodel in Minneapolis

Paul Dyer
Inspiration for a large victorian master dark wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in San Francisco with gray walls and no fireplace

Deck Stripper DSI removes deteriorated semi-transparent oil-based stains and sealers. Deck Stripper DSI will also remove damaged and discolored wood fiber from all exterior wood surfaces including decks, wood siding and log homes. Deck Stripper DSI restores wood to its natural color and prepare surface for re-coating. Features & Benefits: Water-based formula Quickly removes semi-transparent stains and sealers, gray weathered wood, water stains, mold, mildew and tannin bleeding Safe for use around surrounding vegetation if pre-wetted prior to application Restores the natural beauty of wood Down Stream Injectable Up To 5:1 Biodegradable Water rinse clean up Easy to use Available in 5 gallon size with concentrated formula Typical Uses: Deck Stripper DSI has been proven to effectively remove semi-transparent stains and solid colours as well as gray weathered wood, mold, mildew, tannin bleeding and water stains. The water-based formula will not harm surrounding vegetation (if pre-wetted) and is easily cleaned up. For Use On Exterior Wood Surfaces: Wood Decks Fences Railings Siding Log homes Cedar shakes Gazebos Application: Apply liberally using down stream injector mixed up to 5:1 with water. Wait approximately 5 to 45 minutes for Deck Stripper DSI to soften the coating. The coating should easily rinse off when ready. Rinse in direction of wood grain with a garden hose or pressure washer at low setting (500-1200 PSI) to reduce scrubbing. Coverage 50 to 150 sq.ft. per US gallon Deck Stripper DSI will strip most semi-transparent oil based wood-stains. Wood rich in tannin may darken during restoration. Apply Deck Brightening Agent DSI after final rinse of Deck Stripper DSI. Deck Stripper DSI can be purchased & shipped via UPS Ground to all 48 U.S. States except Alaska & Hawaii at: www.surfacerestoration.com/shop

Railings Typical deck
Example of a mid-sized exterior home design in New York

Each outdoor room of this El Cerrito Mid Century Modern backyard deck, from the outdoor kitchen, to the dining area, to lounge area, maximize the views of the bay. This couple were very excited about and involved in designing the look and feel of their outdoor living space. For instance, instead of the typical deck redwood flooring, we were able to accommodate their desire to have a flagstone floor built on a redwood frame, which was more in keeping with their Mid Century Modern style. The husband was a gourmet chef and particularly enjoyed the design of his specialty outdoor kitchen.

The marked tone differences are a typical feature that once installed give it a pleasant natural effect. Due to UV rays exposure, throughout time Ipe wood will tend to take on a greysh shade, as happens with any other essence. Should this not be desired, the original colour can be restored by using specific oils one or two times per year.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

Beautiful deck in Oakdale, MN this had a number of extras like lights, post wraps, and double tiered fascia, but this ultimately is our typical deck build using PVC white trim. This project is complete with a video on our website, where it also shows the lighting at night.

Step #1 Apply BM CLEAN As you can see in the 'Before' picture above, this cedar deck was extremly dirty. This required an extra step in comparison to the typical deck stripping process. My paint rep at Benjamin Moore recommended a product called CLEAN. It comes in one gallon plastic containers and can be applied out of a plastic pail or with a garden sprayer. We used a Garden sprayer and chose a flat tip for application. The three gallon garden sprayer was filled with 2 gallons of water and one gallon of the CLEAN solution. This is a strong mixture and can be reduced to up to 6 parts water and one part of the Benjamin Moore CLEAN. This approximately 22x20 deck had a board running perpindicular to the rest of the floor boards which divided it into 2 equal parts. Our method was to apply the solution to 3-4 of these 10' boards at a time. Allow it to set up for a few minutes and then scrub away with the deck brush. The agitation loosens up the dirt and grime and is then removed with a pressure washer a board a time. The flat tip on the pressure washer was almost the same width as the floor board. It is important to clean the sides of the board too because any remaining dirt or stain will be visible. Benjamin Moore Deck Restoration products named Clean,Restore,brighten Step #2 Apply BM RESTORE The second step is exactly the same as the first step but with a different solution called Benjamin Moore RESTORE. The deck was dry before we started the 2nd step becuase it was baking hot outside. You use the same 2/1 mixture of water to chemical. This chemical will remove the stain still present in the deck floor. Make sure to rinse the garden sprayer clean before adding the restore solution. Unlike the BM CLEAN, the BM RESTORE has an orange-ish color in appearance. It did a fine job of removing most of the stain, but not 100% of it. There were a few areas that required a 3rd coat of restore but the process was quicker. Step #3 Apply BM BRIGHTEN The third step is exactly the same as the first two step but the chemical solution used was Benjamin Moore 'BRIGHTEN'. Again, the garden sprayer was cleaned and filled with 2 parts water and one part Brighten. The brightener not only lightens the wood but it also neutralizes the previous stripper solution. As stated before the Restore adds a bit of color and the Brighten will remove any traces of it. you still have to agitate the brightener with a scrub brush and either pressure wash it off or use a garden hose. We used the pressure washer for faster results. After it dries the wood look a lot brighter but we still found some spots of stain that had not come off. Apply Sikkens Stain As stated above the stain we used is called "Sikkens Proluxe" which is basically just a slight re-branding of the classic Sikkens Stain. The formula is exactly the same. In fact, the secondary name is still called 'Cetol' SRD RE. The color chosen was "CEDAR". The weather was quite hot for a typical Calgary Spring day so we stained a 10' section of floor board at a time. The deck has a metal railing so the supporting feet had to be brushed in with a 2.5" natural bristle paint brush. for the rest of the job a 6" Wooster natural bristle deck brush was used. The handle was remove and a broom handle was inserted. The stain was stirred frequently and poured into a plastic Simms brand roller pan. Semi transparent Oil based stain has the consistency of water so you need to be careful not to spill any of it. When applying to a board you hit the sides first with the brush and then fillin the rest. Ten feet of floor board can be stain in a short period of time. it's important not to leave any streaks so it is adviseable to back-brush the entie length before moving on to the next board. The staining only took about 2.5 hours to complete. One coat is the manufacturers recommendation. One last thing about Sikkens Stain. To maintain this beautiful look the deck should be re- coated once a year, preferably every spring. It's like applying sunscreen yearly to protect the wood against further damage. Two gallons was enough to cover this 450 sq foot deck.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

This project was all about resurfacing an existing deck, which provides a significant amount of benefits, including: - Enhanced Aesthetics: A deck resurfacing project can transform the appearance of the deck, giving it a fresh and modern look that can significantly improve the curb appeal of the entire home. - Cost Savings: Resurfacing is often more cost-effective than completely rebuilding a deck. It allows homeowners to achieve a like-new appearance without the expense of a full replacement. - Increased Durability: New materials used in resurfacing are designed to be more resistant to wear, fading, and the elements, resulting in a longer lifespan for the deck. - Improved Safety: Addressing structural issues during the resurfacing process ensures the deck's safety and stability, reducing the risk of accidents. - Less Disruption: Compared to a full deck replacement, resurfacing typically involves less disruption to the homeowner's daily routine, as it's a faster and less invasive process. - Customization: Homeowners can choose from a wide range of materials, colors, and finishes to match their design preferences and complement their home's style. - Environmentally Friendly: Resurfacing reduces the amount of old material that needs to be disposed of, making it a more environmentally conscious option. By undertaking a deck resurfacing project, homeowners can rejuvenate their outdoor space, enjoy a beautiful and functional deck for years to come and increase the overall value of their property.

Photography: Nanne Springer
Danish deck photo in Toronto with no cover

Trendy backyard deck photo in Napier-Hastings with a roof extension