Deck Makeover ~ Mermaid Style?
3 Materials
$40
48 Hours
Easy
I was feeling my backyard needed some umph. Maybe I had been staring at all the same plants for far too long and tiring of pruning. No, I'm not getting rid of any of my plants! But needed something new, maybe even fun and whimsical to find around the paths.
I started this project early last Fall and am happy to say I did finish it before winter! I always think I can finish things much faster in my mind than I really can - real life always takes priority over projects. So delays are inevitable.
The deck makeover is the first of the many ideas i had swirling around in my mind for my backyard. Probably because it is the first thing when stepping out the back door.
My imagination is still progressing through the yard, a little slower than I would like, but it is moving forward. 
Old stained, worn 24 yr. old BROWN deck
Tired of looking at my boring deck, I swept and washed it.
At the time everyone was talking Unicorns....they still are.
I lean toward more softer pastel colors...like Mermaids.
My own Mermaid colored ocean right out my back door.
I rounded up some supplies
Being on a tight budget I gathered all the leftover paint from other projects, yard sales, left from moving neighbors, hand-me-downs, etc. - even some old craft paint.
I think by now if anyone has anything to get rid of they know where they can take it! LOL
Some paints I mixed to make the "mermaid" colors I wanted,
some were perfect as they were.
A section at a time
I painted on a couple of colors on a few boards, then went over the same boards with just a squiggle of a different color.
I then dipped a clean brush into a pail of water and used it to blend the colors together.
This kind of thinned the paint so you could see the grain of the wood come through in some spots.
Cool!
I ad libbed as I went
I alternated the base colors and top colors throughout.
Sometimes I squirted just the craft paint hear and there and
used the "water brush'' to blend.
I'm liking what I'm seeing!
I wish I could have done larger sections at a time,
but fit in when time and body allowed. LOL
Mermaid Colors :-)
I am in love with the way it turned out ♥
For not knowing what I was doing,
I have to say it turned out pretty darn good!
I love the way it coordinates with
Most people could probably knock this out in a weekend.
Best of all ~
cost $0.00
and cleared out lots of old paint cans!
You can find the blog post here for more info.
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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4 of 86 comments
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I am trying this, I love the way yours looks!! I will probably be like you and take a long time to finish it. :-) I have lots of left over paint.
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YAY! Have fun and just take your time. My body and real life dictated how much and how fast I could go! LOL
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Your deck turned out amazing!! I love it!
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Thank you so much!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Wouldn't this show a lot of dirt and spills, and fade fairly quickly?
What was your paint ?. Latex enamel ?
How could u do this with huge cement porch?