I painted my deck, the paint is peeling, what can I do?

DONNA ACKERMAN
by DONNA ACKERMAN
I painted my deck with deck paint. It did not last long and is already chipping and peeling.
Any ideas on what I can do to spruce it up, short of a new deck?
  5 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jan 29, 2016
    Due to the cold temperatures at this time, the only thing that may work for you for now is to power wash off the paint. It would at least look better then peeling paint.What brand of deck paint did you apply and when was the deck painted?
  • MN Mom MN Mom on Jan 29, 2016
    Hi Donna You should try pressure washing the deck in the spring when it's warmer. If the composition of the deck is decent, you should be able to reapply a paint especially designed for outdoor decking. Double check with the manufacturer as to the correct conditions and temperature that are recommended as optimal for your project.
  • You will have to scrape the peeling paint. There is no way around that. Be careful on power washing because if you are using high pressure you could cause your deck more damage. Pressure washing which is actually high volume of water and low pressure will clean your deck. I used to think pressure washing was the way to go until I literally removed the paint off my deck. So now I hire a pro to pressure wash my house and deck (which I am avid DIYer). I do not know what kind of paint you used but I really love the Behr Deck Over and have been pleased with the results so far. Soon I will be painting my deck with it and give it the test of how good it is. So far it has held up on my front rails and cats that climb and scratch it. Good luck
  • DONNA ACKERMAN DONNA ACKERMAN on Jan 29, 2016
    Thank you so much for your input!
  • Debi53 Debi53 on Jan 29, 2016
    If you do get all the paint removed or for future projects, I recommend using stain instead of paint. Stain penetrates the wood while paint sits on top. Stain will fade over time, but does not flake off. You can get solid stain which looks like paint or semi-transparent which allows the woodgrain to show through.