Painting a deck

I am going to repaint an outdoor deck. Do I need any special kind of paint for a surface that people walk over? I had planned to just scrape it, then put down a coat of Zinzer 123 primer, then a coat of exterior latex, but am not sure if that will work for foot traffic.

Reply to
tomcarr1
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if it was never painted in the past and is outdoor treated wood DONT PAINT IT STAIN IT!!!

Reply to
hallerb

Latex paint won't hold up well on a deck. Are you sure it is not a solid stain on it now?

Stains do not need a primer and there are some formulated just for decks.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

OT - decks suck, patios rule. I never have to do dick to my patio.

Reply to
roger61611

If it has never been painted- just stained or oiled- I'd pressure wash it first, then apply one or two coats of pigmented deck stain.

If it's been painted before, you should probably take it down to bare wood (floor sander?) and then follow your instinct with the primer. I'd personally use an oil-based topcoat for porches, but then I'm old fashioned.

Mark

Reply to
Mark and Gloria Hagwood

True, but it is not easy getting the patio 8' up in the air.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I wish it had never been painted but it had already been painted (white), when I bought the house. It is a small deck, just a little landing maybe 3'x6' at the back door. I will probably tear it down and replace it in a few years, but the paint is coming off it now and I want to make sure it doesn't rot before I get around to replacing it.

I don't like oil based paints. Is there any non oil based paint anyone could recommend?

Reply to
tomcarr1

for just a few years it doesnt matter what paint you use, personally I have had great luck with behr the home depot brand

Reply to
hallerb

Should take more than just a few years to rot away so save the paint money. Start planning on a new deck of mahogany or ipe that will last 50+ years.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Paint may peel. Use a good-quality stain such as Cabot Decking stain. It has several colors. The decking stain, unlike paint, sinks into the wood and lasts much longer. I used the color "driftwood" and it really does look like driftwood, especially after a couple years.

Reply to
Phisherman

Driftwood, as in "gray" ?

This is what naturally happens to your deck in a few years if you don't protect it from sunlight. The "driftwood" gray color is the result of sun damage.

Sounds like what's happening is that your deck is being attacked by the sun and turning gray because the stain you're using doesn't have sufficient UV blockers.

Reply to
Ether Jones

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