Deck Almost Done

Almost two months ago, Builder John and his men completed the construction of our wooden slatted garden deck. It was still a pretty wet time of the year, enjoying the early Spring showers, so I took the advice of experts and did not apply any paint to the soaked timbers.

Last weekend, during a break in fence construction, I grabbed an afternoon of warm sunshine to scrub the mud and grime off the front third of the deck and to apply the first coat of deck paint.

 
(Above): This enlargement of the decking clearly shows the ribbed (fluted) profile. While this is excellent as a non-slip finish and can look quite attractive compared to a smooth planed surface, it has the drawback of attracting mud and grime. The removal (with difficulty) of these demons added considerably to my workload and hampered progress…

Aside – Builder John advised that decking was originally made for use with the fluted side downwards and the smooth side facing up. Most people, though, apparently prefer putting them upside-down with the “pretty” ribbed side up. It is really a matter of personal preference. Thinking about it, I reckon this “pretty” way certainly retains more dirt than the smooth alternative, but in winter, rainwater and possible slimy moss in shady parts on smooth decking could conceivably present a more probable slip hazard. Enough said, we chose the ribbed side up for the tread surfaces and the smooth side for the verticals and for the “picture frame” edging, as proposed by Builder John. 

(Above): The front part of the deck clothed in the first coat of deck paint. I will leave the steps and facing until the end, at which time I can put up a dog-barrier for the whole day.

Observant readers will argue that the colour of the deck paint does not match that of the weatherboard, being a lot more blue (‘'”purple”?) than the walls. And those observant readers would be correct…  However, it is not as a result of my dimming eyesight or inability to pass judgement on colour-matching, rather it is A Tale of Two Tins… It is the standard Redwood Timberproof supplied by paint manufacturer Taubmans. The final coat which will match the colour of the walls is Dulux Timbacryl Redwood 554.

I was thinking… If I had many helpers, I could play boatswain and sound the bell and call out “All Hands on Deck!”