Swabbing the Deck

We love our new house. But there is a ton of work to be done! We started our first home improvement project with the area that needed the most work--the deck. Jamie and I are sort of novices when it comes to deck care.

I actually remember thinking to myself, "Sealing the deck will be a breeze! I could totally get it done by myself during the kids nap." Sure. Little did I know that when your deck is growing fungus there are a few additional steps.

Home Depot's motto should be, "You can do it, and we'll laugh hysterically while watching your struggle." Certainly the sales guy gave us a few helpful hints, but failed to mention that to remove fungus from your deck you have to (1) apply a horribly caustic chemical in several coats then (2) scrub each board by hand with bristle brush.

Jamie worked in the yard this morning while I prepped the deck. The combination of the chemical smell, heat and hard work gave him a horrible migraine. He was in no way shirking his duties. I promise. But, that still meant I had to do the majority of the work by myself.

Before.

After.

The good news is that all my hard work paid off! The fungus is mostly gone (it can never be completely gone...it's the nature of the beast). It also helped brighten the wood, so that it doesn't look so gray.

The bad news is that I didn't do any sealing today. It will just have to wait for another day.