Thursday, September 26, 2013

Taking your scrapbook skills off the page and onto the floor!

Hi there---
There was a time this summer when I wasn't blogging at all.  There actually is a good reason why---I promise!  I was completing a BIG project.
 
I'm in charge of staining the deck every year, and this year, I decided I wanted to paint a faux rug on my deck.  Here's how it turned out. 
 
 
 
I originally got the idea from Pinterest.
And THIS, my friends, is where my scrapbooking skills----all that painting and inking and splattering on my scrapbook pages--- came in handy. 
 
Step #1:  Wash the deck and let it dry for a couple of days.  I just use a power washer, no chemicals.
Step #2.  Decide what pattern you want.  I bought a giant chevron stencil here. 
Step #3:  Tape off the area you want as a rug. 
Step #4, also known as what I learned:  I thought I could just lay the stencil down in the taped area and paint directly on it.  I was wrong!  This stencil is just too big and unwieldy.  Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's not that kind of stencil.  So I had to trace my design in the taped area with pencil.
Step #5:  I saved a ton of money by mixing together paints I had to achieve the color I wanted.  I didn't pay close attention to finishes or interior/exterior.
Step #6:  Paint!
Step #7:  I used a little bit of brown stain on a rag to "distress" or age it a bit.  It was just too white and perfect at first!
Step #8:  Put three coats of polyurethane over the "rug" area.  Then, when it is all dry (wait a couple of days), tape the rug area again within the boundaries of the rug, and stain the rest of your deck.
 
It was a big job.  I was really hot.  But I love the result.  And it was cheap---because I used paint I already had, I think it was about $40 for the stencil.  Not bad at all!  Next summer, I will let you know how it weathered!
 
Thanks for stopping by today :)

8 comments:

  1. Oh my.. what a lot of work. It is wonderful; dresses up a deck for sure. Congrats on achieving that.

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  2. Wow wow wowwwwwwwwwwww! This is just WOW!!!!

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  3. What a fantastic way to jazz up your deck!! It looks awesome!!

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  4. All I can say is WOW! Your deck looks AMAZING and your are so very creative! I love it!!!!! Thanks for sharing this idea with us!

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  6. Wow! This is fantastic! It must feel great to spend time relaxing on your deck knowing that you made it a work of art!

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