# Looking to paint exterior deck



## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

I am looking to paint my covered exterior deck. It already has a coat of paint that is beginning to chip. The deck is in good shape. 

I went to sherwin williams and they have 2 products:

Porch and floor enamel
Or
Superdeck boat and dock elastomeric

Which one?


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Probably the Porch & Floor, depends what's on there now. If its 'chipping' that likely means oil base, water base products are more likely to peel rather than chip. If it is oil your going over, an oil product will bond easier. 

More info would help, maybe a pic


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Since it's a covered area, I would recommend the Porch and Floor Enamel. The Elastomeric would be overkill in my opinion and much more costly. P & F is good stuff.


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

Is the Superdeck stuff fine though? Meaning, it's not a bad product?


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

mi26 said:


> Is the Superdeck stuff fine though? Meaning, it's not a bad product?



I have used it once with success (so far). Its more made for old, dried up old decks that need heavy film build to look solid. Its not ideal for application over existing solid coatings. 

If the existing coating is an oil floor enamel, the Deck & Dock wouldn't be appropriate unless it was mostly worn away or stripped.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I have NOT used the product but another local painting contractor recently did:

Here's a BEFORE:


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

And here's an AFTER:


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

Thanks everyone. 

Im mainly just wondering if both will work?? SW is having a 40 percent off sale so price isnt a big seal. 

Seems like most are saying porch and floor will hold better on top of some existing paint


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

If you can post a pic, it sure helps us diagnose what's going on a little bit better.


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

Below is the picture of the deck. As I said previously it's not in bad shape. The previous owner used Behr Porch and Floor paint. We had a pretty rough winter and it's starting to chip in certain spots so I want to just re-paint it. Like I said, SW is having a 40% off sale and I know they have better quality paints. So I went there and they recommended "Deckover" it's a new product they sale, but do not make. It's made by a company they bought. However, it seems people still like the porch and floor paint. 

Also, most of the deck is covered except for the permiter which still gets some sunlight/rain. 

I just don't want to have any problems in the future. 

Thanks again for help.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Hopefully that's most of the scraping you have to do right there. Once you start scraping, a lot more is going to come off.

Thankfully your deck is mostly undercover. I say thankfully because the previous owners did you no favors by using such a poor selection for paint in Behr. Get off as much paint as you can, perhaps do some light to medium sanding, clean off the dust and repaint. I WOULD NOT use a Deckover product. Failure rates for those are high also and redoing it in the future is next to impossible.

As for issues in the future, you can count on 'em. Decks are notorious for maintenance issues. Even the very best of products begins to fail in 2 or 3 years. Also, painting is really a poor choice for a deck. Stain is much better for horizontal surfaces, but, in your case, since it's already painted, and, I assume you don't want to strip it completely bare, repainting with SW porch and floor is your best option.


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## mi26 (Apr 23, 2013)

2 coats?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Gymschu said:


> Decks are notorious for maintenance issues. Even the very best of products begins to fail in 2 or 3 years. Also, painting is really a poor choice for a deck. Stain is much better for horizontal surfaces


Specifically, penetrating oil stain, not film forming acrylic stain.

By the way, how does this Super Deck compare to other new deck "paints" on the market, such as Restore, Deckover, and Rescue It?


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

jeffnc said:


> Specifically, penetrating oil stain, not film forming acrylic stain.
> 
> By the way, how does this Super Deck compare to other new deck "paints" on the market, such as Restore, Deckover, and Rescue It?



Its most similar to Deckover. Smooth consistency, similar footage. You can add walnut shells for texture.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

mi26 said:


> 2 coats?


Always 2 coats when painting.:yes:


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## carol.dire (Oct 11, 2014)

I used Benjamin Moore and exterior flat paint on my deck. I want to put a clear coat over the top maybe polycrylic clear gloss? Anyone know


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

carol.dire said:


> I used Benjamin Moore and exterior flat paint on my deck. I want to put a clear coat over the top maybe polycrylic clear gloss? Anyone know



The only thing I know of that I would even remotely recommend for that would be the Arborcoat clear maintenance coating. 

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/Downlo..._US&np=productcatalog_datasheets/tds/TDS_0636

It's not made to go over flat paint, but flat paint isn't really made to go on a deck either. I'm assuming you mean flat house paint? 

Please let us know how this turns out, I'm curious.


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## Will22 (Feb 1, 2011)

The flat exterior paint is the wrong product to put on a horizontal wood deck, as it will not hold up to foot traffic or moisture penetrating from below. An application of a clear coating over it will not extend the life of it.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Will22 said:


> The flat exterior paint is the wrong product to put on a horizontal wood deck, as it will not hold up to foot traffic or moisture penetrating from below. An application of a clear coating over it will not extend the life of it.



Your probably right. But who knows, it might do ok for a while. Stranger things have happened. 

The "correct" procedure at this point would be to remove the paint and apply a deck stain, solid or otherwise. Adding clear coat at this point could improve the chances of the paint lasting a while IMO, but it will only make it harder if and when you do have to strip it.


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## southernboy (Sep 30, 2014)

How can one tell if the old paint is oil-based or not?


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## southernboy (Sep 30, 2014)

This is what I'm facing next week in Washington DC.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

southernboy said:


> This is what I'm facing next week in Washington DC.



That sure looks like failing oil to me the way it's cracking. Can't say for sure from a pic though. A common test is to rub it with a rag dampened with denatured alcohol. If the paint softens its water base if not its oil.


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## southernboy (Sep 30, 2014)

Wow. That's great info. Thanks Jmayspaint. I'll look real smart when I explain to my customer how I determined the kind of paint last used.


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## southernboy (Sep 30, 2014)

How would you handle these cracks in the columns? Is caulk ok or do I need something else?


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