# Painting a Patio Cover/Deck



## sejinro (Jul 8, 2008)

first post...

My dad built a patio cover/deck back in 2000 and it was painted white. It was first painted with a white primer then painted with white deck paint. Both primer and paint were from Sherwin-Williams.

It's been 8 years now and the patio cover/deck looks okay but definitely looks like it could use a paint job. I am looking to do it myself but wondering what steps I should do to prep it. 

Can I just re-prime and paint? Do I need to sand it first? There are cracks here and there in the wood, so do I need to fill? 

I am not sure of the wood material, I suppose I can ask my dad, but not sure if this is relevant.

Thanks!


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

No, you don't need to prime over paint.

If the paint you want to paint over is a semi-gloss or gloss, you really should sand the surface to roughen it so that the next coat sticks better.

What's most important is that you scrape off any loose paint and sand the edges to eliminate any "ridges" that might otherwise be seen between the old paint and wood.

Test to find out what kind of paint you have. Take a white tissue and wet it with acetone or nail polish remover, and clean that paint in an inconspicuous area. If it's a latex, it will dissolve readily in acetone, and the tissue will quickly take on the colour of the porch. If it's an oil based paint, acetone will dissolve it much more slowly.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Clean, sand, and paint
Fill cracks with wood filler before painting if you'd like


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