Shopsmith Forums

Having my Powerpro out for what seems like a long repair, I've been putting the time to some use trying to square away this deck/3 season room. Turns out it is a lot of stuff I wanted to do.

Here is where the contractor left off-on my request-they didnt complete the lattice work as I figured I could complete myself-given an example (which I had them do).
First-after a good rain, I realized the open section of deck was dumping a lot of water underneath next to the house and on my ac units :/ So I found a nice/reasonably cheap water capture idea online and followed it. I attached some wavy plastic panels to support and graded it properly to an underdeck gutter, finally connecting into the existing downspout.

If you look close-you can see that pressure treated 2x4x10 is suspended in place by some twine-have to get inventive when working alone
Its been dry as a bone underneath since the install was completed.
With that done-I went on to finish the cross-hatch work.
And finally-working on staining and finishing the floor inside.
I just did a 220 grit pass over the first layer of poly and will finish up with a 2nd poly and sand today (hopefully).

At this point, I have to switch to geology and build a stone walkway from the bottom of the stairs around to my shop door Trying to go fast as I am running out of semi-cool days here...starting to see 80+F by the end of the week.

hope you are all staying safe out there !

b

nice job!!

That is truly striking. My wife has been wanting to convert our backyard deck into a screened porch for a long long time. Something to do with mosquito bites ...

Almost done with the paver walkway now.

We've gotten pretty far along this spring with the lockdown. Still waiting my powerpro to return from repair.


b

Looks great! For the deck exterior will you paint it or keep it natural?

Its all pressure treated-I don't mind the natural color..but the wife is getting quotes for staining

Will staining preserve pressure treated lumber better than no stain ? That would decide it for me rather than curb appeal.

b

I am no expert on finishing, but I think staining or applying a water sealer will prolong the life of it. Also, it serves to reduce the amount of surface cracks and checking you might have. I know some people annually apply water sealer to their pressure treated decks. How much this is really needed versus not needed though, I couldn't say. Pressure treated should last a long time with or without finish, I would think.

Here in AZ the sun is brutal on anything outside. The few wooden outdoor projects that I have done quickly develop check cracks and eventually the finish flakes off here. Items that are in full sun here probably need a re-application of finish every 3-6 months to be useful. I am still in search of a longer lasting wood finish for the AZ heat. I know paint would be better here, but I prefer a more natural wood finish.