Painting the Back Porch
Have you been enjoying the summer? I can't believe it's July already! Time to get the back porch painted. Last we left it, it was looking like this:
We finished putting in the last x-brace and moved onto the prep work before painting: removing all the furnishings, cleaning the deck using the air compressor and a broom, filling in holes, and sanding down a few flaky bits of the old stain. We also taped off the brick wall and hung drop sheets off the sides of the deck so the overspray wouldn't get onto our neighbours' gardens and property.
So how were we going to paint this deck?? For the majority of our big paint projects, we've used a spray gun connected to our air compressor. It's how we painted the living room hutch and buffet and most of the baseboards and trims in our house. It does a great job but it's very noisy, the canister is heavy, and the spray gun can be finicky and gets clogged often. I've been researching options and was thinking of buying this spray gun which I've heard great things about.
The Flexio 890 comes in its own carrying case which houses the turbine, a flexible 11.5' air hose, and two different sized nozzles. It is really easy to assemble and has so many features: broad vs narrow spray; light vs heavy volume of paint; low vs high air power. I'll cut to the chase: I love this sprayer.
It was so easy to use and we got the hang of it in no time. I was most impressed by how lightweight it was. Usually, I find the metal canister of our spray gun & compressor too heavy and I never fill it all the way but this system was easy to use and hold even when full. I liked the versatility of the sprayer too and it managed to spray both the narrow gaps and wide boards with ease. We went through three gallons of paint (we didn't even thin it) and the sprayer didn't clog, drip, or run at all - that's pretty unheard of for any kind of paint sprayer!
The paint we used was PARA Paint's TimberCare line in Whitewash White. It's the same white we used in the basement and I find it to be a nice pure white, not too cool nor too creamy. I know some people are wary of putting anything other than a clear stain on their decks and porches but I think if you use the right paint product for the right conditions, then it should last a long time. The TimberCare product is a hybrid stain and clean up was very easy just using water. I love the coverage of PARA Paints and after just one coat, the deck was looking like this:
Sweet! It has lightened up this side of the house and even the dining room (on the other side of that window) feels brighter. We still have quite a bit more painting left to do (the stair treads and porch floor will be different colour) but we're on our way to having that beachy deck we always dreamed of. Now I want to paint everything in sight, ha!
Tell me, have you tried a paint sprayer? What kind do you use?
Disclosure: This project was made possible through the support of PARA Paint and the sprayer provided by Wagner SprayTech. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
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