The deck was in such bad shape that we never wanted to hang out back there. Our big, beautiful backyard was one of the main reasons we purchased our home, so we knew putting time and effort into remodeling the deck was important to us.
Thank you to my friends at Rustolem for sponsoring this post. I was talking to them at a blogging conference and they told me about these products and I knew they were the perfect fit for our old, sad deck.
If you are in a similar situation, let me walk you through the process of restoring an old deck.
Materials Needed
- Power Washer (we rented ours from Home Depot)
- Deck and Patio Cleaner
- Zinsser Bulls Eye Spray Primer
- Deck Start Wood Primer
- 20X Deck Resurfacer Roller Cover
- RockSolid 20X Deck Resurfacer
Step 1: Repair any rotted or broken wood. We had to completely replace our stairs because the stringers were broken.
Step 5: Coat the deck with Deck Start Wood Primer. This product works with any solid top coat and simplifies prep work because you don’t have to strip off the old stain. This is a crucial step to promoting top coat adhesion, so don’t skip it! Also, just a funny little side note. This stuff reminded me so much of school glue. It goes on white and dries clear and it even kind of smells like school glue!
- The product must be stirred before application using a drill paddle attachment.
- Because it is so thick, the 20X requires the use of a special roller cover designed to spread just the right amount of paint onto the deck.
- Use a paintbrush to cut in edges and paint between boards first, then go over everything with the roller.
- The color between different containers can vary slightly, so if you need more than one bucket, mix them together before application to avoid problems with color variation.
- You MUST be on “drip patrol” for about 20 minutes after applying the product. Because it’s so thick, it can leave huge drips, especially along edges. Walk around with a paint brush and wipe away any drips and keep checking for more drips as the paint dries!
- 20X cleans up with soap and water, which makes life so much easier!
Comments & Reviews
BYU Hottie says
OHMYWORD!!!!! What an incredible difference!!!! It looks fantastic!!!! You worked SO hard, and it totally paid off!!!! Wow!!
jennifer@thecraftpatchblog.com says
Thank you! It WAS a lot more work than we thought it would be, but isn't every DIY project? haha.
Shirley Ross says
Love it but I would have to also have to add a pretty roof.
LizB123 says
Looks great! Did you spray your railings first before painting the floors or did you take the railings totally off and reassemble?
jennifer@thecraftpatchblog.com says
I sprayed the railings first, but didn't remove them. That would have been way too hard! Because our deck flooring paint was opaque, I didn't even tape everything off. If you are going to stain the deck, then you would definitely have to cover it well to prevent overspray.
Kerry says
It looks great! How did it hold up for the winter? We have Nebraska weather and wondering if it will hold up to the four seasons?!
Jennifer says
Overall, it held up way better than we expected. We only had two spots that peeled a little where we hadn’t put the paint on thick enough.
Marion says
I just found your blog and this article about your deck from 2 years ago. It looks wonderful and we are considering using the same products on our deck. How is it holding up now? We are wondering if the RockSolid 6x can be used on railings as you mentioned. Thanks!
Jennifer says
Marion, Our deck looked great after the first two winters, but this year it is starting to peel.
John says
So sad to hear it is peeling!!
This is their new product which replaced one called “Restore 10x”
“Restore 10x” caused so many problems that a class action law suit was started. Rustoleum settled paying out millions. Most who used it had their decks completely ruined and ultimately had to replace their entire decks as the Restore 10x product could not be removed!
I was hoping the new RockSolid 20x was not going to be prone to the same problems of the Restore 10x.
Maybe all they did was rename the old product.
In any case so sad to hear. I hope it doesn’t ruin your deck like the old Resotre 10x did to the decks of so many people and families.
Jennifer says
Actually, I think the paint has held up pretty well all things considered. The wood was so old and rotted before we painted that we thought it wouldn’t be salvagable… so the fact that the paint helped us last two more years feels like a win. I’d like to completely tear it out and rebuild it next summer if we can find the time.
Susan giesler says
We also used the deck restore by rust oleum and it totally ruined our deck! Had we known of the class action lawsuit we would have participated along, what we went thru to cover all the peeling wasn’t anything I’d ever want to go thru again! Our deck is 28×24 and it was absolutely a nightmare! nightmare!
Nick says
The transformation was like magic, it’s so beautiful! I jealous of you Jennifer, I hope I can renovate our walking deck as well. Anyways congrats on your new deck!
Rebecca says
What did you use for the white on the railings? Just white paint? Thanks!
Jennifer says
Yes, white exterior paint.
BRIAN RILEY says
Hi Jennifer! I’m just curious if you’ve had any experience with dogs running around on your deck. We JUST finished ours about 4 days ago with the 20X stuff and I’m trying to decide how long to wait before I allow our 2 60 lb hounds to run across it. Worried their nails might chew it up. Any advice?
Jennifer says
Most paint takes 30 days to fully cure. I don’t have a dog, so I can’t say from experience.
Jen says
Did you use the 20x on the side panels and stair stringers or did you have to get a 6x or similar for those surfaces?
Jennifer says
No… we used regular exterior paint because I wanted to spray it with my paint sprayer. It made the job SO much quicker!
Eric Barndt says
I’m getting ready to do my deck, next to a pool. Our deck is in good condition so you think we should get more life from the 20x? I am putting all the boards good side up. Powerwashing and have the primer too. Would you use this again?
Jennifer says
If your deck is still in good condition, I would use regular stain instead. Now that the deck has been through a few winters, the paint is starting to peel.
Lexi says
What color paints did you use?
Jennifer says
The name of the color is Brownstone.
SHEP says
Thanks for your detailed rundown of your project and especially the preparation for applying the Rocksolid 20X product.Were the original deck boards of pressure treated lumber?
So, after almost 5 years on your deck surface, can you please give us an idea of how well: 1. the color held up and 2. the severity of peeling. Have you had to recoat any portions of your deck?
Jennifer says
The paint has not held up well. It’s peeling like crazy and needs to be redone. Now that I’ve seen how it weathers over time and how much time it took to use this type of product, I don’t think I’d recommend it. I’m glad you commented! I’ve been meaning to add an update.