"There is no such thing as a bad color, only bad color combinations."
No? Okay, maybe it’s just me. And (woe is me … this is the cross I bear) I get that feeling A LOT. Often in my own home. But there was one thing that particularly bothered me – and my dad … the pool deck.
“It is just so ugly,” he said.
For some reason, I thought this would be a quick, easy project. A cinch! We could practically give the kids some rollers and stain and it would take care of itself! Oh brother … was I ever living in a dream world. The project took every bit of a three-day weekend (with my parents helping us) and wasn’t nearly as easy as I’d hoped.
First, let’s talk materials. I heard about this new H&C product at Sherwin Williams and liked that it was water-based, didn’t require etching or priming, was quick-drying and – with diluting and mixing – allowed for lots of color options. Also, it wouldn’t make the surface slick like paint or oil-based sealers. Which is good -- because seeing my kids fall by the pool is in the top ten on my mental reel of nightmare scenarios.
To warm up the deck and complement the blues of the pool, we decided to go for a terracotta color. We borrowed small sample bottles from our SW store (free – they just ask that you return them) and tested them on the deck until we got the right combination. We finally chose a mixture of Henna, Dahlia Red and Autumn Breeze.
There’s a hitch in every home improvement plan and here was ours: Being about 30 years old, our deck is VERY porous and really soaked up the stain (more on this in a sec). As we started spraying, we were amazed how much stain the concrete was soaking up and how … well, NOT great it was looking. Big blotches and clumps of color here and there. Also, the concrete was MUCH more or less porous depending on how much it was exposed to water and sun. 
Bah. We wound up having to go over the same areas several times with slightly different versions of our color mixture to get the right color throughout the deck. I even got down on hands and knees and used a sponge to do a little faux treatment and blend in blotches. It was pretty frustrating, but at last we started an impromptu pattern and got a system down.
Our strategy was to layer on the color using pump-up sprayers to get a more natural, marbled look of varying color. But if we had to do it over again, we would use rollers with long handles and perhaps sponge on a pattern afterwards.
~ Elizabeth Mayhew
You know that feeling you get when you look at a room, the exterior of a home or an outdoor space and something’s just not right? It isn’t visually appealing because the furniture is placed all catawampus, the architecture is out of balance or the colors are just bad?
No? Okay, maybe it’s just me. And (woe is me … this is the cross I bear) I get that feeling A LOT. Often in my own home. But there was one thing that particularly bothered me – and my dad … the pool deck. “It is just so ugly,” he said.
My friends, he was right. Light gray concrete. Bleached by the relentless Florida sun. Bland. Boring as oatmeal.
The deck didn’t do a thing for the pool. Or the view of the back yard from our living room. So after checking into the feasibility and cost of covering it with something like pavers (ouch), we decided to stain the concrete.
For some reason, I thought this would be a quick, easy project. A cinch! We could practically give the kids some rollers and stain and it would take care of itself! Oh brother … was I ever living in a dream world. The project took every bit of a three-day weekend (with my parents helping us) and wasn’t nearly as easy as I’d hoped.
First, let’s talk materials. I heard about this new H&C product at Sherwin Williams and liked that it was water-based, didn’t require etching or priming, was quick-drying and – with diluting and mixing – allowed for lots of color options. Also, it wouldn’t make the surface slick like paint or oil-based sealers. Which is good -- because seeing my kids fall by the pool is in the top ten on my mental reel of nightmare scenarios.To warm up the deck and complement the blues of the pool, we decided to go for a terracotta color. We borrowed small sample bottles from our SW store (free – they just ask that you return them) and tested them on the deck until we got the right combination. We finally chose a mixture of Henna, Dahlia Red and Autumn Breeze.
There’s a hitch in every home improvement plan and here was ours: Being about 30 years old, our deck is VERY porous and really soaked up the stain (more on this in a sec). As we started spraying, we were amazed how much stain the concrete was soaking up and how … well, NOT great it was looking. Big blotches and clumps of color here and there. Also, the concrete was MUCH more or less porous depending on how much it was exposed to water and sun. Bah. We wound up having to go over the same areas several times with slightly different versions of our color mixture to get the right color throughout the deck. I even got down on hands and knees and used a sponge to do a little faux treatment and blend in blotches. It was pretty frustrating, but at last we started an impromptu pattern and got a system down.
Our strategy was to layer on the color using pump-up sprayers to get a more natural, marbled look of varying color. But if we had to do it over again, we would use rollers with long handles and perhaps sponge on a pattern afterwards. 
AND -- this is big -- we would seal the surface first. We used a paver sealer after the deck was completely stained and dry (gloss, as recommended by the SW rep, which doesn't look glossy at all -- just a bit shiny. No, in a GOOD way). But, I think we could have avoided using so much product – and spending so much time – if we had sealed first too. Oh well, hindsight’s always 20/20, right?
Check out the before and after…
Makes a splash, no? I think the hard work and expense was definitely worth it. I love the way the terracotta sets off the blue of the pool -- and blends with the brick on our house.
Now Dad and I no longer cringe when looking out the back doors. Finding the right color and getting it done ... gotta love it!
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