Refurbing my deck (But the post is really about paint)

[boomerang]

I'm in the process of refurbishing the deck I built 22 years ago. Composite decking and maintenance free railing will be going on. Right now, I'm tearing off deck boards and posts, replacing/reworking a bit of framing, and getting ready to make two new stringers for the stairs to replace two out of the five. The new materials are being delivered Wednesday and I have some help lined up for later in the week.

Anyway, with the deck boards removed next to the house I saw that I should do a quick touch up to the paint where the boards were up against the house. I bring the gallon can up from the basement with no clue as to the excitement that was imminent.

I put it on the workbench, remove the lid and start to stir. There is a hard lump in the bottom of the can which I quizzically assume is pigment. I manage to successfully work through the lump and am happily stirring assuming I've got all that pigment getting mixed in while looking into the can. What I'm not looking at is the workbench where the massive hole I have torn into the bottom of the can is leaking and the pool of paint is big and growing bigger. I of course, like a dumbass, raise up the can and when I do so a gush of paint starts roaring out the bottom. It's all over the workbench, is running between the seams of the boards making up the top of the bench, is all over my tools and stuff on the shelf under the bench, is on the floor in a big pool and I'm trying to process what to do next. The can was over 3/4 full and it's rapidly draining.

I yell out HELP! My wife comes running from the house as I grab a cardboard box in desperation to try and contain the flow. When she gets there I tell her to grab a bucket and I get the can into it. We got it cleaned up pretty well and I ended up throwing away a box with automotive light bulbs and a couple of staple guns that I forgot I even had along with a few other things in it that I will never miss.

When I last had the house painted I bought a brand new empty can and poured the last of the paint into it thinking that it would last a good long time. It's been six years and that's as long as it took to rot through. Those "lumps" in hindsight weren't pigment but must have been bubbles of rust and I tore through them with a stirring stick.

I'm thinking I'd better dispose of the trim paint that was also put into a new can before it rots through also.

 

[lxskllr]

Plastic buckets have been the best innovation in paint technology. You could put the trim paint in some kind of plastic container.

 

[boomerang]

Plastic buckets have been the best innovation in paint technology. You could put the trim paint in some kind of plastic container.

Plastic would be ideal. IMO gallon paint cans should be made of plastic.

 

[Greenman]

A gallon of paint will make an astonishing mess.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I feel for you man, I always fear an accident when I paint.

 

[Subyman]

My aunt once spilled an entire gallon of Sherwin Williams Pro Classic trim paint on the garage floor of one of my flip houses. $60 gone instantly into a huge mess.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

My aunt once spilled an entire gallon of Sherwin Williams Pro Classic trim paint on the garage floor of one of my flip houses. $60 gone instantly into a huge mess.

Ugh how did you clean that up or did you paint over it?

 

[Aikouka]

A few of my deck boards are looking worse for wear (splitting, can't be kept down with extra screws), and I'll probably end up replacing them soon. Although, I'm wondering if I might need to worry about the joists too. I discovered a horntail wasp while working on the pool's sand filter, and when trying to figure out what it was, I read that they nest in decayed wood. This makes me wonder if my joists might be rotting. Although, I have had some carpenter bees too, so I don't know if the wasps might be trying to use an old bee tunnel. I don't really feel any sort of instability.

Ugh how did you clean that up or did you paint over it?

"Beautiful garage with wonderful taupe floors!" :biggrin:

 

[lxskllr]

Plastic would be ideal. IMO gallon paint cans should be made of plastic.

You said quart before you edited. I can't vouch for that size, but some gallons definitely come in plastic, with nice tight sealing lids. The biggest drawback is the lids will stop sealing well if you slop paint all over them. Not a big deal if you're using a gallon at a time, or transferring paint to a different container for painting, which I always advocate for.

I've had a lot more experience in painting the last few years than I would have liked. I helped a friend paint his farm fences, and strip/paint his two story, two century old farm house, and outbuildings. I'd be happy to never see a paint brush again.

 

[boomerang]

A few of my deck boards are looking worse for wear (splitting, can't be kept down with extra screws), and I'll probably end up replacing them soon. Although, I'm wondering if I might need to worry about the joists too. I discovered a horntail wasp while working on the pool's sand filter, and when trying to figure out what it was, I read that they nest in decayed wood. This makes me wonder if my joists might be rotting. Although, I have had some carpenter bees too, so I don't know if the wasps might be trying to use an old bee tunnel. I don't really feel any sort of instability.



"Beautiful garage with wonderful taupe floors!" :biggrin:

I built this deck 22 years ago and I only have to replace one joist. All joists are pressure treated as are the beams and supporting posts. I created the problem that requires that joist to be replaced by creating a pocket for water to collect and sit.

I was mostly worried about the ledger board and it is in tip-top condition.