Easy Hack for Outdoor Privacy Wall Part 1

After redoing my grandparent’s deck I swore I would never do a deck remodel again. But I also said I would never buy a Cape Cod style home…well here we are and this deck needs a makeover. Before I could turn this deck into the modern oasis I’ve always wanted, there was a lot of demo work that had to get done. So in the first part of this project you’ll see how I removed the outdated and worn out parts of the deck and refinished what I could to get the modern look I wanted.

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Tools + Materials

1. Demo the Railings & Lattice

I started the demo by taking out the railing with the sawzall and a hammer.

Most of these spindles were rotted out so I’m glad I was taking them down, I’m not sure how long they would’ve lasted otherwise.

Then I took down the posts (including the posts for the stair railings), and the lattice and hammered in any protruding nails.

2. Strip the Deck Paint

The next step in this project was stripping the paint off of the deck, so I first made the deck wet with my power washer and then generously poured a wood stain and finish stripper all over the deck.

I worked it into the paint with a brush.

Then I let the finish stripper sit and work its magic a bit before using the power washer to help remove the paint.

I made sure to keep the boards wet as I worked.

I also made sure to cover any surfaces that I didn’t want the stripper to come in contact with. The chemicals are pretty intense so I wanted to keep them on the deck boards and make sure they didn’t get on my siding.

Not sure why I had hoped it would be actual magic and take more paint off than it did. But it definitely helped break it down.

3. Sand

I got the sander set up with 80 grit sand paper and actually had to go back to get 60 grit. I was determined to get the paint off of the deck boards so I could ultimately stain it but the paint was trickier to remove than I expected.

4. Demo the Stairs

I don’t recommend demoing your deck stairs in 90 degree heat but I had to get them out before my sod got delivered. So out they came. I started with my circular saw and then went in with the sawzall.

5. stain the Deck

I started with a roll coat of deck stain first and it didn’t get get into all the nooks and crannies but it did give it a good base coat before I started spraying.

The next coat of stain went on with the sprayer and it was super convenient to rent the sprayer for this project instead of buying it.

Of course I had to do some final touch up work with a brush and ended up running out of stain and making another trip out to get more. Not a true project unless you go to the home improvement store twice in one day, right?

After I finished the top of the boards I stained the front of the deck and the posts with a black stain. You’ll see why this makes sense later on in the project.

6. Install the Staircase

You can learn from my mistake here, you’ll want the brackets to face in.

I ended up flipping these when I realized what I had done.

After installing the stair stringers I cut a board to attach directly to the stone at the base of the staircase.

And I painted the stringers with that same black deck stain.

7. Close the Bottom of the Deck

I used pressure treated lumber to make this really cool horizontal modern looking enclosure for the bottom of my deck.

I matched this pattern all the way around the stairs too.

And I used my jigsaw to cut those pieces out.

Then I screwed them in. I’m glad I took the time to continue the pattern around the stairs, I really like the way it turned out.

8. Install the Steps

I cut the boards for the steps to size using the circular saw and screwed them into place, starting with the top pieces.

Then I did the same for the fronts of the steps.

9. The Reveal

Stay tuned for the top portion of this deck makeover, I had a special guest help with that part so you’ll want to make sure you see who it was! But all in all I am super happy with how the bottom half of this deck turned out. There are definitely some spacing things and tweaks I’d love to obsess over but we’re not gonna go there, we’re just gonna move on to the next part. So if you want to see the rest of this project as well as more projects like this make sure to follow along! Happy DIYing friends!

If you want to see the other deck projects I’ve done you can find the videos and blog posts at the links below!