The Lazy Deck-Painting Hack That Will Save Your Knees

Decks are a great addition to any home and can create an enjoyable outdoor space that is useful for the whole family. Plus, decks extend the footage of your living space, thereby increasing the value of your house. However, to keep that value, it is important to maintain your deck, which requires sealing it (you don't want to accidentally find out what happens when you don't seal your deck), or — for longer-term protection — you can paint or stain it. The issue with this is that both painting and staining a wood deck require a lot of time and take a toll on your knees. This is because the traditional method requires crawling across the deck as you paint it with a small paintbrush. After all, paint rollers can't reach between the cracks of a wood deck.

Luckily, there's an easier way to paint or stain your deck, and all you need is a broom. In fact, any old soft bristle broom, from a regular kitchen broom to a push broom, can act like a giant paintbrush to quickly and easily paint your wood deck. And the best thing about this hack? You don't need to get on your hands and knees, and painting your whole deck will only take you 15 minutes per coat.

That's not to say that if your deck needs a fresh look, you should just grab the nearest broom and bucket of paint and go for it. Instead, when painting or staining any wood deck, it is important to follow a few steps first to make sure that your work looks good and lasts. The first step you should take before painting your deck is to thoroughly clean it. This involves first sweeping the deck to get rid of any debris and making sure to remove any furniture or flower pots. You also need to make sure that your deck is completely dry, as painting a wet deck will lock in moisture, causing the paint to peel prematurely.

When this is done, you can go ahead and apply your wood stain. Or, if you are painting, go ahead and apply a coat of primer by pouring it out in a tray and then dipping a clean broom into the tray. Next, simply push the broom back and forth across your deck until the entire space is evenly coated. Once the primer is dry, you can do the same process with your paint. It's a good idea to try and use a broom with soft bendable bristles to avoid getting paint flecks everywhere.

For further reading, find out why winter is the ideal time to build a deck.