All Decked Out

We have had 4 glorious days of summer weather. In a row - Hummmm what to do?
Spent 2 days golfing - Fun! Fun! Fun!

Our deck was feeling neglected. So for the last 2 days Mike and I have been prepping and sealing the poor thing.
We decided to try the new revitalized deck sealer. Reviews were mixed, but lets be serious here - people who spend that kinda money and are not satisfied are going to complain more than people like us who used it, liked it, and have the wait and see attitude.
Besides we both liked the commercial - who doesn't want to dance out on their deck - in their bare feet.

I power washed. Mike sanded. I took a butcher knife and cleaned out between all the cracks. I protected the house with newspaper while Mike shop-vaced the sawdust. It is clearly ALL ABOUT THE PREP!

 I found this cool sponge wheel that filled in the cracks really well. And no bending over.

Mike followed behind me and rolled the flat boards.

And the lower deck gets it's make over.
It says to use 2 coast so Mike added the second coat on Sunday.
We bought the 5 gallon bucket that was supposed to cover 100 sq ft. both coats. Our deck is 18x14 and we had plenty. Maybe enough to get the upper decks railing? Fingers crossed.
We still have the upper deck to do, but are going to wait till we get rid of the hot tub so we can seal the whole thing.
All decked out. A quick trip to Joannes for some outdoor material and we have pillows.

 This time of day I can choose to sit in the shade or in the sun. The sun only lasts for a couple hours every morning so I enjoy it while I can.

The biggest improvement was taking down the deck railing. I felt like I was boxed in. It's just a small step down into the flowers and you would have to walk behind the chairs, so why not? Now I have a clear view to the whole backyard. After 10 years in the house I am lovin' my back deck again.