Tired old wood

Now that most of the snow has melted, I see the damp wood with uneven stain staring back at me from our beautiful 12 x 12 deck. The screened in porch above it has been our summer sanctuary for last summer in the warm season, and it's looking like I will be cherishing my time there again. The winter has brought with it dust, dirt, ice and cold weather. Looks like the wood on that porch has seen it's share of nasty weather, and the wood is so dry and dirty. The porch looks like an old woman who has been in the sun too long smoking a pack a day and guzzling coffee by the gallon. The structure is beautiful, and the wood is solid and secure since my husband tied up some loose boards last summer. The railing was coming loose from the base, and he checked with some experts, and some friends who know decks. Now, we're not afraid to lean on the hand rail and worry about the whole thing collapsing.

Some of the trouble with the wood on the deck is that this home used to have an above ground pool. They removed the pool and finished the deck before we bought the home. And, when they finished the deck, the new wood was left unstained, and the old stain remained on the previous parts of the deck. The screened in porch is the same colored stain as the deck. And because we let the new deck wood settle for a year, it's totally time to get 'er done!

Planning and scheming...I love to see that snow melt and reveal so much that is left to be done. One more "to do" on the honey-do list. Man, that list is growing fast as the temps are going up.