How to Cover a Bad Deck

Prepare for a Covering

• 1

  Inspect the deck for loose boards, popped nails and large gaps between boards. Drive nails into the deck boards, and sink a ringed nail next to the popped nail with the head of the ringed nail overlapping the popped nail. Drive nails through loose boards into the decking framework to secure the boards. Replace rotted, damaged decking and deck boards that do not sit at least 2 inches onto the framing structure.

• 2

  Equip a belt sander with 60-grit sandpaper. Sand high areas of the boards to make them flush with the surrounding deck. Sand paint, food and leaf stains to reveal the raw wood.

• 3

  Sweep sawdust off the deck with a broom.

• 4

  Mix one-half cup laundry detergent into 1 gallon water. Submerge a stiff broom into the bucket, then scrub the deck to remove grease, oil and other debris. Rinse the deck with water and let it dry. Drying times depend on the outside humidity and temperature.

Covering with Paint

• 5

  Pour an exterior-grade paint made specifically for decks into a painting tray.

• 6

  Twist a three-eighths- or one-half-inch nap roller onto a threaded pole or mop handle. Push the paint roller through the paint. Roll off the excess onto the painting tray lip.

• 7

  Place the paint roller on the deck beginning at a corner farthest from the deck stairs. Push the roller over the deck boards, making overlapping "V" shapes. Continue this, adding paint to the roller as needed, while working across the deck and toward the stairs until paint covers the deck. Let the paint dry for five to six hours before walking on it.

• 8

  Apply a second coat of deck paint using the same method as the first coat. Let it dry for five to six hours.

Vinyl Deck Skin

• 9

  Spread self-leveling compound over the deck if the boards fit tightly to each other, to level the deck. Let the self-leveling compound dry until the surface is hard. If the deck boards have gaps greater than one-half inch, screw down sheets of one-half-inch exterior-grade plywood over the entire deck. Make cuts to the plywood as necessary with a circular saw.

• 10

  Measure the size of the deck plus 12 inches in all directions. Unroll an exterior-grade vinyl deck skin on a level surface, in the sun, and let it sit until it lies flatly on the ground.

• 11

  Dip a paintbrush into a specialized vinyl skin adhesive. Apply one coat over the self-leveling compound or plywood. Paint a 1-inch strip of adhesive onto the house where the deck meets the structure.

• 12

  Lay the vinyl skin over the adhesive, beginning at the 1-inch strip of the house and extending over the side of the deck. Cut around railings and posts with a utility knife. Apply adhesive to the side of the deck. Pull the skin to wrap around the deck. Continue to apply adhesive, lay the skin and make cuts with a utility knife until the skin covers the entire deck.

• 13

  Push a 100-pound floor roller over the skin to create a bond between the skin and decking material. Place a specialized aluminum drip-edge strip on the side of the deck. Sink screws through the aluminum strip into the side deck boards. Trim the excess vinyl skin with a utility knife.