Wood Balcony Makeover

When we moved in to our house, we knew our exterior would need some upgrades but we wanted to get all of the major interior improvements out of the way before tackling any of the outdoor updates.

I was so excited when we finally decided it was a good time to do some exterior work. We started by painting the window trim and garage doors black and now we’re going to be updating our balcony to match. We eventually want to replace the balcony railing with something from ViewRails who we worked with for our interior staircases, but for now, a little paint staining will do.

What You Will Need

• Behr DeckOver Stain
• Paint Tray
• Staining Mitt
• Paint Roller
• Paint Roller Extender
• Paint Brush

Let’s Get Started

The Behr DeckOver is more of a paint than a stain because it’s thick and covers really well but it’s specifically designed for wood deck use.
I started with the balusters by using a staining mitt to get all the way around each one. This was a long and tedious task but it made such a difference.

While I worked on the balusters, Ryan got started on the outside of the balcony. He used a paint roller to paint between each baluster and underneath the decking.

Once all of the balusters were done, I moved on to the railing. I used a paint roller to roll the top and between each baluster. This was a little challenging because I needed to lean over the railing to do the front of the railing but I love how it turned out.

Once the first coat was done, I started on a second coat on all of the balusters and the railing. This paint needs two coats because the first coat settles into the cracks and grooves and the second coat smooths and covers everything. The second coat went much faster than the first.

After getting the second coat done, I started on the floor of the balcony. I used a brush to cut in to the edges and cracks between slats and a paint roller to cover the floor.

This paint dries really quickly so once the first coat on the floor was finished we went ahead did the second coat.

All that was left was to finish the front and underside of the balcony. It turned out better than I imagined and was the perfect temporary fix to give our 1970s home an updated look to match the black window trim and garage doors.

We have a few more outdoor updates in mind. What would you suggest we do next?!