Sunday, July 5, 2009

Metamorphis Monday - Checkerboard Deck




Today I'm participating in Metamorphis Monday, our gracious hostess is Susan of Between Naps On The Porch. Be sure to check out her blog to see lots of other before and afters!




This is the before.




This was the inspiration.




This is the after.




I've been wanting to paint a checkerboard pattern on my deck for about two years now but the timing was never right. I'm so glad everything (mostly the weather) came together and I was able to finally complete this project! I love it!




I'm not entirely done. I still have to paint and plant a few things to put on the deck. This little bistro table and chairs need some TLC!





I always wanted to be able to look out this window and see the continuation of the checkerboard in my kitchen. We don't really use this little deck. We have a screened porch and a patio downstairs. The grill is out there and my husband sits down when he's grilling, the dog walks through on his way down the stairs and that's pretty much all the use this space sees! Mostly I just see it from the kitchen so I wanted to have something pretty to look at.





It wasn't hard to do at all! At first I wasn't sure how to do it but I figured it out. Because the checkerboard is painted on decking, I didn't have to be so precise about the squares being all the same as I would have in an interior room. First I cleaned the deck with deck cleaner and let that dry, then I painted the deck with white deck paint and let that dry for a few days.





Then I figured out how big a square I wanted. I did this through trial and error and finally settled on a size that was a bit bigger than the tiles in my kitchen. I used some cardboard to make a template. I positioned my template and traced around it. Then I filled it in with black paint. The painting took about a week to do and I just did a little at a time. A couple of squares in the morning and a few after dinner. It was too hot to be out there during the day! For the price of two cans of paint I got a very cute deck that nobody else has.






Don't be afraid of big projects! Just break them up. Even when I paint a room I move everything from one wall, paint and move everything back. Then when I have time I move on to another wall and another! Before long the whole room is completed without too much disruption!


Check back at the end of the week for the complete makeover.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week everyone!




100 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Manuela! This is awesome! I love the checkered deck! It looks wonderful! I know how you must love it!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

OMGOODNESS!!!!Manuela, I just adore your checkered deck. It looks great through your kitchen window too...wonderful!!!
Hugs,
Penny

Sue said...

I love what you have done to your deck! You are just so inventive ~ I don't know how you find the time and energy to do all of your projects... I guess if I got off the sofa, took a break from drinking my Cokes & watching the tube ~ maybe.....
hugs, Sue

Ally's Corner said...

Very pretty. Did you seal the top of it?
Wanted to finish spray painting today but the rain stop that.

Ally

Mitten from Smitten said...

Wow that is so pretty and creative! I am scared of the big projects but you have given me hope :)

Jo said...

I love it! It would make me smile every time I looked at it!....Jo

Melanie@TheOldWhiteCottage said...

That looks great! I love how you went about doing it. I know you can tape off to do that, but the way you did it seems much easier! Enjoy your new space!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh, I think it is fabulous. What a great look and how nice to go with the kitchen floor. I have always loved the checkerboard look and on the deck is unexpected, but so perfect. What a great idea. Hugs, Marty

Beth said...

Looks great! I love it! Now I just need to get me a deck so I can copy your idea, lol!(Live in an apartment.)

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Manuela, I absolutely love this!!!

Lori E said...

Now you tell me. That looks great.
I just spent the last week painting my decks. Morning noon and night.
I even used black and a soft gray so I could have done this very thing.
I am too pooped now to change any of it. Maybe next year.

Sarah said...

Manuela, I love it! You did such a great job!!

Terri Steffes said...

LOVE IT! I think it is crying out for some red geraniums though, but maybe that is because I love red geraniums! I love how it looks when you are in the kitchen. FABULOUS!

julie - eab designs said...

I would love to look out on your deck! The continuation of your checkerboard pattern was a great idea. Black & white combinations are my favorite - charming and elegant!

Shilo said...

That's beautiful, Manuela! Hope you had a great holiday weekend!

Marie said...

Hello Manuela - love, love what you did on your deck! Fabulous job. I have little black diamonds on my kitchen floor. Love the look. Thank you for sharing!

Blessings,
Marie
http://emmacallsmemama.com

Adele said...

Oh wow, your blog is just beautiful! I also love the deck idea and had to show my husband what you did. I might just have to try that on mine. I love you blog and will certainly add it to my blogroll!

Teresa said...

This is so beautiful! I love the look of it.

Joan@anythinggoeshere said...

You did a great job and l love that it matches the floor inside. Looks wonderful.

Kathleen Grace said...

I adore black and white checks and this deck is so beautiful! Great job and thanks for the tip oin how you did it. It sounds much easier than taping the squares all off. What a great project!

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Wow, Manuela! It looks great! I love the checkerboard deck! I especially love the flow from your kitchen. Great job!...Debbie

Anna said...

I love the deck. I adore black and white and checkerboard patterns so this is right up my alley. It looks great!

Suzanne in TX said...

Good Grief--that is amazing! Excellent job and you chose the perfect size for the squares. You are one talented LADY!!! Thanks for sharing.

Marianna said...

Looks fabulous! I love how it created continuity from the inside to the outside.

Angela said...

I just LOVE it..got me thinkin girl...Thanks for sharing.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Oh, you know I love that checkerboard too! I am dying to do this again myself, since I did it on my old screened porch and loved it. One of these days, maybe I'll get my screened porch and I will definitely do it. I just love the effect. You did an awesome job!

Joyce said...

This is so cute. I am looking at my basic ugly deck right now and thinking I may just have to tackle my deck in the Fall and copy your idea. Thanks for sharing.
Joyce

erin said...

i love, absolutely love what you did to your deck! it's fab.

Stacey said...

That is awesome!! You did such a good job and it completely upgrades the deck. Could you come do my patio?

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Wow! Looks great.
Glenda

Kammy said...

Very cleaver Manuela !
I love how you can see the pattern carry on from the inside of the house ! It makes the porch look so rich !
Hugs ~ Kammy

Gwen said...

Your deck makes me smile! I love it how you brought the indoors out, it is stunning.

Old Centennial Farmhouse said...

WOW! You are a creative thinker! I would have never dreamed to do something like that! GREAT JOB!
XOXO
Joni

Dawn said...

GAW-GEOUS!!! I love it!

GranthamLynn said...

Oh I love it. What a great job. It looks so different. I wish I could talk my Cowboy into something like that. We need to spruce up our outdoors.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Have a Blessed week.
Sherry

Rhonda said...

looks great!

And I so glad you said not to be afraid of big projects. I have in mind completely swapping around 4 rooms in my home, it will be a very big project and I needed the encouragement.

Maridith said...

That is the prettiest deck I have ever seen!! I love it. I love the checkered pattern. JUST LOVE IT!!

Signing Out said...

Wow! I love it! What a transformation!

Jane

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Truly, this is fantastic. I love the black and white and what a unique and beautiful idea!

Sabrina said...

looks awesome! great job.

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design said...

How fun is that !?! Love that...I see lots of fun things happening on that deck!!

Nicole A. said...

Manuela your deck looks FABULOUS! I love it! You did such a wonderful job on this! Love love love it! Thanks for Sharing!

Betsy Brock said...

I love it! It's so cheery!

santamaker said...

What a great treatment for the deck flooring. I've been wanting to do this on my porch also! Great job!

Nancy Rosalina said...

Manuela, That is awesome!!! I am so impressed! You should be so proud of yourself! It looks beautiful! nancy

Roeshel said...

It's fabulous! Great job! I love the character!

Melissa Miller said...

~WOW! That is awesome Manuela! :)

Sue said...

Hi Manuela...yur deck looks terrific...It looks like a reflection from the kitchen..How cool to look out and see that....Great job as usual....Sue.

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

This is fantastic! Wow, I could see doing this in lots of different colors...I think you may have started a new trend, Manuela! Love it! Susan

Nicole ~ said...

Your deck looks great!! What I really like about it, is that it that it is so different. You really did a wonderful job, it is a super transformation. Nicole

susan said...

Manuela--you will never convince me that this wasn't hard!! This took talent and hard work!! I LOVE it--Awesome job!

Sue said...

BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love how you did not go all the way out to the edges...really pretty.

Scrappy quilter said...

Manuela, that is incredible. I love it.

GlorV1 said...

Wow Manuela! I am so impressed with your creativeness. You are just simply DIVINE lady. Man oh life, I wish I had the knees to get down and do something like that. I really got to hand it to you, YOU ROCK!!

From the Old InkWell said...

Very Very impressive! Looks great!

Christine said...

Bring out the chess pieces!

Love it!

Anonymous said...

Super cute and very original! Love it...

Do you have any recommendations on the brand of paint used for your deck? We're needing to do the same.

Hope you are well!

Unknown said...

AWESOME!!!! This looks just AWESOME!

~Liz

Sharon said...

That is so cool! Wonderful job!

Jenny said...

That turned out so cool! I would have never been brave enough to try it.

Claudia said...

So perfect and cool!

Like someone said -- they wouldnt have been brave enough to try it.. I think after your example i could!!

TTFN~~Claudia ♥

Paula@SweetPea said...

I love your deck! What a great thing to see out your window everyday. Great job!

Jennifer said...

I LOVE IT!! Manuela, what a great project and a wonderful "extension" of the kithen. You have done a great job, and I know you are so proud of it.

I hope you guys had a wonderful fouth!

xo, Jennifer @ Fiddle Dee Dee

Chloe m said...

Manuela,
Hey, that's my kitchen! JK. I have black and white flooring in my kitchen. It is hard to keep clean, but it looks great when it is! :) Your deck looks fab now! WOW!
Rosey

Cyndi said...

Wow That looks Great!!!

brokeintrovert said...

I love black & white checkerboard! I would have never thought to use it outside! Wonderful!

Michelle said...

LOVE it...you did such an awesome job, Manuela! I always enjoy seeing your projects!

Happy Monday :)
~Michelle

june@craftyniche said...

That looks great!

Brenda Pruitt said...

What a transformation! And the flow from your kitchen is so unique! You did a phenomenal job. One I would really hesitate on myself. But the efforts you made: perfection! Everyone will be oohing and aahing over this one!
Brenda

Julie said...

Your deck is beautiful. What a great view from your kitchen.

Julie

Anonymous said...

Darling!
Thanks for the encouragement to take on projects!
Dee

Anonymous said...

Wow - that is the BEST deck transformation I have ever seen. I never would have thought to paint it like that. Great job! And I agree with the person who said it's calling for red geraniums. I think whatever flowers you plant in pots on that deck will just look fantastic. Great job!

Richella Parham said...

Yes, yes, yes! This is great!! Congratulations, Manuela; you must be so proud of this! I'm proud of you!!

Richella Parham said...

Another comment--sorry I can't get myself together enough to say everything in an organized way.

Anyway, I was just thinking that this will look so cool as it gets weathered and worn. It looks awesome freshly painted, but I bet it will look cool when it gets some wear and tear, too.

WAY TO GO!

Gabrielle Mader said...

great job Manuela...as expected I do like how you made it flow from one are to the next..

Christi @ A Southern Life said...

Looks fabulous. All that hard work paid off beautifully!

Christi

Unknown said...

OMG you are so brave! That deck came out fantastic! I hope you have a fabulous week!
~Really Rainey~

Amy {The Red Chair Blog} said...

Love how your checkered deck turned out! I'm impressed by how you tackle big projects like this!

Paula said...

Dear Manuela,

Your deck makeover is beautiful!!! I always love seeing all that you are doing in your lovely home and garden! You are so talented!

Thank you for all the inspiration!

Love, Paula

Lorna ~ Lace and Ivy Cottage said...

Bravo Manuela! I've also admired wood floors painted in a checkerboard pattern in magazines. The transformation is magnificent!

Barb said...

Manuela, this looks just fabulous....great job!!

Barb

Susie Q said...

Adorable! I so want that pattern in my kitchen....and now I want to paint my patio...

bj said...

Omigosh...this is absolutely fantastic, Manuela. You did a magnificent job....I don't have a checkered floor but I have some black and white tile for my backsplash in the kitchen..I love it.
I know you will enjoy this so much.
xo bj

Peg said...

I love your deck! You make the project sound easy too.

Anonymous said...

Wow! We're in the process of trying to buy a "new" house that needs some work. That would totally transform the deck! Thanks for the great idea!
Wendy

Shari @ My Cottage of Bliss said...

Laying out the checkered squares on a project this big would intimidate the daylights out of me but you did an awesome job! If I were you, I'd be standing at the kitchen window looking out all day long admiring your work because it came out so great. :)

Unknown said...

AWESOME!

Christina said...

Well, you have done it again. It is just fabulous!! I'm sure you love looking out and seeing that. I've always been partial to black and white checkerboard. It is so classic.

arkie said...

What a fun deck! Great look!

Linda's Blue Gate said...

ohmygosh ....... what a stunning change..... it looks wonderful..... I just LOVE it.... What I love most is that is that you did all that work for your eyes, hubbies and Maxie. Most people wouldn't have brother if it wasn't visible to the public..... but NOT you..... your main concern is making your world beautiful for your family..... You are the BEST...
HUgs
Linda

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

This is lovely. I love the view from the inside looking out. You must get a thrill everytime you look thru that window? I know I would. Great Job!
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Barb said...

I love what you have done to your deck. I would be happy to look out on that too. I think you come up with so many perfect ideas. Wish I had that talent.
Barb

Tanya said...

I love how your deck turned out. Did you also use deck paint for the black?

Donna, The Decorated House said...

Fabulous! I remember your saying you were going to do this. It turned out so good!
I did a few coats of waterbased poly over mine and it has really helped it stay fresh for years. BUT, it is slick when wet. I have to remember no running on the porch.
Donna

Precision Quality Laser said...

This is such a fabulous makeover! I love it! And I especially love how you carried the checkerboard from the kitchen out to the deck :)

paintergal said...

I love that shot of the floors through the window. Awesome idea!

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

Manuela: this is simply gorgeous!! I would love to look at that outside my window!! ALL DAY LONG!!

This was a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing it!

Lou Cinda :)

imjacobsmom said...

You probably won't believe this, but I painted a checkerboard on my deck many years ago. I just loved it. Everyone that came over loved it. I didn't paint the entire deck white, it was cedar so I stained it, then painted the squares tan. We were transferred and we had to move - I hated to leave that house. Your deck looks really cute with your kitchen. ~ Robyn

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

WOWSER! That look fantastic! laurie

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

That is brilliant! I would love to do this...if I actually had a deck. I linked to this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com