How to Paint Decking Grey, Charcoal or any colour!

At last a truly environmentally friendly paint for wooden decking! (although technically it's not a "paint" it's a "highly pigmented wood oil").

We are often asked whether our beautiful grey and green paints for external timber can be used on decking. Historically our coloured eco wood paints have only been brilliant on vertical and sloping wooden surfaces. Like other “regular” paints for wood, they were not designed for horizontal surfaces and especially not for decking with grooves to store the rain and dirt, and people walking on. We would direct people instead to  Exterior Wood Oils that provide a transparent finish so you can still see the wood grain (and are designed for use on all bare wood exterior surfaces, even ones you walk on).

However, now, you can paint opaque colours onto your decking with environmentally friendly paint. The colours range from greys and greens to reds, blues and yellows. You can even mix colours to create any colour you want! Pink or purple decking anyone? 

We caught up with Neil from Treatex to find out about his experiment to find the best way to paint decking with the  Treatex Classic Colour range for external wood. We love finding out about Neil’s experiments. He tests everything so thoroughly. This experiment has been running for over two years! The decking was painted in April 2020. Later in this post, you will see what it is like now (August 2022).

The decking shown here was over 20 years old before painting. It was cleaned with  Treatex Rejuvenator first. It is painted with Classic Colour “Stygian” followed by two coats of Exterior Oil (Sheer). 

How to Paint Decking using Treatex Classic Colour 

You will need: 

• Treatex Classic Colour
• Treatex Thinner
• Treatex Rejuvenator (optional depending on the age of the decking)
• Treatex Floor Brush or other suitable brush
• Treatex Exterior Oil (Sheer) or Anti-Slip Decking Oil

Preparation/planning

• The deck to be treated must be porous, like unpainted softwood timber, and should be weathered, clean and dry. By “weathered” we mean at least 3 months old. Many softwood decks come with a wax coating that the Classic Colour will not penetrate through if painted too soon. 
• For old decks (like the decking in this example), clean using Treatex Rejuvenator first (see steps 1 to 6 on How to Revive Outdoor Wood Furniture blog post).
• The deck must be thoroughly dry before painting.
• Check the weather forecast too. The decking mustn’t be rained upon in between coats and will need a further 24 hours to dry properly after all the coats have been applied. It must not be rained upon during this time (a total of at least 5 days of dry weather).
• It takes 7 to 10 days for the finish to fully harden (cure), although you can use the decking carefully after 24 hours of drying. As with all wood finishes, drying and curing are two different things. Most products continue to cure long after they have dried. 

Application

1. Make sure the decking is clean and dry. Older decking (like the decking in this example) clean using Treatex Rejuvenator first (see steps 1 to 6 on How to Revive Outdoor Wood Furniture blog post). 
2. Mix 10% of Treatex Thinner with the Classic Colour. For example, for every 1 litre of Classic Colour add to it 100ml of Thinner. Mix well. 
3. Before you paint the whole deck, we strongly recommend you try the Classic Colour on a test area. If your decking is made from a hardwood (some woods may be too "hard" for the Classic Colour to penetrate into, so test a small area first).
4. Apply one coat of the classic colour thinly and evenly along the grain.
Tip: Using a Floor brush (which can be attached to a long handle) is the easiest way to apply the paint, however, any brush will do. Paint three or four boards at a time and work from one end of the decking board to the other.
Essential Tip: Apply the Classic Colour really thinly. We cannot stress this enough! You need to brush the product right out. Watch out for paint sliding into the grooves of the decking. Keep brushing out that excess paint onto unpainted wood.
Expert Advice: The classic colour must penetrate the timber. If you apply the paint too thickly you will create a surface coating which will wear quicker. 


5. Allow to dry for 6 to 12 hours depending on the weather. 
6. Once dry, finish with two coats of Treatex Exterior Oil (Sheer) or Treatex Anti-slip Decking Oil. Again, apply the oil really thinly for both coats. Allow 8 to 12 hours between coats. 
7. Surfaces can be used with care after 24 hours of drying. During which time it must not rain on the surfaces.
8. Full hardness is achieved after 7 to 10 days (depending on the finishing product used and the weather). 

How long does the decking paint last?

Neil’s decking was painted back in April 2020. Before writing this blog post we caught up with him to find out what the decking looks like now (August 2022).

The path is used several times a day, summer and winter. Neil confessed that he hasn’t been keeping it tidy over the years. In fact, he had to scrub the deck clean with soapy water (the first ever clean after being painted) and rinse it with a watering can before getting a new photo for us!

Considering the environmental stresses that decking paint has to go through (hot to cold, wet to dry whilst dirt and grime is ground into the surface when you walk and dance on it), Neil's conclusion ...

“It looks in remarkably good condition for 2 ½ years of daily use!” 

If Neil wanted to spruce up the colour again now, he would simply repeat the painting process. One coat of  Classic Colour onto a clean and dry surface followed by two coats of Exterior Oil (Sheer). No sanding required!

Our verdict?

Well to be honest the jury is out!

Our Sharon says, "It looks terribly worn. I'd stick to the less pigmented Exterior Oils where you can see the grain of the wood through the finish".

I say, "If I had a 20 year old deck like Neils and wanted to give it a few more years life with some added protection, I'd try this knowing that I needed to maintain it in a few years time. Actually, if I had a new deck and had set my heart on some awesomely coloured decking design I'd also give it a go!"

Our Glyn says, " Don't ask me! I much prefer when wood turns a natural silvery grey colour. I'd go for Organowood".