Updating the Backyard Deck

All we needed was one day to give the backyard deck a quick update! Come see how some rocks, paint and a few lights gave new life to a tired deck.

Our backyard deck is one of our favorite spots to relax and enjoy the summer months. But that hasn’t always been the case. When we first moved in all we had on the deck was a dining set from our old home. We had no place to lounge and the yard area around the deck was a mess too. Well, last year we added a great conversation area to the deck and that’s been fantastic! But we still needed to tackle the side of the deck and the yard around it. 

So before I show you how we updated the backyard deck, let me share the ugly truth of life below the deck. 🙂 

The stairs needed to be repainted and the old beat up trellis removed. The grass growing around the Aspen and the side of the deck always drove me nuts because it was so hard to mow. 

So to give this backyard deck a little update we decided to change three things. 

First | Add Some Edging and Rocks

A year or so back, we took out a garden that was on the left side of the deck and replaced it with edging and rock. After we finished that side, I kinda lost my steam to finish the right. But this year, I’ve been working outside a ton. So it only seemed right to finish this job. 🙂

So we removed the grass from around the tree and laid down some landscape fabric and then placed no-dig edging on top. 

Then we filled in the area with extra gravel rocks from our yard. This one change already made the deck area look so much better! 

Next it was time to work some paint magic!

Second | Sand and Paint

Remember that old, beat up trellis I mentioned earlier? Well, that’s all gone! (We actually removed it before we added the rock and edging.) Once that was gone, we were left with some rough deck surface area. 

So I grabbed my handy sander and gave the whole side of the deck a quick sanding. After a quick dusting, it was time for some paint. I actually had some leftover paint from when we installed our patio door – which made this project go even faster! 

And lucky me, I even had a little helper come out and lend a hand. Britton loves to get involved in everything. It’s just one of the many reasons I love him so. 🙂

I took a picture of the steps mid-paint. These stairs were looking so rough! The bottom one I had already painted completely. But looking at the other three you can see how big of an improvement the paint is going to be.

Once the painting was all completed, it was time for some fun lights.

Third | Add Some Lights

Our deck steps are not evenly spaced as you may have noticed. So I wanted to add some deck step lights for the night. We are often outside in our backyard past sunset. Even though no one has actually tripped on our steps, I’d rather be safe than sorry. 

So I bought these solar powered deck step lights that were super easy to install and work wonderfully! And now – I can show you the finished, updated backyard deck!

So, so much better! All the changes we did could easily be done in one afternoon. But we actually broke this down into two days cause it was just so dang HOT out there. 🙂

If you’d like more details about our summer backyard deck decor, check out this POST by clicking HERE. 

Little by little, one project at a time, we are making our home better. I hope you don’t mind me sharing little project updates like this one. I just want to show that a home isn’t made in a day or even in a year. It takes time, with big changes and sometimes little updates and over time, you can turn a house into a home you love. 🙂

You can shop all the items I used for this update here:

You can shop our deck decor here: 

And don’t forget to PIN this project for later!