Can I paint composite decking?

After a long time of using your outdoor deck as an outdoor living space. You may want to change the style of your deck. Removing the deck and then reinstalling it would not only take a long time but also involve a lot of costs. Then you may choose to paint your deck and change the style of your deck by changing its appearance.

If your outdoor deck has a traditional wooden deck. And you can always paint it to design a specific colour for your deck. Wooden decks do not come in different colours, therefore they need to be painted. But what about composite decking? Assuming you wish to change the colour of your deck. So can you paint over composite decking as you would over wood?

Composite decking

Composite decking, also known as wood-plastic composite decking, is made from a mixture of wood fibres and recycled plastic. Due to the characteristics of its materials, composite decking has many advantages that wood decking does not have. Such as being waterproof, insect-proof and long-lasting.

For the time being, there are two types of composite decking, capped composite decking and non capped composite decking. Capped composite decking is a new generation of composite decking with an extra plastic coating on the outside for better environmental resilience.

Non capped composite decking is the first generation of composite decking, this type of composite decking does not have an additional plastic coating on its outer layer. Whether or not you can laminate or stain your composite decking depends very much on the type of composite decking you buy.

Can composite decking be painted?

Normally there is no need to paint composite decking on a regular basis, but you can, of course, apply paint or stain to uncovered composite decking to change the overall appearance of your outdoor deck. Make the composite boards match the design of your house more closely.

How to paint a composite deck

To paint or stain an uncovered composite deck, you will need to do some preparation work on the composite deck. You will need to clean, sand and primer the deck before painting it.

Preparing the tools

Start by gathering the tools you need to paint the deck, a brush or roller, power sprayer, paint, primer pressure washer, sandpaper. In addition, you will need a deck cleaner or soap to clean the deck.

Cleaning the decking

Once you have the tools to paint your composite decking, you can start cleaning the deck. Use a pressure washer to clean the surface of your deck. Remove any dust from the surface of your deck. You can also clean your deck by first sweeping and then scrubbing the deck surface with a brush and soapy water. This will remove any dirt or stains from the deck.

After you have finished cleaning your deck, you will need to rinse it with clean water and then allow the deck to dry. If there is furniture or other items on the deck before cleaning it, make sure they are removed. Cover or remove any potted flowers that are close to the deck area.

Sanding the decking

Now that you have finished cleaning your composite decking, it is time to sand the surface and then apply paint or stain. Sanding the decking will make the surface smooth and even and will also allow the paint to adhere well to the material.

When sanding your decking, make sure that you sand in the direction of the grain. And remember to rinse the deck after you have finished sanding it to ensure that no traces of shavings are left behind.

Priming the deck

Before you start painting, prime your outdoor deck. You can use an acrylic latex exterior primer to prime your decking boards. To use the primer, apply it to the decking with a roller and allow it to dry.

composite deck stain

After you have finished priming, you can start stain composite decking. Use a stick to mix the paint. Apply the paint with a brush, or apply it quickly with a roller. After the first application, allow the paint to dry before the second application.