25 Best Deck Paint Colors and Combinations

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What could be the best deck paint colors and combinations for your house improvement? Your goal in painting your deck is to protect it from rotting while giving your deck a twist of aesthetic color and combinations.  

So to give you inspiration, here are our 25 best paint colors for your decks that you can start with!

Ideal Colors for a Wooden Deck Paint

Depending on your deck ideas and look, you should try these colors and see for yourself the difference. More importantly, ensure that the formulas of these paint colors have an anti-slip feature made for surfaces like decks.

1. Natural or Clear

If you want to retain the wood’s original appearance, you should try natural or clear paint. It preserves and boosts the original beauty of your deck board. In addition, applying this paint after staining the wood protects your deck from damage and rotting.

2. Black

Painting your deck with black paint can add contrast to your home’s exterior or patio furniture. This is ideal if you want your deck to have a dramatic color. Our experts recommend using it for instant water and UV ray resistance.

See Also: Beautiful Black Paints for Wood Furniture 

3. Honey

How about a timeless and classic view of your deck? If you want this aesthetic look, you must paint your wood with honey color. It offers an overall light tone making it the most popular deck paint color.

deck near pool

4. Light Blue

If you want a deck with a unique and standout appearance then, certainly you have to paint it with light blue color. But you should choose the semitransparent light blue so you can have a more natural wood look for natural beauty.

5. Greige or Slate Gray

You can also paint your wooden deck with two colors that interest you. Say, the combination of grey and bridge or greige paint color offers light hues with cool shades. You can have a unique wood finish using it.

6. Classic Gray

For sophisticated and charming deck colors, you need classic gray paint. It has neutral tones base color of orange, yellow, or red that blend perfectly with your deck paint. You can enjoy the accents of this color, especially during summer.

7. Driftwood Gray

When summer is just around the corner, driftwood or dark gray is the ideal color you should consider, especially if you have a beach house deck. Most woodworkers use this paint to restore a cracky deck and bring out the new textures of deck boards.

8. Redwood or Fiery Red

To give your deck a burst of life, a red hue is your ultimate choice of paint. Considered a classic color, it has a warm tone and is best painted on brick houses. This is ideal for an outdoor space that needs attention. 

painting deck with paint roller

9. Whitewash

If you’re looking for paint to give your wood a rustic and unique appeal, whitewash paint can achieve that. These paints hide imperfections in your deck color. But this paint blends well and gives integrity to it.

10. Walnut or Light Walnut

Most people choose walnut for the perfect color of their decks. When used, you can achieve a painted wood with a lighter dark brown tone but darker shades than honey or golden oak. It offers warmth and orange-brownish tones that blend with greens in your backyard.

11. Alligator Green

Our experts consider green a bold color for decks. It gives an interesting contrast color to your house emphasizing the color of nature. You can also conceal the impurities on the deck surface including footprints by painting green.

12. Two-Tone

If you want to customize the sections of your deck, a two-toned color choice can do the trick. But if you want to do this technique, your wood deck should be large enough. You can divide the areas for different activities.

13. Variegated

Using earth tones, your deck will require less maintenance. The variegated paint is a combination of earth tones that give your wood a rich and natural-looking texture. It creates the illusion of the natural grain of hardwood.

backyard deck

14. Light or Golden Oak

For versatility, you can use light or neutral deck colors to blend with a variety of outdoor decor. It reveals the natural wood grain of your wood and requires less maintenance. Since it’s a lighter shade, it is easy to apply.

Interesting Read: Ideal Stains for Red Oak Floorings 

15. Contrasting Inlay

You can also add style and personality to your deck by creating a contrasting inlay. You can do this technique to achieve a simple or more complex deck painting process. To do this, you should include different colors and patterns. 

16. Barn Red

The barn red offers elegance and a tidy finish to your deck. You can apply this paint with white color as your front door and a few outdoor elements with a neutral color or light hues. Make sure that it has a perfect combination with your outdoor space.

17. Colony Blue

Another attractive color that you can use for your deck colors is colony blue. It has a flat finish than the common blue color but you can achieve a modernized and chic appearance. It should be UV and mildew resistant to protect your deck from direct sunlight. 

18. Calming or Dark Blue

You can also choose a calming or dark blue for a nautical ambiance on your deck. It brings style and, at the same time, liveliness and brightness. Most woodworkers also prefer dark blue to cover specks of dirt and marks. 

blue wooden deck

19. Classic Taupe

For a perfect match with a dark brown stain, you should paint it with classic taupe. This paint offers good contrast and accentuates the visuals in your deck. It provides full-coverage paint on your deck making it waterproof.

20. Colorful Railing

Your deck can also have a colorful railing but make sure that you blend their colors. The shades should also complement the color of your house. Add the colors that speak your personality and style. You can opt for your favorite colors.

21. Brownstone or Earthy Brown

To prepare your deck for any sudden change of colors surrounding it, try painting your deck with a lighter color. Brownstone gives a classy look to your deck. The illusion it created makes your outdoor space more entertaining and attractive.

22. Mission Brown

A touch of brown on your deck requires less maintenance but is more appealing. This shade of brown is deeper than the regular brown color. When you painted your deck with this, you can easily add elements with vibrant colors.

23. All-Weather White

Another color that you can paint your deck is all-weather white. This color is versatile especially when you want to achieve perfect combinations of your furniture and the deck paint color.

white rug

24. Dark or Chocolate Brown

If you want your deck to have a perfect makeover, then you should choose this darker hue of brown. The color should be similar to black or chocolate brown. Once painted, you can see your deck blends well with your decorations and furniture.

25. Beige or Tan

For a uniform appearance, beige or tan paint color is your best color option. It comes with cool or warm shades that will make your deck showcase a softened appearance. Add furniture and plants to make a twist to your deck.

Solid Stain vs Paint For Decks

How about staining them rather than painting them? Well, let us have a look at the difference between the application of paint or stain on your wood decks.

At first, you think of these two as a similar paint job. But when you apply deck stain, we recommend it be done if the wood grain forms unique patterns. 

Also, you can choose between clear or solid stains. Despite the properties of clear and solid stains, these will not cover flaws on your deck surfaces and will not fill cracks. 

staining deck with sprayer

On the contrary, painting adds style and personality, especially if you opt for the best deck paint colors that we mentioned above. Once your deck is painted with your preferred color combinations, it will have a gloss sheen to keep your space polished and fresh. 

Best Deck Stains to Use

Our designers and woodworkers recommend using a deck stain that is semi-transparent and oil-based. The deck stain offers easy preparations and applications. If you need to re-stain deck surfaces, you only need to wash down the surface before you stain it.

Extra Tips for Picking the Perfect Deck Paints Shade

During painting jobs, we have several techniques and tips on how to properly choose appropriate paint colors. You can also find here the best time to apply paint:

Tip #1: The colors of your deck should complement and accentuate the exterior of your house such as sidings, furniture, plants, and rags. You should also consider your outdoor space and indoor flooring when painting it. 

Tip #2: If you choose the wrong color, you have to understand the color wheel rules. There are three sections of colors that you must know: dominant, secondary, and accent color [1]. 

person staining the deck

The dominant should be your deck color ideas. Secondary and accent should be the color of your elements like furniture, rags, pillows, and plants.

Tip #3: The shade and finish of your paint are important to your railings and floorings. These two areas will define its overall appearance.

Tip #4: When painting, make sure that you mix your paint in an additive to make your paint non-slippery. Paints, especially when wet, are slippier than stains. So the additive should have a sand-like texture.

FAQ

How long does deck paint usually last?

Deck paints can last for 10 years if preparations and finishes are done perfectly. Painted decks require less maintenance, but some woodworkers repaint them every year depending on weather conditions. You can choose to apply high-quality waterproof paints for better and long-lasting results. 

What kind of paint last long on decks?

You have two options: acrylic (water-based paints) or polyurethane (oil-based paints). We recommend the latter to give your deck a quality finish that can last longer. They are considered outdoor surfaces so you should use oil paint.

How can you prepare your deck for staining or painting?

There are major elements to consider when painting or staining it. First, prepare the wood decks by washing them completely clean. Then let it dry before sanding to make the surface. After that, check if there is remaining dust or dirt. 

You should also cover the adjacent surfaces with plastic sheeting and put painter’s tape on the sidings near your interior flooring. Then apply primer to stick your deck paint color. Make sure your paint has non-slippery components before painting your deck.

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Conclusion

So there you go—these are what our experts have been using when it’s time for our home’s interior and exterior improvement. 

If you are going to upgrade your wooden decks, use this as a reference to choose the best deck paint colors. You can opt for a clear stain but we recommend painting for the best results!

Robert Johnson is a woodworker who takes joy in sharing his passion for creating to the rest of the world. His brainchild, Sawinery, allowed him to do so as well as connect with other craftsmen. He has since built an enviable workshop for himself and an equally impressive online accomplishment: an extensive resource site serving old timers and novices alike.
Robert Johnson
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