- 1). Lay out your drop cloths. Go under your deck and spread drop cloths out to cover the entire area under the deck and protect the ground below from chemical contamination. Lay the drop cloths along the outside perimeter, and overlap the ones closer to the house by 10 to 12 inches so that any spills will be carried away from the house.
- 2). Scrape the deck, and putty the holes. Scrape away any rough spots in the wood and old, flaking paint with your putty knife. Open the can of wood putty, and scoop out a piece roughly the size of a golf ball. Knead the putty in your hands to soften it and achieve a uniform consistency. Press the putty into holes in the wood. Fill the holes completely, and rub the excess away with your hand.
- 3). Paint any areas that your roller will not reach with your brush. This is called "cutting in." Cut in around the base of posts, sides of pickets and the 4 inches of decking closest to your house. Cover these areas with a light first coat of paint, and allow the paint to dry for 1 hour. Cover the same areas with a heavy coat of paint, and allow the paint to dry for 1 hour.
- 4). Pour paint into your roller pan, attach the nap to the roller, roll the roller in the roller pan to load the nap with paint, and roll on a thin first coat of paint to the remainder of the deck. Allow the first coat to dry for 2 hours. Paint a heavy second coat onto the same areas with your roller. Allow the second coat to dry for 24 hours.
- 5). Touch up any areas that did not receive total coverage. You can generally do touch ups with a paint brush. Apply a thick coat of paint to the discolored areas, and allow the paint to dry for 2 hours. Pick up your drop cloths.
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