Progress on our West Courtyard deck

Affectionately dubbed The West Courtyard, for over a year this area has taken a good-natured backseat to the work we have been doing inside the house, in backyard and in the East Courtyard.  It finally got some much-needed attention this last weekend.  Here’s what we started with, photos taken this past winter:

And here’s a progress pic:

Ken spent the ENTIRE day on Saturday sanding off the remnants of burgundy paint from the previous owners’ efforts. Then on Sunday, he planted trees in the backyard while I stained the deck. Here’s how it turned out:

We decided to use an Australian timber oil stain rather than opaque paint. It’s a blend of linseed oil, tung oil and alkyds. We’ll find out next year whether this was a good decision. Under the intense southern Arizona sun, who knows! The paint certainly didn’t last, so we figured it was worth a try. And even if we need to apply a fresh coat every year, I think the oil application process is quite a bit easier than painting.

We’re really happy with how it turned out. Once it is completely dry, we’ll be able to say for sure. We definitely love the more natural look the oil gives!  Can’t wait for some GREAT seating to turn up on Craig’s List!