All Decked out for Mom

All Decked out for Mom

Tips to get your deck ready in time to kick off the outdoor entertaining season by Mother's Day

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spend a weekend on a few simple tasks to get your outdoor deck ready for months of barbecues and lazy-day lounging. With Mother's Day around the corner, here are a few steps to kick off the first outdoor, summer shindig all in mom's honor.

Safe and Sound

Check the deck for damaged boards and replace with the appropriate decking material. Tighten fasteners that have loosened during the winter (replace them completely if they won't tighten). Knock down and set protruding nails, or replace them with deck screws. Check surfaces that may have splinters, especially along handrails and steps, and smooth with sandpaper.

A fresh coat of deck stain will instantly rejuvenate the deck's appearance and will keep your deck looking like new, longer, by helping repel water, resist mildew and prevent fading in high traffic areas. The new Express Deck wood stain by Cabot cuts the project time in half, so you can clean and stain in one day without waiting for the deck to dry. This innovative, semi-transparent stain, available exclusively at Lowe's, offers a special solution for getting the job done quickly and just in time to celebrate outdoors on Mother's Day.

If you decide it's time for a new deck, replace old deck boards with composite or PVC deck boards. ChoiceDek and Trex offer composite and PVC decking that will not stain, scratch, splinter or mold. All that is required for maintenance is regular cleaning - no need to stain or re-stain your deck. Want to plan and budget your project before your get to the store? Check Lowes.com/decks to use our Deck Designer tool and find real-time lumber pricing for your market.

Spring Cleaning

Consider a pressure washer for thorough cleaning. Some Lowe's stores offer rental-equipment services for pressure washers, or you can purchase one. For smaller jobs, use a deck cleaner and scrubber. Many of the deck-cleaning solutions are concentrated, so check the instructions for proper dilution ratios.

Create Ambience

Add to your outdoor atmosphere by choosing accessories that complement not only the exterior decor, but the mood of special occasions as well. Prepare for spring and summer evenings and add aluminum balusters and solar-powered post caps to the railings. They are an easy-to-install option, requiring only batteries and sunlight to operate. Heighten all the senses and add relaxation to an outdoor space with a water feature, such as the allen + roth(R) 3-Tier Birdbath Fountain (Item # 348263).

Add Color

Plant annuals in containers for a finishing touch and added fragrance to your deck. Consider planting a Susan G. Komen Plant for the Cure(R) Gerbera Daisy, Dahlia or Geranium (Item #60440, under $10) in a Southern Patio Pink Ceramic Planter (Item #345697, under $10). These colorful additions will make your outdoor room pop and support Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R), the global leader in the fight against breast cancer. Lowe's donates 10 percent of the retail sales price of select flowering plants through May 31, 2011 to Komen for the Cure, with a minimum guaranteed $250,000 donation.

No Deck? No Problem.

Here are additional gift ideas for Mother's Day:

    --  Save mom some time with a Keurig Coffee Maker (Item #301986, $119),
        which makes a cup in less than a minute.
    --  Mix up the perfect cake for Mom and leave her with a delightful treat
        and a KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Item #213829, $199) in white.
    --  To get ready for an outdoor party she'll need a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea
        Maker (Item #303429, $23.99), which makes 12-cups of the perfect summer
        beverage.
    --  Moms love homemade gifts, so bring your child to the Mother's Day Build
        & Grow clinic at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7 to create a heart-shaped
        flower vase that reads "I Love You" to Mom. Build & Grow clinics are
        free activities held every other Saturday at Lowe's stores nationwide.
        Spaces fill quickly, so be sure to register at
        www.lowes.com/BuildandGrow. For additional project ideas visit
        www.lowescreativeideas.com .

About Lowe's

With fiscal year 2010 sales of $48.8 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,750 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

About Susan G. Komen

Susan G. Komen for the Cure's promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find cures. For more information, please visit www.komen.org


    Source: Lowe's