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7 Quick And Easy Deck Upgrades That Will Transform Your Deck Space

Fast, Easy Deck Upgrades You Can Complete In Time For Your Summer Deck Party

Whether it's a graduation party, a family reunion, or a Labor Day grillout, hosting a party on your deck will require some preparation. As the party day approaches, you don't have to worry about cramming a massive deck project into a short time - instead, check out these easy deck upgrades you can complete in a few days or less!

A wood deck, upgraded and ready to host a party

7 Deck Upgrades You Can Finish Fast

  1. Add or upgrade your post caps
  2. Swap out your balusters for a modern metal deck railing look
  3. Add style and function with post cap lights
  4. Add an entirely new outdoor room with an underdeck ceiling
  5. Get comfortable, eye-catching deck chairs and tables
  6. Add or upgrade screens for privacy and bug protection
  7. Add a stylish, customizable pergola

#1: Add or upgrade your post caps

Time required: A few hours

A wood deck railing with modern metal balusters

Post caps are a small detail that make a huge difference to your deck's look - and they're easy to install quickly. You can make an old wood railing instantly look more modern and distinguished by adding sleek metal or vinyl post caps, or stick with traditional wood caps.

The best thing about upgrading your deck's post caps? They ship very fast. You won't spend much time shopping or waiting on your order to ship, making post caps a fast, easy way to instantly enhance your deck's appeal.

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#2: Swap out your balusters for a modern metal deck railing look

Time required: A day to a few days

Many older decks have worn wooden balusters. They warp, they fade, and they can really make your deck look dated. Swapping out wood balusters for sleek metal ones is a great, quick upgrade that can radically transform how your deck railing looks. Seriously: it's a small upgrade, but one that can make it feel almost as if you've got a brand new deck.

A wood deck railing with round balusters and baluster connectors

You can also choose different types of balusters depending on how quickly you need your deck upgraded.

If you're a few weeks out from a Fourth of July or Labor Day grillout, you can opt for traditional round or square balusters that attach to your rails with baluster connectors, as shown above. If you're scrambling before a fast-approaching grad party, choose face-mount balusters (shown below) that won't require you to take your deck's top rail off to install.

A wood deck railing with face-mount balusters
Shop Balusters

#3: Add style and function with post cap lights

Time required: A few hours to a day

Beautiful lighted post caps illuminate a deck

You can take a post cap upgrade a step further by adding lighting at the exact same time. Lighted post caps offer all the style appeal of traditional post caps - but they also add to the hours you can use your deck. If you want to extend your party into the evening, light up your space for an amazing ambience and a safe environment for your guests.

Lighted post caps create a cozy deck space

Pro tip: if you're looking for the quickest installation, focus on solar post caps, which typically install exactly like traditional, unlit post caps. If you'd like lights you can manually turn on and off, low voltage lighting is easy to wire and can feature built-in timers and dimmers.

Check out our video on how to install low voltage lighting to your deck railing below:


Shop Solar Post Caps

#4: Add a rain-proof outdoor room with an underdeck ceiling

Time required: A few days

Underdeck ceiling makes a big difference as a quick deck upgrade

If you've got a second-story deck, the space underneath doesn't have to be dark, wet or dirty. An underdeck ceiling is an upgrade you can add easily, and it effectively doubles the usable space you've got outdoors.

An underdeck ceiling is perfect for both style and function. Systems like ZipUP Deck Drainage or UpSide Deck Ceiling look crisp and finished for a cozy, put-together underdeck space. They also funnel rainwater away to keep your space dry and protect your deck frame.

Note: deck ceilings like ZipUP or UpSide install really quickly and can work with existing decks. The Trex RainEscape system needs to be installed before you fasten down your deck boards, so it's not an ideal quick upgrade unless you're already in the midst of a bigger project.

Shop Underdecking

#5: Get comfortable, eye-catching deck chairs and tables

Time required: A few hours

Brighten your space instantly with new patio furniture

One of the quickest upgrades you can make is to refresh your patio furniture and decoration. A stylish Adirondack chair is a comfortable addition that's very on-trend. More decks, porches and patios are taking advantage of the bright, sunny color options to add some personality to the space. You can even get seasonal furniture to swap out for various holidays or themed parties, like this awesome patriotic chair and table set that makes an especially great Fourth of July accent piece:

A patriotic Adirondack deck chair sporting the red, white, and blue

More deck furniture color options:

Neutral Canvas color deck chairs class up a deck
A seafoam green NewTechWood Adirondack deck chair

It takes ten minutes to put together a stylish TimberTech Adirondack deck chair
Shop Patio Furniture

#6: Add or upgrade screens for privacy and bug protection

Time required: A day to a few days

New screens create a luxurious outdoor space

If you've got a porch, adding or upgrading screens can be a quick upgrade that yields huge dividends. With a barrier against bugs, you'll be able to host your event longer and keep you and your guests comfortable.

Check out how nice one of our customers made their space with a screen upgrade:

A bright, modern screen porch upgrade
Shop Screens

#7: Add A Stylish, Customizable Pergola

Time required: A day to a few days

A stylish, lit pergola

If you're looking for an eye-catching enhancement, a pergola can instantly bring a luxurious feel to your yard. Luckily, modern pergolas are easy to plan and shop. We carry STIX Timber and LINX Pergola fittings that you can combine to perfectly fit your space.

For easy planning, check out our complete Pergola Hardware kits, with all the steel pergola fittings you need to make a variety of pergola layouts using the wood beams of your choice:

Shop Pergolas
A deck set up for a deck party

Easy Deck Upgrade FAQs

  1. How do you update a deck on a budget?
  2. How can I update my old wooden deck?
  3. What can I put over an existing deck?
  4. What can I do to make my deck look better?
  5. How can I quickly decorate a deck?

How do you update a deck on a budget?

Upgrading your balusters is a great low-budget way to quickly upgrade a deck. It's also a great first step if you're planning to spread a bigger deck refresh out over a few months or a few seasons. You can call our project planning team anytime to plan out a phased deck upgrade.

How can I update my old wooden deck?

To quickly tune up old wood decks, we've got a few suggestions:

Clean off mold and moss: Wood decks absorb water, which can make it easy for mold or mildew to thrive. Check out our easy-to-follow guide for cleaning wood deck boards here.

Upgrade to metal balusters for a modern touch: As we suggested above, balusters are a great first step to updating a worn wood deck. For the quickest fix, check out face-mount balusters, which you can install without removing your top rail!

Add deck lighting: You can transform your wood deck without pulling up a single board when you add a lighting setup to your deck. Post cap lights, in particular, are a fast, easy upgrade.

What can I put over an existing deck?

If you're looking to cover over an existing deck surface, we'd recommend either deck tiles or pavers.

NewTechWood deck tiles are made from the same low-maintenance material that makes up composite decking. One-foot by one-foot square tiles easily snap together and can create gorgeous tile patterns that transform your space.

Aspire Pavers are smaller, rubbery pavers that fit into an easy-to-use installation grid. With a huge range of colors and two paver sizes (one square and one rectangular), there are endless patterns you can create. Aspire Pavers are made from 95% recycled materials and hold up extremely well in the outdoor elements.

What can I do to make my deck look better?

If you're just looking to quickly brighten up your deck's appearance, we've got some good news: you'd be surprised how far some simple cleaning and decorating can go.

Sweep any dirt, leaves, or pine needles off your deck. For a deeper clean, you can try a power washer, though if your deck is made of composite deck boards, make sure to use the lowest power setting and a fan-tipped nozzle held at least 8 inches from your deck surface.

Adding some decoration can completely transform your deck. Try an outdoor rug, flower planters, or some eye-catching outdoor furniture. You can hang lights from a deck railing or get party supplies to theme your space for your specific occasion.

How can I quickly decorate a deck?

We mentioned outdoor furniture above. TimberTech's Invite Collection ships directly to your door and installs in roughly ten minutes. Even with limited time before your party, you can get new furniture to brighten up your space.

Another fun update: you can find a custom attachment for your deck's railing. Add a table, brackets for a planter, a hook for decorations or an umbrella for shade. We've got a range of deck railing attachments you can browse here.


More Deck Project Resources