10 Simple & Thrifty Outdoor Deck Decorating Ideas

Spending time outside on the deck is far more enjoyable when the space is inviting so I’m sharing some thrifty outdoor deck ideas for Summer.

Before we get into the details of how we gave our deck an inviting and thrifty outdoor deck refresh I have to be honest.

This has been on my schedule since June!!!

But life happened and now it’s August and we are just now getting our deck ready for the Summer.

While it’s something that could really get me down, I’ve decided, “Better late than never!”

Not to mention since we’re getting this done late in the season I am starting to see sales haha!!

But for real, in our family we tend to sit outside in the evenings more frequently when the crazy heat of the Summer starts to die down.

That is just now starting to happen here in Ohio.

Today it was actually chilly enough this morning that I threw on a sweatshirt to go grocery shopping.

In my YouTube video, I talk about our thrifty outdoor deck makeover but I also share why it’s so important to me, and why I like to start my mornings with coffee out here.

Starting my mornings out on the deck is hands down one of my favorite ways to start my day.

I’d love for you to head over to find out why.

https://youtu.be/6HiYZ3sfm9Y

How do you decorate a thrifty outdoor deck or patio with flowers?

Adding greenery is one of my favorite ways to bring life to our deck (well any space really).

The first year added flowers to the deck we felt that that alone was a game changer for improving the outdoor deck space.

Add Plants on the Deck

The main way I like to decorate my outdoor living space with flowers is with simple pots just set down on the deck.

It couldn’t be any more easy.

I’ve collected a bunch of different pots over the years and I like to cluster them in the corner and fill them with flowers that repel mosquitos and smell wonderful!

Add Plants to the Deck Railing

A couple of years ago my husband suggested putting planter boxes on the railing of the deck.

I wasn’t totally sure how I felt about it, but after we did it, I loved it.

The really cool thing about adding plants to the railing is that it is a natural way to add visual “height” to the decor.

My plants on the deck floor are only as tall as they will be.

But plants on the deck railing seem taller, and I feel like it gives the space more visual interest.

Some years I planted flowers that cascade down the front of these planters and they were beautiful.

How to decorate my deck on a budget?

• Shop secondhand/garage sales/thrift stores
• Accept hand-me-downs (this furniture was given to us from my Dad when they upgraded)
• Shop plants that are small, but will get bigger
• Shop your home to make the deck an extension of your indoor living space
• Shop end of season sales

Thrifty Outdoor Deck Decorating Ideas

Some of the simple and thrifty ways that I gave my deck a refresh are

• Clean the deck
• Stain/Re-stain the deck
• Spray paint the furniture
• Add plants
• Add tiki torches
• Add a fire ring or chiminea
• Update the cushions
• Add a rug
• Less is more for decor

Wash the Deck

The first few tips are definitely the most bang-for-your-buck ideas.

It seems so simple and maybe even silly, but by washing this deck it brought it back to life in a way that we couldn’t have ever done with decorations alone.

It had been 5 years since we washed this deck last and it was in some real need of attention.

Being completely honest, we didn’t wash the deck ourselves, we asked the guys who washed our house how much it would cost for them to add the deck, and it was only $100.

Since our pressure washer died, it was an easy choice to just add it on.

But, before our pressure washer died we washed it ourselves and it was relatively easy and FREE!

Not to mention a nice way to stay cool and be productive on a hot Summer day haha!

Stain/Re-stain the Decking

The main part of our deck is composite decking.

Which is really nice for the upkeep.

But when we moved in we decided to redesign the stairs from the deck down to the patio.

Since composite isn’t cheap we decided to go with regular wood for the stairs.

Well, it’s been 3 years since we did that, so it was well overdo for us to stain the new stairs.

By doing that it made the deck, stairs, and patio feel more cohesive and it only cost us a gallon of stain.

Not that I could tell you how much that cost because we bought it last year haha!

You guys!!

This is real life.

We make plans to knock things off our list of home maintenance, and before you know it we have to “put holes in the perfectly dry-walled basement to fix the ductwork going from the dryer to the vent outside”.

This is the exact scenario that happened to us last week when we were supposed to be working on running electricity to the patio haha

Sometimes when these things happen I have no choice but to laugh.

Spray Paint Furniture

I mentioned above that this furniture is from my Dad.

He gave it to us when he upgraded his patio set a few years ago.

They still look really good, but there were a couple spots where rust was starting to show through.

But that is nothing that a can of spray paint and an afternoon can’t fix.

I stuck with the same color, but if you wanted you could completely transform your outdoor living space by changing the color.

Add Plants for Thrifty Outdoor Deck Decor

I know I already talked about this, so I wont belabor it, but adding plants to the deck is really one of the best ways we have made our deck inviting.

Not to mention if you choose the right plants then you can deter some of the unwanted bugs that make outdoor living less enjoyable.

I always ruffled the leaves of the citronella and rosemary to help make the smell stronger before I sit down to relax for the evening.

Last year I had a container herb garden on the patio and I loved it.

This year I started pulling everything out but never was able to finish it.

So having the patio done with a few herbs feels so good.

Add Plants on the Deck Railing

Again, I like to add plants at different heights because I find it makes it visually pleasing.

I also have a plant problem and I love having them around.

My biggest issue with potted plants on our deck is that I sometimes forget to water them.

Plants directly in the ground are easier to care for because they can reach their roots down deep and get more water during dry spells.

This is part of the reason why I try to be budget-friendly when shopping for plants.

The likelihood that they are going to make it all Summer long is not great.

One of the local nurseries was having a 30% sale on everything this Summer for their 100 year birthday.

Tiki Torches

We found these tiki torches at Gabes.

If you don’t have one near you, they are like a TJMaxx, Ross, or Burlington.

A store selling new stuff, but at discounted prices.

These tiki torches were $3!!

I found 3 at our local thrift store but one was busted and they were still $2.

So I felt like buying them brand new for $3 was reasonable.

Add a Chiminea/Fire Ring

This was a hand-me-down from my husbands aunt a few years ago.

I have to be honest with you, because every once in a while my husband jumps on here and reads my posts.

Soooo…the chiminea was his idea.

I told him no, that we didn’t have a place for it and I didn’t want more stuff.

My less is more mentality didn’t see how amazing this was actually going to be.

We have a regular fire pit on the patio, but the chiminea puts out a lot of heat and is great for nights when we don’t want to be out all night long.

We can just do a small fire and be out there for 1-2hrs.

It’s usually where we go when it’s a weeknight and we have to wake up early the next day.

Add a Rug

You will never believe how much I paid for this rug!

I’ve wanted a rug up here because the composit gets extremely hot in the afternoon.

Like run across the deck hot.

So I thought a rug could help with that.

I found it at a garage sale for $7!

Is it what I would have picked if I were buying a brand new rug?

No it’s not.

But like I mentioned last week it’s blue, which is my number 1 color to decorate with, and generally it’s pretty simple.

AND IT WAS ONLY $7!!!

My husband found one on amazon for $40 and thought that was a good deal, until I called him and told him about this!

I had to be patient waiting for an outdoor rug to show up at a garage sale, but I was bound and determined to find one.

Freshen up the Cushions

This is probably my favorite find of the year thrifting.

I almost shared it with you all last week when I talked about how to decorate with thrift store decor.

But then I decided to wait for this week to share it.

It was so hard!!

These are the cushions that came with the patio furniture.

They didn’t look like this when my Dad gave them to us, but I never brought them in last winter and this is what happened.

So we were brainstorming ideas to update them.

Then I found these garage saling at one of the nice neighborhood garage sales in my area.

They had them tagged for $10 so I asked for only half of them for $5 and they said, “Why don’t you take them all for $5?”

The reason they were getting rid of them was that one of the bottom cushions got hit by a hot spark and the cover started a peel away from the cushion.

It’s clearly not perfect looking, but it is still really nice to sit on.

So now I’m hunting for a cushion cover that matches, but even if I end up buying covers for all of them to match I can’t believe I found these for such a great price.

We were pricing them brand new from Home Depot or Amazon and for the couch and two chairs it was going to be $200 for decent cushions.

Like I said, I’m over the moon about this purchase and again, I’m glad I put in the time and energy to find them.

Worth every penny!

Simple Storage Solutions for Thrifty Outdoor Deck

This is the only thing left for me to find.

Right now when it rains I either leave the cushions outside or I bring them in and set them on the dining room floor beside the door.

But what I would like to have is a table that is actually a storage container to hold the cushions.

My husband has put together a design for me on google sketch-up.

Now we just have to find the extra time to build it haha!

Maybe we can do that addition to our deck next summer.

Less is More

Lastly, if you’ve been around here very long you know I’m all about less is more.

Our deck doesn’t have a bunch of extra stuff all over it.

That’s because I feel most peace when things are organized and in their home.

I’ve found for me that means I need less stuff to manage.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Have a great week! XoXo

Open Your Doors,
Aliya

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