Treehouse / Playground Makeover

I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be working with Clancy’s Rainbow and Benjamin Moore on this next project – which is a doozy…

Treehouse / Playground makeover!

We purchased this commercial grade treehouse / playground years ago for $250.

I KNOW!

The hotel that it belonged to clearly didn’t know the going price for outdoor playgrounds, so we ran off with a steal. Like RAN, as fast as we could with 16 foot 6×6 posts. (visualize the Ikea lady speed-walking yelling “start the car!”)

We added two platforms, the rope net and a couple of 6×6 posts to spread it out a bit and the kids loved it.

All the kids – friends, relatives, neighbours – I couldn’t keep them out of it.

Until now.

Now my babies are 9 and 11 and too cool to be seen on a playground. Activities have shifted from running, climbing and jumping to sitting with friends and gabbing.

I’m not ready to give up on their childhood or our awesome treehouse / playground just yet – so I decided to “Tween it up” to buy a few more years.

I took photos of the set to show to Leisa and her design team at Clancy’s Rainbow and asked what they could come up with (I always go in and ask them what to do – they know far more than I do about anything and everything paint, paper and design). Her design consultants brainstormed for a few days and came back with a plan.

Like a SERIOUS plan:

We had to work within the parameters of the slides – so purple and yellow had to stay – but the rest was up for suggestions.

Did I mention that Clancy’s Rainbow has design consultants in-store? Not only can they suggest a colour for an individual project, but they can also create a plan for your entire home. In-store design consultations are free, but for a small fee they will also go to your home and bring your space to life – just look at the above – and that’s just a playhouse!

Because this treehouse / playground makeover is going to be a biggie, I thought I’d break it down into bite-sized portions; today being the structure and overall colour.

Since the girls are more about iPads and lounging I decided to close in our playground along the back to give it more of a “club house” feel.

This part of the building was pretty easy because I used full-length fence boards – no cutting necessary. I attached 2×4″ pressure treated boards between the 6×6″ posts and then screwed each fence board to them using 2″ deck screws. (deck screws are preferred over regular wood screws so they don’t rust out and stain the wood)

I closed in three back sections, the tall side section and a small section underneath the slides to give it a cozy, hangout feel.

Once all of that was done, came the hard work.

Weathered wood and previously stained wood (both of which I have in our treehouse) need to have the fibrous outer layer removed or it will slough off and take your newly stained work with it. (Leisa taught me this) Benjamin Moore does offer different stain, mildew and cleaning products, but Leisa suggested I go at it with a sander.

Yup, the ENTIRE play structure with a hand sander until all the previous stain, mildew and grayed wood was gone.

This is a pretty big playground, and that is a pretty small sander – needless to say my right arm is now Popeye-sized and my left is sort of ratty looking.

Once that was done I pressure washed it to remove excess dust and then let it dry completely.

Finally – the fun part – adding colour!

The team at Clancy’s Rainbow chose a solid stain in platinum gray;

For a treehouse, playground, fence or deck Arborcoat® premium exterior stain offers these benefits:

Enhances and protects while still allowing the texture of the wood to show through
Suitable for use on all types of wood and composite Decking and siding. It is important to remember that composite decking is long lasting and better for the environment. So this could be a potential option for you in the future.
Superior UV protection
Resists blistering, peeling, stains, and scuffs
Mildew resistant
Excellent touch up and re-coat properties
Self-priming in most situations
Available in thousands of colours
Available in solid stain (which I used here), semi-solid stain, semi-transparent stain and clear coat.
Water-based for easy clean-up – okay, I added this one but it’s a serious perk!

Because of the size of our treehouse / playground I did end up using a sprayer to apply the Arborcoat®, and you can see how the texture of the wood still shows through. I have used Arborcoat® before on my DIY potting bench and I can tell you honestly that it never faded, peeled, chipped or showed any signs of mildew in all the years I had it. Truly impressive and one of the reasons I was so excited that Clancy’s Rainbow suggested it for this project.

Everywhere got a single coat – the new clubhouse underneath;

All of the platforms and backings;

Even the giant expanse of wood on the outside (this won’t be bare for long though!)

Just a single coat and look at the coverage! No priming, no top coat, no sealer = BONUS

What do you think?

Ignore the overspray – the next part of the treehouse / playhouse makeover is the metal work.

I’m not 11 anymore – my IQ maybe, but not my body and brain – and I would TOTALLY hang out in this new treehouse already!

Keep following along, there are several more pieces in this project and you won’t believe the final outcome!

Thank you so much to Leisa and her design team at Clancy’s Rainbow – this is going to be the playground to beat all playgrounds thanks to your talent and designs.