68 Deck Color Ideas

Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, in the country or by the shore, a deck is a welcome place to bask in the sun. To create your dream deck, you must choose a deck color that complements your home’s exterior. Decking color options are more varied than ever, so deciding might be difficult.

Let your home and deck design lead you in selecting a deck paint or stain color scheme. Modern homes can carry a dark paint color–even black–on the deck, while a coastal home might need a lighter color and a natural wood tone.

Take a look at our best deck color ideas before settling on the perfect hue for your deck.

1. Elegant Shades of Gray in Deck Color Ideas

Once considered dull and uninspiring, gray has enjoyed a resurgence as a goes-with-everything neutral color. Gray wood stains or deck paint add character to a wood deck.

Gray comes in a huge range of warm and cool shades, from pale stone to deep charcoal. Any of these hues work especially well on a white home with black trim, as gray serves as a bridge between these extremes.

Gray is a calming neutral canvas behind pops of bright color. Composite decking is a durable, low-maintenance deck floor material that comes in a wide range of gray hues. Purchasing a Trex deck or other gray composite deck eliminates the need for paint or stain. While it’s a higher expense initially, not having to refinish the deck stain color every few years saves money over the long term.

2. Captivating Slate

Natural slate is a cool, dark-colored stone that can be used for a deck floor. Slate gray is also a popular color for wood stain and concrete decks. Many people who love this shade of gray choose paint or tinted concrete because real slate can be slippery when wet, making it a less-than-ideal decking surface.

Slate-colored tiles make a great deck surface since they mimic the real thing but can be found with slip-resistant finishes. Dark slate gray is one of the best deck stain color ideas for a modern home’s wooden deck. Pair it with black balusters and rails for a sleek, contemporary vibe.

3. Enhancing Your Deck’s Beauty with Stains

Deck stain not only provides the color you want, but it also protects your investment from the elements. The type of deck stain you choose determines how much of the wood’s natural characteristics shine through. For example:

• Solid stain: Covers most of the wood’s color and grain, much like paint. Choose solid deck stain if your deck color ideas are based on achieving a dark, uniform appearance. 
• Semitransparent stain: Provides UV protection and weatherproofing while allowing the wood’s natural characteristics to shine through. Use this when your deck ideas include purchasing a good-quality type of wood.
• Clear wood preserves: If you’re planning a natural wood deck makeover with redwood, cedar, or another beautiful wood, this clear finish will showcase its beauty. These clear stain products provide weatherproofing and UV protection but allow the wood’s characteristics to be the focus of your porch, patio, or pool deck.

Each type of deck stain comes in a range of tints and hues. Most are in the brown, tan, gray, or redwood color families.

4. Embrace the Warmth of Tan

Tan ranges from the palest, coolest khaki to deep shades of honey and maple. Tan is a popular stain color for decks because it goes with virtually any home exterior color scheme.

Nearly every natural shade of wood falls into the tan spectrum, making tan deck stains the best at honoring the material’s natural characteristics. Tans and browns are also excellent choices in desert environments, where their hues coordinate well with the surrounding landscape.

Natural stone or brick pavers are the other great choices if you prefer tan deck surfaces. Light brown, beige tiles or stone are ideal around a fire pit, or for creating a path leading to a garden pergola.

Tint a concrete pool deck with a sandy shade of tan to highlight the water’s blue brilliance on a sunny day. A warm, reddish tan pool deck paint looks stunning below redwood porch furniture.

5. Exploring Two-Tone Deck Color Combinations

If you can’t narrow your deck color ideas down to one, there are plenty of ways to use two or more colors in your deck design.

Pair warm brown balusters and deck boards with glossy black handrails and columns. Dark deck and step surfaces make white posts and handrails pop. Some deck designs incorporate three or more colors, such as gray, maple, and black.

For a long-lasting two-tone deck, choose gray composite decking in a dark slate and a slightly lighter shade of gray.

Professional deck builders can offer a variety of layout ideas, such as using a dark border around a lighter main deck. Deck boards can also be arranged in a herringbone or pattern that showcases two hues within the same color family.

6. Timeless and Serene

While an all-white deck may be harder to keep clean than other colors, sometimes it’s the best choice.

Coastal homes and Victorian porches often look best with white decking color, white rails, and white trim. A white deck serves a practical purpose in hot climates, as it reflects rather than absorbs heat from the intense midday sun.

A white deck can also be a great choice for a modern home, especially if the home’s exterior is predominantly white.

A white tile deck with metal handrails is the epitome of minimalist, sleek perfection. Regardless of your home’s style, white is the quintessential blank canvas that allows your furniture, flowers, and artwork to be your deck‘s focal points.

7. Embracing Nature

If you want your deck or patio to blend into the natural surroundings, you can’t go wrong with natural wood finishes.

Although the look of bare wood is appealing, you must use some type of stain or finish to weatherproof the surface. Semitransparent stains are a great way to add a hint of color to the deck without hiding a beautiful wood grain.

Take home several color samples to see which wood stain color works best with your landscape.

A warm maple shade may feel appealing in the store, but when you see it in your natural lighting, a cooler ash shade might be the perfect hue. Consider using two shades of wood stain to add depth and interest to your deck design.