Monday

Replace Playground Canopy with a Wood Roof

When a family with six kids lives someplace long enough, stuff eventually wears out.

That would be true for the canopy on our Rainbow Play System.  The playground has seen a lot of action and the red, yellow and blue canopy was ripped and shredding.


Some of the corner flags had broken off due to the fact they were used for many a game of capture the flag.


Trying to find a replacement canopy for our model number was harder than I thought.  Do you think I could find one?  Of course not.  I did find the knock off's that say they will fit, but considering I never really liked the original colors all that much I didn't want to pay $75 dollars for one that looked like a tarp.


I inquired of the man with the saw if he thought it would be easy to update it with a wood roof.  Nothing fancy and I didn't want it to take till Fall to complete.  No problem he said.


Instead of a solid color I wanted to do the boards like the porch bench he recently made, each one different.


We started out with 3/4" boards of various widths - 3 widths to be exact.  Brawn cut them to size and made the bottoms sort of rounded like an awning.


Next we lined up all the paint cans from the garage and a bin of dollar store paint brushes and I picked whatever can was closest and started painting boards.

I ended up using a brown, a dark gray, green, cream and that awful purple/pink color that went on the dresser bar.  Once it's wiped with dark stain it looks a deep wine color and I can live with that.

Bright Purple/Pink color after it is washed with dark stain

After the boards were done they were all bright and newly painted looking.  And I didn't like that look.  See how that purple/pink color looks before the dark stain wash - YUCK!  I used my favorite dark Olympic Stain for the wash to age them and tone each color down.


Some rain came through and changed my plans to put several coats of marine varnish on before installation, so this week I'll be finishing that up. 

First the nail gun was used to tack the wood on, then the crossmembers were added on the underside and it was all screwed together.


I love how it turned out.  For half the price of a canopy top we have a roof that the wind won't be able to blow off.



The only thing left was some new flags.


Last summer I picked up a bunch of leather sample pieces at a garage sale for a dime each.  I painted some dowels I found hiding in the garage, cut the flags, stapled them on the dowel, and screwed one on each corner.  I love how those turned out too.


I wonder how many folks have leather playground flags made from furniture fabric samples?  They won't last forever and eventually I will have to make some bigger better ones, but for this summer I'm calling it complete.

After with new wood roof

The to-do list is slowly but surely being picked away at.  I think it only has 50 chores left on it.  I noticed we never put the third swing back up after the baby swing was taken off last summer.  So make that 51 chores.


Linking the Playground Roof Replacement up at:
Freaking Awesome Friday @MellywoodsMansion
It's Party Time @ThreeMangoSeeds
Homework Wednesday @TheEverydayHome
All Things Summer @TwoTwentyOne
Craft-o-Maniac Monday@CraftOManiac 
The Scoop @TheFarmhousePorch

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53 comments :

  1. Anonymous7/01/2013

    Waaaay better than a tarp looking roof!

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  2. It looks so beautiful Bliss!!! What a cool update :)

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  3. I saw love that roof bliss. Now I don't feel so bad..I currently have 49 projects on the list. I guess it could be worse.

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  4. Make that 50. Gotta learn how to spell. I so love that roof.

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  5. I have 72 on my list...but that roof looks great! (Brawn may even decide to move in when he's being ornery.

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  6. I love the new roof and those flags are great too!

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  7. I love that! That looks better and more expensive than the tarp (to me). Y'all are so resourceful. You're sooooooo lucky to have a husband that knows so much about carpentry. Mine is handy, but not THAT handy! LOL! Love the little flags you added too. If our son wasn't getting so much older, I would improve his playset, but he doesn't use it much so it's probably on it's last year.

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  8. Very classy playground at the ranch! No blue tarps for your bunch. :)

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  9. Super awesome! I am not even sure if I can count high enough to tell how many chores we have on our list!

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  10. Oh, I love it, but I must say when you mentioned, "capture the flag," I nearly went into a fear-induced coma. I'd never heard of capture the flag until last year, when my then 21-year-old son played on the quad at the local U, and decided to trip while running and use his face as a battering ram and tried to take out another guy's knee. Guess who won? Yep, he knocked out (completely) 2 of his front teeth. And now he needs root canals... {shudder!!!}

    I really do love your new can-o-pee tho!!!

    -andi

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  11. That 'man with the saw' I want me one of them. Well, you know Mrs. B, I'm not really looking at the moment, but if I ever do, I want him to have Brawn's mad skills !

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  12. Wow so much better and more custom. Like the idea of colored wood pieces too. So nice to have a handy guy around!

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  13. Hey!
    We recently did this same project...we went with John Deere yellow and green on ours...but it looks great.
    I love the flags on yours, very cool...and the striped boards are neat too.
    Love the originality of this project.
    :P

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  14. We got rid of our wooden playset last year. :( I love the new roof and the little sign at the top. Those flags are ingenious!

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  15. Pretty cool Bliss. Love the stripes.

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  16. That looks awesome!! Love the mixed wood look - the flags are pretty awesome too! And I hear ya on the never-ending list - I swear two more chores appear before I get one done! ;)

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  17. wow Bliss! that new roof is so awesome, so much better than canvas! I still want to make a bench like this! In fact, I think I know when I'll do it.... for a class I'll be teaching. hmmm yep! I believe I will.

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  18. What a great idea! I'm filing it under "why didn't I think of that when we replaced our roof last year"! I will so copy you on this when the current tarp wears out. You Are A Genius!

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  19. Where is the picture of you sliding down the slide to celebrate a job well done?

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  20. What a great look...a real improvement over the tarp look!

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  21. love the roof that Brawn is one handy guy the grands will love this

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  22. Making over playground equipment....brilliant! So much better than a tarp, which would have been my "go to" plan. Way to use up some of that extra paint too. The flags from the samples..very clever. I had never heard of "capture the flag" until I moved to Montana. We always played "Kick the Can" growing up in Chicago.

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  23. This just ROCKS, Bliss -- I love it, like a real playhouse with wood and leather and stuff. Cool... I would totally hang out there. :)
    xo Heidi

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  24. Bliss,
    Now that was a great idea! I love how you used left over paint and put it to good use! Can I come over and swing? We don't have one for Miss Precious :)
    Hugs,
    Joy

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  25. FUN!! We replaced ours last year with barn tin :)

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  26. Okay, just when are you going to send Brawn to my house 'cuz I got a much bigger list than you do. You really should loan that guy out, Bliss!! My latest project is moving the bar in my basement from one wall to the other...easy peasy...it'll only take him a few hours!

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  27. Bliss, this is so cool, what a great idea and job!!! I like it so much and I think it looks better then any roof covering you would have purchased! Have a great fourth!

    Cynthia

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  28. Love, love, love this project. You come up with some of the best ideas. I like the wood roof much better than the tarpy kind and this is perfect.

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  29. It looks great; love the flags. 51 items on your to-do list--how many of those are Brawn's??

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  30. You have the most stylish playground in the county. No, make that the state!

    :) Linda

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  31. This is just plain awesome!! Such a great idea! And I love the repurposed leather flags too!

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  32. You do know that as soon as those 51 chores are done there will be a list with 36 new chores.

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  33. I am so impressed you still have your playground up!!! What a great idea to replace the roof with the wood, I love it, so much better than the faded canvas, and the flag is the best part! We took ours down a few years ago to make way for a veggie garden. We are squeezed in here between two other houses, how nice to have choices on your property!

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  34. I bet the kids will spend hours under that new canopy (away from the adults!) Done in true Bliss form, it's fabulous. From the varied wood planking to the leather flags, it's so original. Glad you are down to only 50 on your list (or 51 with the baby swing.) Moving right along!!

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  35. Wow...gives it a custom look. I just have one question though. Where can I get me one of those man with a saw?
    Deb

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  36. That's the fanciest little playground roof! Ours is made of tarp, so your husband wins this round.

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  37. "The Man of the Saw" may as well be "The Man of Steel". He saves the day again and again. I'm going to go and lament the fact that I have wood projects to do and no saw man to tackle them for me. [insert pouty face here]. While I'm outside sweating, I will picture your fantastic wood project complete with flags to inspire me. The flags were genius. If I had a playground/fort, I would copy that in a heartbeat.
    Liz

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  38. Totally Blissful. But don't underestimate the durability of leather for the flags.

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  39. I Love it! Very pretty actually.

    I also enjoyed your inquiring of the man and your 50+ list of chores.

    I just realized I had a few chores that I could cross off the other day. Is it odd that I've gotten to the point where I don't recall that I need to feel a sense of accomplishment? As I deleted them from my phone, I said aloud "Wow! That only took two months!"

    Slow and Steady!

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  40. This is so cool! I love the way you put color together. The flags-great idea! I know whatcha mean about all the summer chores left to tackle ... school will start before we know it and then it's Christmas ... I better get busy. Have a good week Bliss!

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  41. Wonderful idea! And permanent!
    Brenda

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  42. I wish my roof was so pretty! Leather flags, oh yeah! Pinned and loved by me ;)
    Debbie

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  43. That's an awesome replacement, much better than a tarp. I love that it's all the different colours. I bet the grands love coming to visit.

    Thanks for linking with me Bliss :)

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  44. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.
    Roofing Contractors in Sarasota

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  45. Some of the corner flags had broken off due to the fact they were used for many a game of capture the flag.roof contractors

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  46. I think that if i install roof into the house so, we must discussed with a best contractor for knowing more about the discussion. Keep it up. new construction roofers

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  47. That's great information. Thanks for sharing this blog. I did a search and found your blog and glowing review. It's been a big help! Thanx!www.babychortle.com

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  48. How to buy/install Sheet Metal Roofing?
    metal roofing

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  49. having problem roof leaks ceiling colaping?
    Monroe roofing

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  50. This is really cool replacement. This is a great idea I'll definitely try this. By profession I am a Roofing Contractor at Maryland and I have learnt new ideas from here.

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  51. the Wood Roof is great. I'm impressed . thanks for the share your idea.
    That's the fanciest little playground roof! Ours is made of tarp, so your husband wins this round. lopez

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