A step up from a kiddie pool and much less of a commitment than a built-in swimming pool, the above-ground pool has seen a wave of new interest this summer. If you’re one of the many who succumbed or are on the verge, consider taking inspiration from Manda McGrath of The Merrythought blog.
After acquiring a metal-walled pool for her three boys, she upgraded the look with nothing more than a coat of paint. Come see the transformation.
Photography courtesy of The Merrythought.
Before
Above: Manda’s family of five live in rural Western New York. She bought their pool for $300 (pump, ladder, and cover included) on Craig’s List, an approach we applaud as both a huge money saver—a similar new model goes for $2,396—and a way to keep the parts out of landfill. Still, it didn’t exactly enhance the yard.
After
Above: “I always said I wouldn’t get one of these pools because I don’t like the way they look,” says Manda. “Three little boys quickly changed my mind on that.” Known for her simple, resourceful DIYs, she and her husband, Mike, upgraded the aluminum sides with Rust-Oleum’s Flat Black paint in an oil base “because it’s better on metal and will hold up.”
Above: A crucial first step before painting: clean the walls “really, really well—after scrubbing them, we used a pressure washer.” Manda chose black because it goes with another DIY project, their patio wall, and she hoped the dark color would help warm the water (“unfortunately, we haven’t noticed it helping much with that”).
Above: One coat of paint seemed to do the trick—”we’ll see how it holds up over the winter; if need be, it will get a spring touchup.” They taped off the white posts and top rail, which they left as they were, and used a roller on the panels and a brush on the edges. Manda is now wondering whether to go ahead and paint the whole thing black—what do you think?
For full details, go to The Merrythought. And here are some more of our favorite Merrythought DIYs: