We really wanted to get a good, solid playset for our kids -- something like a Rainbow or a Backyard Adventures set with big, heavy timbers that wouldn't sag or rot easily. Of course, this type of playset is very expensive for even a base model ($1500 for a BA playset that had only monkeybars and swings; $1250 for a really basic Rainbow). We knew we needed a set with 3 swings and we were hoping to get monkey bars and a clubhouse of some sort. I scoured Craigslist for a month or more, looking for a used playset. We found several that were in good condition, but most were either too big for our yard or too expensive or both. A few were the right price and size, but we didn't act quickly enough and they were snapped up.
Finally, one day I found a Rainbow playset on Craigslist for just $700. I called immediately and left a message. Long story short, the sellers happened to live just 2 blocks from us, the set was exactly what we were looking for, was in excellent condition, and had been installed on a level yard (this is very important if you're buying a used set -- unlevel conditions mean they may have jerryrigged it to sit level and the whole set can end up warped).
Here it is when we first bought it and set it up in our yard:
The set was 6 years old, and Rainbow replaced -- for FREE -- the one board that had rotted out in that time AND the one beam that was damaged when the set was disassembled. Rainbow will do this for the original owners if they present the damaged boards and their original receipt. The sellers were more than happy to do this for us. For the record, you can still take your damaged bits in without a receipt and they'll replace them for a fee as well; still a pretty good deal to know you can always replace anything that rots or breaks with an exact match.
It needed a new stain job, so my husband power washed it (not technically difficult, but somewhat fussy as the playset has a lot of surfaces) and I stained it. I used Behr Premium Semi Transparent deck stain in Redwood Naturaltone, which is an EXACT match to the original finish on the Rainbow boards. I would probably not have chosen this color, but since we had two replacement boards that were already pre-stained, I thought it best to have everything match. When it has to be done again in 4-6 years, I'll choose a different color. I used a large deck staining pad and a little paint pad and an angled brush made for stain products. It took me about 3 hours to do the whole thing and yes, it was a pain in the you-know-what.
Here it is all beautified:
The board holding up the canopy right next to the slide was replaced, but with the new stain job, you can't really tell.
It makes me happy every time I look out my window.
I'm linking to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day 'cause I did this MYSELF!
3 comments:
wow! glad you got such a nice set for a good price!
You did a great job staining it!
way to go mom!gail
Wow! That looks like it was a big job! Looks great!
Thanks for your comment on my blog about the bathroom. Those big mirrors are scary, aren't they? We were lucky because ours was not glued to the wall. So, between my hubby & I, we carefully carried it out of the house. (It's a heavy sucker!) Then wrapped it in painters plastic (that comes in a roll) placed it on the grass & smashed it. Then, using gloves, rolled up the plastic & threw it in the trash. If your's is glued to the wall, I've seen people use painters tape all over the front of the mirror so it won't break all over. I hope all of the rambling helps. Good luck!
Have a great weekend!
Did you remove all the hardware (handles, etc.) prior to staining? Or, did you just stain around the hardware? We have a Rainbow Playset and I am preparing to do the full power-wash/re-staining project. Our set has a climbing wall, so I am assuming I'll need to remove the handholds to do a good job staining it. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated.
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