DIY deck advice

Looking for advice. My deck has aged quite a bit in the past couple of years and is begging to be restored to its natural state plus a fresh coat of stain. Got a huge ($2k) quote from my dependable painter so trying to figure out how to lessen the load. The key issues (as you can see) some decking was replaced last year and the stain on the decking has gradually darkened over time. With so many banisters, there's lots of manpower needed to sand/Powerwash the whole deck. They look great but are too dark if I'm to strip and refinish the rest of the deck. Otherwise, physically it's in great shape.

My current plan is to rent an appropriate sander at Home Depot to do the horizontal surfaces then power-sand (with orbital hand sander) the rest. Maybe get a guy or two from Scotland road to help. The restrain the whole deck. Any better solutions from anyone who's done this?

I would suggest spending the cash on a good gas powered Power Washer. At a wide nozzle, high PSI setting it will strip the old stain without damaging the wood. Then all you have to do is spend the time is sealing and staining.

But a good power washer will pay for itself in siding cleaning, sidewalk cleaning, and car washes(foam gun attachment), etc...

My 2 cents.

I'd get a couple of more quotes and not necessarily from painters but from companies specializing in deck maintenance. When we painted our house we also had the deck done but the painter did point out that they usually do not do decks and recommended another company for future maintenance.

The price does seem very steep but without knowing the deck dimensions it may be hard to say whether it's justified or not.

I have been considering the same project and was looking into this kind of product. Haven't settled on the Behr brand but here is a link: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Deck-Patio-Restoration/BEHR-Premium-DeckOver/N-5yc1vZc7gvZc4x

I have seen the final product on a friends deck (granted it was just after completion) and it looked great. Fresh, finished and new.

I would hesitate using Rustoleum Restore or Behr DeckOver on wood. If the decking is moist, the Restore may come up in sheets in some spots while sticking like glue to others. DeckOver may have the same problem. Although Restore seems impermeable to water, it actually lets moisture through which only aggravates wet wood situations. (Restore, however, does work amazingly great on power washed concrete.)
I think Prerak77's suggestion is excellent and should be your first try. Rent a high pressure power washer and see what comes off. Do try to find out the stain that is on there now as using the same product will adhere better and look more consistent. You may find you have to go to a darker shade to even out color differences between bare wood and wood still holding some stain.

Be advised, if the wood you are sanding is the old "Wolmanized" lumber type, the dust particles ARE considered to be a carcinogen. Proper air masks and containment should be used. High incidences of esophageal (?) cancers have been reported as per the CCA chemicals used to treat the lumber. also, good luck.

Second the power washing idea. You can rent one at HD or Pioneer Rentals in Chatham. In addition to the health issues since it appears that the deck is face nailed or screwed to the structure trying to sand will result in a lot of torn sanding belts.

bobk said:

Second the power washing idea. You can rent one at HD or Pioneer Rentals in Chatham. In addition to the health issues since it appears that the deck is face nailed or screwed to the structure trying to sand will result in a lot of torn sanding belts.

I agree with this.

In my experience, the job is physically easy but very time-consuming.

Be careful if you go the pwash route. I've seen them lift and separate grain / fibers on the top boards which looks bad and makes for splinters in your feet.

Agree with @ Red Barchetta, have had that experience of fibers/grain. However, still agree economically try powerwashing.

Red_Barchetta said:

Be careful if you go the pwash route. I've seen them lift and separate grain / fibers on the top boards which looks bad and makes for splinters in your feet.

This. We tried to power wash our deck and it immediately created huge splinters. Instead we got deck wash and a scrubbing mop and washed our deck; sanded everything (including all those spindles, GAH) and then used a solid stain on the floor and semi-solid on the rails (the floor was really discolored and we didn't want it to show through). While we would have preferred a transparent stain on the whole deck, the condition of the wood just wouldn't have allowed for it. It looks a million times better now, though.

It's definitely a doable DIY job, just plan on taking a couple hours over a few weekends. We found it helpful to tag team when we stained--one person rolled/brushed while the other person back brushed right after to avoid puddles.

Good luck!

We bought a power washer and then used a stain by Thomson .. When the rain stops I'll go to the garage and get the exact name. Looks brand new and it's been a year!

Pressure wash, let dry and apply a good stain, as per manufacturers specs. Thompsons and Behr are, in my book, poop. Sikkens and Cabot are good but all staining needs yearly attention, especially on pressure treated surfaces. Pressure treated wood is fast grown, southern yellow pine and is unstable. Take a look at a cross cut of a modern, SYP board and you will see, almost 3/16th of an inch of the light, soft wood between the dark, harder portions. Horizontal out door structures are not maintenance free, even if they are poured concrete. 2k is not a bad price to properly prep and finish a medium sized deck

Does one stain over the stain that's left from power washing? Or is sanding necessary?

Sanding will be necessary if color is changed, poor maintenance or damage has occurred. Otherwise, you should be able to stain over the existing after pressure washing/cleaning. Make sure to let the wood dry for a few days before staining and follow staining instructions on the can

locowolfy said:

Be advised, if the wood you are sanding is the old "Wolmanized" lumber type, the dust particles ARE considered to be a carcinogen. Proper air masks and containment should be used. High incidences of esophageal (?) cancers have been reported as per the CCA chemicals used to treat the lumber. also, good luck.

To add to this, if the deck was installed by the previous owner, you should find out when it was built. If it was built 2003 or before, I wouldn't even sand it. 2003 was the last year in which outdoor wood was treated with CCA, which contains both chromium and arsenic. This practice was banned pretty much everywhere for lumber for residential use. Under no circumstances would I sand CCA-treated wood.

Also, if you need to re-fasten any decking made with ANY pressure-treated wood, be sure to use either stainless steel or hot-dipped double galvanized screws. Otherwise, the screws will corrode.

xavier67 said:

locowolfy said:

Be advised, if the wood you are sanding is the old "Wolmanized" lumber type, the dust particles ARE considered to be a carcinogen. Proper air masks and containment should be used. High incidences of esophageal (?) cancers have been reported as per the CCA chemicals used to treat the lumber. also, good luck.

To add to this, if the deck was installed by the previous owner, you should find out when it was built. If it was built 2003 or before, I wouldn't even sand it. 2003 was the last year in which outdoor wood was treated with CCA, which contains both chromium and arsenic. This practice was banned pretty much everywhere for lumber for residential use. Under no circumstances would I sand CCA-treated wood.

Also, if you need to re-fasten any decking made with ANY pressure-treated wood, be sure to use either stainless steel or hot-dipped double galvanized screws. Otherwise, the screws will corrode.

All that was said above is correct. I can remember building decks in the early 90's and having a skull cracking headache at the end of each day, after cutting, shaping and sanding CCA. Please be more careful than 20 something me, was

take a look at the video from This Old House
seems a lot easier than using a sander or power washer. I guess it depends on how bad the deck is.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20282692,00.html

Does anyone know why my stain is peeling? Not fading, but peeling. Was stain put on incorrectly?

thanks everyone. I've been fearful of powerwashing due to damage in the past, but maybe that was just incorrect usage. I'll post some updates when i make some progress. Still considering at least sanding the large horizontal surface.

knowlton said:

Does anyone know why my stain is peeling? Not fading, but peeling. Was stain put on incorrectly?

Yes, improper surface preperation