Restaining a deck for first time.?
Question:My husband chose to restain our house length deck red. Fine, but he/we have never done it before and we are basically winging it. He's pressure washed it, and sanded it mostly. (I need to figure out how to sand between the spindles that hold the rail up. I've been doing it by hand poorly) Then he wants to finish by rewashing it (since it's been a few weeks from the first wash) and then stain it over a weekend.
Where and why are we doing wrong and how to do it right/better would be appreciated.
I think and still think that we would have been better hiring someone that knew what they were doing. Help please!
Answers:
DIY home improvement is the best thing you can do. It'll give you a sense of accomplishment and quite possibly at the same time give the guys something to joke about over a beer.
The only way I know of sanding rails is by hand or with a sandblaster, but the blasting part can be a bit of a hassle. So I appologize that I can't help you there.
But I do know that if you don't let that deck dry COMPLETELY before staining you will end up with a funky looking deck. You need a good 24-48 hours of sunshine and low humidity.
You are doing fine. There are sanders available with all kinds of nifty attachments for sanding irregular and hard to reach places. They are available at most DIY stores. You do not need an expensive model. Spend your money buying a better grade of stain. It does make a difference. I highly recommend Pittsburgh Paints Rez stain or Olympic Premium.
Staining a deck is a project a home-owner can do themselves. But then, time is money and a professional can do the job much more quickly than you.
It sounds like you have it under controll. dont worry too much about sanding between the ballisters, a dark enough stain will hide the difference between sanded and un-sanded wood.
I suggest you stain by hand, do not try to use a sprayer. you might be tempted to spray, especially if you have a lot of square feet. Don't. It will get messy. Overspray will be a HUGE problem for you.
It honestly wont take that long to stain by hand, and either way you will get stain on yourself.
BTW, consumer reports rated Cabots and Behr Plus as the the best deck stain and sealer.
As far as sanding between the spindles, you can hand sand this area or get a detail sander. There are a number of different styles available. I would stain the deck with the best oil base stain, such as Pittsburgh deck stain. you can choose either transparent or solid color. I prefer the transparent because the wood grain will show then. I hope this helps.
yea hiring me would be a plus , but you guys are on the right track email me and I will give you step by step advise including Ideas on products to use I have been doing this for years down here in tejas and have had good results including my house your friend the fisherman
where do you live i make my living that way
i can hear all the tool men out there grunting and strapping on tool belts in your honor. lay off the power washing unless u have a thick thick layer of mold. bleach and detergent will get it clean with a little elbow grease from a push broom scrubbing. please make sure it is good and dry. cut the edges in first with a brush. u can use a stain mitt on the spindles or brush. wipe off splatters from the spindles or railing as it will show when you do the deck . i use a roller with a broom handle to do the deck. if u get a nice squishy roller, it will get into the cracks very nicely. please take pressure washer away from husband. he is forcing too much water into wood. let him play with another powertool. maybe buy him that new black and decker trimmer that looks like sharks jaws. have fun. will be there for grand deck opening. sign me up for potato salad.
just refinished my deck. I bought deck wash that worked great you can buy it at any home center if the wood is in decent shape you will not need to sand. you will however have to let it dry 48 hours before staining
if the deck has never been stained then you can use chlorine bleach with a broom type scrubber in addition to the pressure washer if it hes existing stain using ammonia will remove the stain then rinse it good with plenty of water. unstained the bleach will make it look like new you can use a garden sprayer to apply the bleach or the ammonia and also you can use compressed air to make it clean the cracks. it has to dry thoroughly for a few days. about the sanding :don't sand it to smoothly be cause it will become very slippery and you could fall and injure yourself in wet times,also,be sure to use adequate eye and breathing protection.safety 1st. this will work.
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