Deck - sanding, washing, pressure hose or a combination?

[monte]

Hi,

I want to know how to handle the different parts of my deck. Some parts are weathered and cracked and some parts are still looking ok (much less weathered). Do I wash then sand? Do I wash with a deck cleaning detergent or should I use a pressure hose? Do I use a pressure hose on all parts of the deck - the weathered and the less weathered? And do I sand all parts of the deck or just the weathered parts?

Thank you in advance.

monte

Community manager's note: Check out How to renovate a timber deck for expert advice.

[EricL]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @monte. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about which procedure should you do first to prepare your deck for repainting.

To give your deck a uniform overall clean, I recommend doing the same procedure on all areas. Sweep the entire deck clear of leaves, branches, and debris. Next, use a power washer to clean the deck and clear out the gaps between the decking panels. If you decide to sand the deck after washing, I suggest using a nail punch to push the nails back into the decking panel. This will prevent your sander from catching on the nail heads and ruining the sanding belt.

After sanding the entire area, I suggest using Cabot's 1L Deck Clean.  It will rejuvenate and restore the decking timber. It will also prepare the timber for painting. Your objective is to have sunny weather for at least a week before you begin your project. It sounds like a fantastic makeover project. Any updates you can provide would be much appreciated.

Here are some deck renewal discussions you'll find helpful.

• Decking revamp by @Nikkaz
• Pressure clean sand and stain outdoor deck by @indeed
• Refinishing a deck by @Nadine1

Here are some links to handy step-by-step guides.

• How to clean a deck 
• How to sand timber floors
• How to sand a deck
• Choosing the right finish for your deck 
• How to oil your deck

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your deck clean, sanded, and ready for painting.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @monte. It's wonderful to have you join us and we look forward to reading about more of your projects and plans for around the house and garden. 

It's great you've received expert advice from Eric. After you clean the deck, perhaps you might like to share some more photos if you are still torn over whether to sand it or not. Personally, I think it will be worth the effort. You might like to see my own experience when hiring a floor sander to rejuvenate a deck in similar condition in this article: Deck renewal using floor sander.

Hope that helps,

Jason

[monte]

Hi Jason and Eric.

Thank you for your replies. I am very doubtful about all this. It just doesn't seem right to cut all parts of the deck back to bare boards. Some parts of the decks (there are multiple) are well covered and in half reasonable shape (see the middle photo - unwashed). Why would I completely sand them back to bare boards.

Jason, the link you provided saying the boards were in a similar condition to mine doesn't sit with me looking at the photos.

I don't mind doing a light sanding on the better boards and cutting back the worse boards but I want to know how that is done. Or do you still think cut them all back to bare boards? Can you "lightly" sand relatively ok boards (like the ones pictured?  And if you agree with me about taking a more nuanced approach to the different parts of the decks, then how do you sand lightly - what grit would be used?

I am sorry if I am being difficult. I hope you can see my point. 

Thanks again,

monte

[Jason]

It's obviously your choice @monte. I just feel that it will be very difficult to get a uniform appearance if you don't sand all the boards. And if you were going to the trouble of hiring a floor sander to make the job quick and easy, you would definitely do the lot. What you have is very common as most decks would have sections where they are more exposed to the elements than others. 

As previously suggested, we would encourage you to do the clean and then take some photos and assess next steps. 

All the best,

Jason

[EricL]

Hello @monte

I understand your hesitancy in sanding a part of the deck that is still in good condition. Not to mention that sanding the entire deck back to bare board is a lot of work. The reason for sanding it all back to bare board is uniformity. Stains when placed on bare timber will give you a true colour finish. If the board has any of the old stains, it will produce a different result. You won't get a uniform finish as that side will be darker and the bare sanded side will be lighter.

The other consequence of not sanding properly will be that the board will only be surface stained. It's either the stain won't dry properly or will flake off in a few weeks. It would be sad to see all that hard work go to waste.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your deck once it's finished.

Eric