Deck strip, sand and oil

[DIY_Dan]

Hi Workshoppers,

I thought my deck experience might prove a handy reference for many on here. Our deck was about 5 years old and ready for re-oiling - after earlier failed attempts I knew that a total strip and sand would be necessary to get the best result.

This was the original state, clearly in need of some attention.

Initially I resorted to using Power Prep and the pressure sprayer, which wasn't quite enough for stripping back of the existing deck finish. Here is one of the initial stages of using Power Prep.

I shifted tactics to a paint stripper (Liquid 😎 which was a little more potent and got the result I needed.  You can see how effective it was in the photo below.

After going over the entire deck with Liquid 8 and the pressure sprayer, I decided to sand the entire surface.  I wanted a really high quality result when oiling, and so took the time not only to sand, but to sand over the decking twice.

Below is a photo after a coarse sanding (P40 sandpaper) and then a fine sanding (P280 sandpaper). Smooth as a baby's bottom now!

I'm about to add a couple of coats of oil, and will share pictures when done!  Can't wait to see how it comes up now that the hard work has been done - anticipation in the household is high as you might imagine.

[antonio]

hi Russel,

my name is Antonio, i do up decks for a living and other things around the house.

i'm just going to sugest something to you,

if the paint is hard to remove, i would leave it there, i would use the

same product (if possible, if not at list the same base)

you say yours is acrylic, you could get the same thing, give it a nice send

with an orbital sender, 120 grit and then apply your product,

you may need to do 4 or 5 coats to blend the new and the old, but i'm sure

you could get a nice rusult.

we never know till we try.

good luck.

Antonio

[Jason]

Thanks for joining in the discussion and sharing your experience @antonio. I'm sure @Russell appreciates the advice.

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. It's great to have you as a community member. It sounds like you have a lot of knowledge and expertise you can share with others. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts soon. I hope you will also receive helpful information and some inspiration for projects from our community members, too. 

Please let me know if you ever need any help getting the most from the site, or have any feedback about how we can make Workshop more useful for you.

Thanks again,

Jason

[Jase1188]

Just wondering, how much liquid 8 paint stripper did you use? My house has a deck which was painted grey/blue by previous owner, and i want to strip it back to bare timber to oil it, but not sure how much paint stripper i will need. The deck is approx 8m wide by 4m long. 

Thanks

[Jason]

Hi @Jase1188,

Thanks for joining in the discussion. I have tagged @DIY_Dan to alert him to your question as its been a while since he created this discussion thread.

I suspect it might be hard to estimate how much paint stripper you will need before you start as Integrain suggests that thick coatings might require more than one application. Let us know how you go. 

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. It's great to have you join us. I'm sure you will find plenty of helpful information and inspiration from our community members.  

[Titch]

My question relates to preparation of the deck.

I'm guessing that both the chemical and pressure spray preparations were not required given the decision was made to sand in the end. Is this correct.

Wouldn't sanding always be preferable to chemical preparation ....... less toxic?

Regards

Titch

[Jason]

Thanks for joining in the discussion @Titch, it's good to have you join us. Although this discussion was created several years ago, let me tag @DIY_Dan for you so he is alerted to your question.

Are you planning your own deck rejuvenation project? Please don't hesitate to hit the Start a discussion button and share details about your deck and its condition if you need a hand from the community about your specific situation. 

Welcome,

Jason

[paulrives]

Hi there @DIY_Dan,

Recognise this is an old post but hope you can help. I see your fixings are nails - were the heads proud of the boards before sanding? How did you find sanding them with nails? We have nails where the heads are proud and I am worried about stripping them if I use a floor sander.

Thanks!

Paul

[DIY_Dan]

Hey @paulrives, 

Jeez I wish they weren't nails!!!! If I could easily pull them out and replace them with screws I would. I actually went through and punched the ones that were sitting proud of the surface so that they wouldn't shred my sandpaper. Nightmare.

Good luck.

Cheers
Dan

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @paulrives. It's brilliant that you've joined us and many thanks for jumping into the conversation.

It's fantastic to see @DIY_Dan has already answered your question.

Are your nail heads so proud that they are significantly above the timber's height? Even if they are level with the timber's surface it's generally advised to punch them down before you start. If you do manage to sand a nail head off completely you can run the risk of boards popping up.

If you could share a picture of some of the worst examples I'm sure our members can offer some advice.

Mitchell

[Luciano]

Looks better  wondering how its pulled up 4 years down the track??

I only have half my deck not covered looking like this, do I need to strip and sand the entire lot do you think for consistency???