Do I need to sand my deck before oiling?

[pgiudice]

Hi there,

I'm wanting to renew my front and back decks but wondering if sanding is necessary or if I can simply clean and oil them? 

The decks have deteriorated quite a bit, as seen in the attached pics. 

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Penny.

 

 

[KatieC]

Hi @pgiudice,

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Workshop community! It is great to have you here, thank you for asking about renewing your deck.

Our resident D.I.Y. guru @EricL will be on later this afternoon, but let me tag @Adam_W, @DIY_Dan, and @Nikkaz as they will have some great about sanding from their own experiences. In the meantime, check out this article written by Dan: Deck strip, sand and oil | Bunnings Workshop community on what he did for his deck.

I am looking forward to seeing your before and after photos.

Katie

[pgiudice]

Thanks Katie! I had a look at Dan's article and there seem to be some great tips in there. I started cleaning my deck today in preparation for sanding (which I think I'll need to do). But the biggest hurdle so far seems to be punching down the deck nails - they're small round circular nails with a dome top and I can't seem to budge them with a nail punch and hammer... Any tips to help me get through that part would be appreciated! 😀

[EricL]

Hello @pgiudice

It's great that my colleague @KatieC has pointed you in the right direction. @DIY_Dan's deck renovation project is an excellent place to start if you're looking for information about how to sand and stain your deck.

In reference to the decking nail. There's every possibility that you've got hardwood framing, if that's the case you'll need to hit the nail harder, a tapping motion won't be enough to move the nail.

Here is a link to our best advice: How do you revive a deck?

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:

• How to sand a deck  

• How to stain a deck   

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your deck rejuvenated and ready for use.

Eric