How to remove blue paint from Specrite pre-oiled decking?

[tomg145]

Hi all , first time poster . Im building a deck using pre oiled merbau from bunnings and wondering has anyone got an idea on how to remove the blue paint they have smeared all over the ends of the boards ?? I dont want to try a solvent in case it removes the oil too and cutting each end or sanding for that matter seems like a crazy thing to have to do . Any advice or insight appreciated.

 

[EricL]

Hello @tomg145

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you for joining us and sharing your question about your Specrite Pre-Oiled Decking.

Congratulations on your new deck. Looking at the photo you posted, it looks like safety film has been placed at the end of the panel. Would you mind just testing and seeing if you can lift or peel off the safety film? I suggest using the sharp edge of a Stanley Knife. If it's not safety film and you don't want to cut the deck panel, your next option is to sand it off. Just remember to oil the ends after you've sanded the end of the panel.     

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

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[tomg145]

Hi , Eric and thanks for the reply. No its not a film , more a paint of some sort that has been applied to protect the cut ends . Stanley blade will only take so much of mostly just the rough edges it is still then engrained into the wood . Looks like a sander or cutting is the only option , pretty annoyed as it just adds a lot of unnecessary time onto a job . Thanks again!

Tom 

[MitchellMc]

Hi Tom (@tomg145),

I believe that is a wax applied to prevent moisture from entering and exiting the timber's end grain, but I'm more familiar with seeing it on our Merbau posts and beams. It prevents checking which are cracks that develop from the cut ends. I would suggest it's used to ensure the boards don't check in transport. It might also have to do with Merbau discolouring at the end of boards. Your boards are pre-oiled with a transfer coat. I'd suggest most people would lay them straight onto a deck without oiling the ends of the boards. If the ends of the boards aren't sealed correctly not only can you get checking, but a black discolouration.

If you have a circular saw, you can take a millimetre or two off the end of the boards, which should remove it. The best way to do this would be to lay them and then trim them all to size at the same time. If you do, I'd suggest you re-oil the ends every time you oil the deck to avoid issues.

Alternatively, I'd be happy to facilitate a refund on them at your local store. The team might also be able to suggest an option that doesn't have the ends sealed.

Mitchell

[tomg145]

Thanks mate , yeah definitely more a wax /hard chalk material.. seems cutting is only option as sanding with belt sander removes it real good but disc is clogged with the blue material after sanding one and that gets expensive real quick . With 35 boards in total its an extra 70 cuts I really dont want to do !!! Cheers for the return offer but im too far in at this stage … cheers 

[MitchellMc]

Are you able to do the one cut after laying them Tom (@tomg145)?

Mitchell

[tomg145]

I assume you mean lay them, then cut over hang ? Unfortunately not , i got 2.7m lengths. Deck is only 3.2m wide so unfortunately i gotta join some of them up .. the other problem is the chalk /wax is that thick even trying to butt them up together is next to impossible can still clearly see the blue as some is on the face of the boards too .. worried if i lay them with it on I wont get it off ! . Plan was to just have over hang on the outside edge of deck and run a circular saw straight down all the outside boards at once for a nice straight edge .

Just borrowed a mitre saw off the neighbor hopefully that speeds up the process for removing the blue and getting some boards laid , circular saw is just not cutting it the way i want . Cheers 

Tom 

[MitchellMc]

Tom (@tomg145),

Yes, I meant cutting the overhang, but as you've suggested, that's not going to solve the situation on a staggered board deck.

After the weekend, I'll be keen to reach out to the supplier to find out the purpose of the wax-dipped ends and what requires these boards to have them, whereas the rest of the pre-oiled Merbau range doesn't. 

I apologise for the inconvenience and look forward to seeing your finished deck.

Mitchell

[tomg145]

Yeah mate would be keen to know myself its obviously to protect the cut end but would be hell of a lot easier for the user if it was oil instead of thick blue wax/paint … or even some info on how to remove , what product works etc . As it stands mitre saw is the go for skimming a mil or two off the ends was way too slow and inconsistent with the circular , will upload a pic once done …

[MitchellMc]

Hi @tomg145,

I apologise for the delay in my reply. How's the deck going?

The ends of the finger jointed decking are painted blue for no other reason than to distinguish them from our other random length Merbau decking. All lengths of decking are over-cut by at least 20mm to allow the removal of the painted end by cutting it off.

As these decking products are kiln dried to a moisture content of around 12%, I was incorrect in my guess about the purpose of the paint. The product is very stable at this moisture content, so end splitting is not an issue. 

I hope that clears up the reasoning behind the paint. I'll be looking forward to seeing your finished results.

Mitchell