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Hi,
I just moved into a new house and need to re-oil the spotted gum wooden deck for the first time.. part of the deck is covered and the other part is open.. I have intergrain decking oil. I had a few questions before I start.
1. Do I need to sand my deck before oiling ? If so should it be done before cleaning or after. And also what grit sandpaper should I be using.
2. Do I need to fill in the cracks before oiling. I don’t see any major cracks. But the exposed part of the deck seems to look worned out.
3. What deck cleaner can I use for cleaning the deck.
4. Should 2 coats of oil be good enough if I plan to re-oil every 12 months?
5. In general, What is the best way to keep the deck looking clean and shiny between the oil coats.
Looking forward to hearing from the experts
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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @RajeshKalloor. It's brilliant that you've joined us and many thanks for the questions about restoring your deck.
1. It looks like your deck is on the borderline between needing to be sanded and not. You could re-coat, but there is a fair amount of scratching on the surface. Although the oil would disguise the issue, sanding would be needed to remove the damage. If you do go to the effort of sanding it, the result will be amazing. The sanding process will remove most of the grime from the surface and will leave you with fresh timber ready to be oiled. You'll start with 40-grit sandpaper and move on 120-grit for a smooth finish. If you sand you shouldn't need to clean, though it might still be a good idea to remove any debris from the sanding process.
2. I'd suggest filling large cracks prior to standing, as since the putty will need sanding too, it makes sense to do it all at the same time.
3. Cabot's 1L Deck Clean is a fantastic product which I highly recommend.
4. Two coats of oil would be sufficient if you're not sanding. If you do sand, the bare timber might require three as it can be a bit thirsty.
5. Warm soapy water is all you need to clean down the deck in between coats of oil. However, I have used of people using OCedar 450ml Clean And Shine Timber Floor Cleaner which seems to work quite well.
You should find these step-by-step guides useful: Refresh and renew your timber deck, How to sand a deck and How to oil your deck.
Please let me know if you have more questions or need further assistance.
Mitchell
I'd recommend Intergrain Woodblend Putty @RajeshKalloor.
The key to filling these cracks will be matching the timber correctly. If you're sanding the deck, you should match the filler to the raw sanded timber colour. If you're not sanding the deck, you should match the filler to the current stained colour. This is important because if you match the filler with the current colour and then sand, the filler will be much darker than the natural timber colour. When you re-apply your oil/stain, the filled areas will be darker and stand out. If you're going to sand, sand a small section first and match your filler to that.
Mitchell
The bare minimum, from my experience, would be an orbital sander or, preferably, a belt sander. However, I'd highly recommend you go with hiring a floor sander, as the feedback I've had from people using electric hand sanders is that it is exceptionally tiring and painful work. Hiring a sander for half a day will make your life much easier.
Mitchell
Hi @RajeshKalloor,
Great to have you join the Bunnings Workshop community. We're looking forward to seeing your deck renewal.
Just thought I'd add my weight to considering hiring a floor sander. I have done it before when it was time to renew my deck.
Jason
Hi All,
I skipped sanding the deck this time around and went ahead with the cleaning and oiling process.. the deck looked nice and shiny after completion. It got enough drying time 1-2 days before some dust accumulation on e deck and some rains.
Its 1.5 weeks later, and the water seems to be stagnating on the deck. Once it dries, they leave water marks everywhere and there are some weird yellowish stains as well on the deck as shown in the pictures. Also I am able to peel off the yellow stains.
Is there something wrong ? Or does it usually take some time for the deck to get back to normal.
Hi @RajeshKalloor,
I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your newly coated deck. Could you please provide some details on the product you used on the deck? That will give us a better idea of what the problem might be. At first glance, it appears as a deck that didn't have sufficient drying time before being exposed to rain. At a minimum, you'd need 48hours of drying time before the deck can be exposed to rain. The yellow makes are likely areas where the rain has penetrated the timber and displaced the oil/stain.
I look forward to hearing what product you used so I can investigate further.
Mitchell
