Pressure clean sand and stain outdoor deck

[indeed]

HI All , 

i am starting a DIY project on giving some life to my deck. 

i would appreciate any help i can get from this forum . 

its a Merbau deck (around 50 sqmts) and am keen to seek this forums advice .

where can i rent a pressure sprayer to first give it a good wash 

what sort of sand paper should i be using , coarse sanding (P40 sandpaper) or fine sanding (P280 sandpaper).

finally the water based paint to be applied ,  Intergrain 1L Water Based Cedar / Cypress UltraDeck ? is this the good =

[EricL]

Hello @Jeanagh 

Thank you for sharing those images of your deck. Looking at the photo you posted, I suggest sanding the surface clean. Because you've applied the stain this will need to be sanded off and the surface prepared again. Please make sure to give the first coat enough time to cure.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides: 

• How to sand a deck
  
  
• How to stain a deck

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Jeanagh]

Thanks Eric I'll give that a go

[Jeanagh]

So far I've stripped half the deck with timber stripper and it's come up great. Will then sand it all. When it's done I'll send a photo

[EricL]

Hello @Jeanagh

Thank you for the update. It would be very much appreciated if you can post a photo of your current progress. I'm sure our members would be keen to see the results of the paint stripping on your deck. It becomes a point of reference and gives them an idea of what to expect once work starts getting done on the deck itself. I'm sure it will look great once you start sanding the surface.

Eric

[Jeanagh]

Will send a picture of it stops raining long enough

[Jeanagh]

So, I'm about 1/3 the way through. Between the rain and my medical limitations it's slow going. Hopefully finish stripping it today ready for sanding when it dries out. Being Melbourne who knows when that will be. 

 

 just this bit to go

[EricL]

Hello @Jeanagh

Thank you very much for posting your work in progress. That paint stripping is looking excellent and the deck's surface looks very clean. If the rain ever stops and you get a forecast of good weather for a week, that would be the ideal time to repaint or stain your deck. Please remember that the deck has to be totally dry before you apply anything to it. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jeanagh]

Thanks for that advice, id like to get it right this time. Will take me a little while to sand it all so.... stay tuned

[Jeanagh]

Quick qst. The wood needs to be completely dry to sand it properly yeah??

[BradN]

Hi @Jeanagh . It's great that you're making such good progress on your deck. 

As to whether the deck needs to be completely dry before you sand it, @EricL should be able to tell you when he's back on the site later today. I'll also tag experienced Workshop members @TedBear and @JoeAzza for their thoughts.

I think in general you would avoid sanding wet timber because for one thing the wet timber dust would clog the sandpaper.

You might also find it helpful to check out this step-by-step and video guide: How to sand a deck. 

Are any of the screws in your deck protruding above the level of the timber? If so you will want to get them screwed back down so that they don't tear your sandpaper.

Brad