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 =

[Jeanagh]

Thank you and thanks for the tag. Screws are all good. Just got to pressure wash the last section I coated this morning then I can start sanding the dry area. Only have an orbital sander and a finishing so we'll see how we go

[TedBear]

Hi @Jeanagh, I hope that you are using the pressure spray on a low, wide spray setting. Otherwise there is a risk that you will tear the surface and make the fibres stand up.

It could be just washed down with a hose fitted with an adjustable jet so you don't flood it too much.

Are you aware that Bunnings will hire you a sander that will make short work of it?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?q=floor+sander+hire&sort=BoostOrder&page=1

It could be a good investment in your time and effort.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

[EricL]

Hi @Jeanagh

That was an excellent recommendation from @TedBear. You can hire a floor sander and make quick work of your deck. In regards to your question, yes the wood needs to be completely dry before you start sanding.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jeanagh]

 

The floor sander looks like the go but a bit beyond my capability. I'll use the orbital but what size grit should I use? Also, there's one spot where there's a chunk of loose wood n what do I do about that? 

[KatieC]

Hi @Jeanagh,

Thank you for sharing your photo and asking about which grit to use. @EricL will be back online later this afternoon, let me see if @TedBear is available to share his thoughts in the meantime. 

Katie

[EricL]

Hello @Jeanagh

Is that a giant splinter in the middle of the decking panel? When you mentioned a chunk of loose wood is it actually a strip of wood that's come off? That part will need to be sanded well and I suggest using Intergrain 180g Jarrah / Merbau Woodblend Putty to fill in the gap in the wood in combination with Trojan 50mm Paint Scraper. However, if it looks like the wood has started to rot, I suggest spraying it first with Earl's 250ml Wood Hardener before putting the filler in the gap. Please make sure that the wood hardener is dry before fixing the gap.

In regards to the starting grit, I recommend using 80-grit sandpaper to remove the old paint. If it looks like it is not taking off as much paint as you like you can proceed to a lower grit number. For the finishing grit, I suggest using 240 to give you a nice smooth finish.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric