how do I refinish my deck?

[rundrave]

Looking to refinish the deck on my home. I have already started by removing some of the lattice pieces on the bottom as we didn't like the look of it. Now I have the marks as you can see in the pics below. I want to get it back to a more uniform look and cover up the marks.

I have no experience with this sort of project and was looking for some insight.

First off, how do I tell what I currently have is a varnished/painted deck or a stained deck?

I understand if its not stained I can power wash and then strip it, sand and then apply stain.

Ideally I would like to power wash, sand and then redo whats currently there. Are there any pros or cons to varnish vs a stain? If I can get away with varnish and skip the stripping part (less work) I will do that.

Any suggestions as to what product to apply after I power wash and sand? I will sand the floor board surface with 60 to 80 grit, and 80 to 100 grit on the rails.

Any other tips or suggestions. My plan is to power wash on Friday, let it sit 2 days, and then sand and finish on Sunday.

[Steve Foss]

There are three classes of deck stain: Transparent, semi-transparent, and solid. They pretty much say what they mean. It look like you have the remnants of a solid stain on your deck. That's basically the next thing to paint, and IMO is the worst one to apply because it flakes away and wears like paint, and that can make a deck look bad in only a couple of years.

I prefer transparent stains for that reason, and also because I like to see the grain of the wood prominently and clearly.

Practically speaking, you may not have to sand at all. So much of the stain is gone that a thorough pressurewashing may remove all the rest. That's the best scenario, because then you won't have to sand at all. If you do have to sand, then sand, but just stay upwind of the sander.

In the end, whether you have to sand or not, you'll be ready for whatever stain you desire. If you want to reapply solid stain in the same or nearly the same color, you won't have to sand after pressurewashing in most cases. If you want to switch to a semi-transparent it gets a bit trickier to [PoorWordUsage]. If you want to switch to transparent, you'll want all the former stain removed.

[Surface Tension]

Its hard to tell from your pictures but it looks like a semi or transparent stain on the deck and railing to me.

The lattice pattern on rim joist looks like it could be a solid.

If there are any flakes then you have a solid and will use a solid stain.

I don't like solid stain on a deck for that reason. It flakes off and you can never go back to a semi or transparent.

I'd only use a solid on an old deck.

Whatever is on there its been there for a long time. I'd apply a deck wash then scrub it with a bristle brush then I guess you could use a power sprayer after your done. Just be careful not to gouge the wood and note that your injecting water into the wood so it'll take longer to dry. If that is solid stain there is a good chance more will peel off after the deck dries.

By the looks of it your going to need a solid stain.

As far as sanding, no need to do that and I'd flip the boards over long before I'd sand then down.

[rundrave]

the house is 11 years old so I would guess thats how old the deck is as well. I purchased this home a little over a year ago knowing that this was going need to be done soon.

To be honest, we have future plans of adding an enclosed 3 season room where the deck is and then adding a new deck attached to that. That project is a couple years out yet though behind some others we have planned first.

I think I will be going with a solid stain. I realized its not the best long term solution, and basically a band aid to the current. I will see how it looks after I hit it with the pressure washer and go from there.

Thanks for help

[crothmeier]

Be careful with pressure washer as it can leave marks and dent the wood if you hold it too close or have the stream real concentrated. Ive seen permanant damage from people doing this.

There are a number of eco-safe deck strippers that you can use and will allow you to avoid sanding and powerwashing, and are easy to use.

[rundrave]

I have been told to use as low a pressure as possible while still being effective. Soft woods dont go higher than 500-600psi and hard woods in the 1200 psi range.

I may look into the deck stripper method.

[crothmeier]

i posted this info earlier this spring but superdeck makes a few products, ranging from deck/wood stripper, wood brightener, and composite deck cleaner.

the stripper removes paint/stains, the brightener brings back a somewhat "new" look. and the composite deck cleaner, well that does what its named. all of these are easy to use, plant and environmentally safe, and are concentrates, so you have to dilute them. one gallon and a stiff bristled deck brush should do a regular sized deck.