Handy Deck Refinishing Facts and Tips
My husband and I added a cedar deck to the back of our house and bought a deck sealer that was supposed to protect it from the environment. Instead, the deck sealer didn’t work according to the manufacturer specifications and we ended up with mold growing in the seal. It looked unattractive and became a yearly struggle to clean it. We finally bit the bullet and decided to refinish the deck. These facts and tips about preparing to refinish your deck, supplies you need to refinish your deck, what to expect during the project, and how to do it will ensure you have a well-finished project.
Preparing to Refinish a Deck
Clean your deck before you start to refinish it. Sweep it free of all debris. Make sure all nails and screws are sunk flush to the surface of the wood or below – doing so will reduce the amount of sandpaper that gets ripped and wasted during your project. Move all furniture and hanging plants out of the area. Clean the worst of winter mold, pollen, and tree goo stuck to the surface – I found that SOS pads do a great job on this. I use a bucket of warm water and get down on my hands and knees and use pure elbow grease to get the job done. We tried using a power washer on the cedar and found it ripped the wood into shreds, a very expensive result.
Supplies You Need to Refinish a Deck
Labor – consider hiring the work out to a contractor.
Cordless disk sander Cordless Belt disk sander
Sandpaper block Dremel
Paintbrush Seal
Expendable cotton cloth Sandpaper
Broom and dustpan Ear protection
Face mask Bandaids
Note: we were sold sandpaper erasers that were supposed to extend the life of the sandpaper. Don’t bother with them. They don’t add enough extra use for the cost and bother.
Refinishing the Deck
What we learned after much trial and effort was that a cordless belt sander with heavy grain of sandpaper such as a 60-d or 40-d to remove thick finish worked best on the long planks of the deck. To finish the corners, ends and cracks, we used a cordless disk sander. Typically, the disk sander had to use the heavier duty sandpaper and the belt sandpaper the lighter. A finish sanding with an 80-d smoothed the surface, but not too much. Try to sand in the direction of the wood grain as much as possible. All narrow and difficult to reach spots require a dremel or handwork using a sandpaper block.
When we talked to the help desk at McLendon’s hardware, their experts told us the biggest problem with the seal curing correctly was much of the cedar sold during the time had been finished too fine for the seal to sink in. Beware sanding cedar and redwood too smooth.
When you sand, you should wear eye protection and a face mask to keep cedar dust to a minimum. Wear hearing protection against the noise of the sanders.
After the deck is sanded, choose a hot day to apply the sealer. Coat on a heavy dose of Sikkens Deck Sealer – its costly but has the best results. Let the deck sealer sit for awhile before rubbing the excess off with a cotton cloth. Let the sealer cure for several days before adding the next coat.
