Preserving/refinishing treated pine deck

[Kopierguy]

I have a 20 year old deck (treated pine) that has only been refinished one time using a deck stain. That was about 10 years ago and as I recall, that only lasted about a year. The deck is still solid and I am considering putting something on it to extend it's life. There is about 500 sq feet to be finished. I am considering pressure washing and allowing it to fully dry and then applying red off-road diesel. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the product I should use or the pros and cons of treating with diesel?

 

[sld]

I'm going thru the same thing. So far, the best product I can find is oil based Deckscapes by Sherwin Williams. A guy I know swears it will last for 7-8 years if the prep is right. Right now, I am misting bleach / water solution onto it and letting it dry. It is starting to clean up some after 2 apps.

Pressure washing probably doesn't hurt but you have to wait a while before sealing.

 

[oosik]

I've never heard of using diesel to treat wood. I'd be somewhat concerned about tracking it onto the floors & carpet in the house. I have an all cedar house(Pan Abode) and cedar decks. I use Cabot Australian Timber Oil on both. Its be eleven years since last treated the house and decks. The house is doing fine - the decks could use another treatment. I noticed this winter that the water was soaking into the decks - normally it puddles and sheds off.

 

[ovrszd]

Olympic Rescue It. Has fine sand in it. Fills cracks larger than a toothpick the first coat. No splinters. Non slip. My front deck is 33 yrs old. Looks like it's good for another 33. It's the first pic. Second pic is rear deck, it's 15 yrs old. Comes in a wide variety of colors. Don't let price scare you. When you figure the coverage, it's worth every penny.

 

[Kopierguy]

Olympic Rescue It. Has fine sand in it. Fills cracks larger than a toothpick the first coat. No splinters. Non slip. My front deck is 33 yrs old. Looks like it's good for another 33. It's the first pic. Second pic is rear deck, it's 15 yrs old. Comes in a wide variety of colors. Don't let price scare you. When you figure the coverage, it's worth every penny.

That finish looks good. Looks like it was just done. How long since you finished it and how did you apply it? Brush, roller or??

 

[EddieWalker]

When I redo a deck for a client, I rent a large orbital sander from Home Depot and get a stack of sand paper. You can return what you don't use with the machine and get a refund on them. The sand paper is something like one foot by two feet in size. It's really easy to use and the results are amazing. After sanded, it will look better then when it was first built. Then I either use Sherwin Williams or Cabot products to stain and seal it. If there are nail heads sticking up, I remove them and install screws.

Eddie

 

[JDgreen227]

X2 what Eddie says...good surface prep is the key to a lasting finish and I have always used Cabot brand stain with great results.

 

[ovrszd]

That finish looks good. Looks like it was just done. How long since you finished it and how did you apply it? Brush, roller or??

Two years, roller.

 

[mark02tj]

When I redo a deck for a client, I rent a large orbital sander from Home Depot and get a stack of sand paper. You can return what you don't use with the machine and get a refund on them. The sand paper is something like one foot by two feet in size. It's really easy to use and the results are amazing. After sanded, it will look better then when it was first built. Then I either use Sherwin Williams or Cabot products to stain and seal it. If there are nail heads sticking up, I remove them and install screws.

Eddie

What grit do you normally use, Eddie? Got any before and after pics?

 

[EddieWalker]

It's been a couple of years since I did my last deck. I'm pretty sure it was a 36 grit paper that I did 90 percent of the sanding with, then finished it off with a 100 grit. I did two decks that year, one was on the lake and had a lot of things to work around and it was an odd shape. The other was a large deck of probably 500 sq ft. Both used quite a bit of sandpaper, but I bought a whole box for each job. If you are going to sand, you really want to have all the sandpaper you will need on hand and it's super easy to return what you don't need. I wouldn't think of sanding a deck without at least 25 sheets.

Sorry, no pics of sanded decks. I've only had a smart phone a couple of years and that's when I started taking pics of everything. I will say that with the boards being out in the sun for so many years, the wood was nice and dry and the sanding went pretty easy. The look is amazing and the change in how it felt to walk on it is like night and day. So many boards cup up at the edges and develop ridges that disappear when sanded.

I was going to refinish a small deck for a client a couple months ago, but after we got to talking, they have hired me to tear it out and build one three times bigger, and then add a second story deck above it. I'm starting that job on Monday

Eddie

 

[Kopierguy]

My deck has been washed and cleaned with my pressure washer and it looks very good. I have read so many horror stories about the problems with various stains and finishes and most not lasting more than a few years that I have just about decided to just not finish with a sealer and just let it weather again. I gave up on treating with diesel as it could be toxic to my dogs feet. I am still seeking advise as to what to use. Thanks to those that have responded.

 

[ovrszd]

You've gotten more advice about what to use that most people can digest. I suggest you just do whatever you feel is appropriate.

 

[mark02tj]

I am not the OP but. . . I think I'm going to use the "Eddie Method". I was in Home Depot yesterday and found the sander that I think he was referring to. It rents for $47 per day. The guy at HD said that a couple of people have rented it to do decks.

I've never used the cabot products but, based on what some of you have said, I am going to try them as well.

I need to take a couple pics of the board spacing on my decks and them post them here. I think that whoever built them spaced the boards too lose together. They are pretty much butted aganst each other. I am thinking of running a circular saw between them to use the saw kerf to put a little space beteewn them.

 

[HillStreet]

I'm going thru the same thing. So far, the best product I can find is oil based Deckscapes by Sherwin Williams. A guy I know swears it will last for 7-8 years if the prep is right. Right now, I am misting bleach / water solution onto it and letting it dry. It is starting to clean up some after 2 apps.

Pressure washing probably doesn't hurt but you have to wait a while before sealing.

I agree with Sherwin Williams products. Prep is everything when it comes to decks.

Last year I did my white cedar deck with the following process, all Sherwin Williams: stripper (no matter what's on the surface, strip it first); rejuvenator; semi-transparent oil base stain. No sanding necessary, just a stiff brush with long handle. Hose it off between steps but pressure washer makes the job easier. Comes out like new.

Don't just wash/bleach and apply the stain, you're wasting money. Bleach might seem like it clears up the wood, but the rejuvenator product opens up the wood and gets rid of the wood glaze that prevents stain penetration. Solid layer stains form a layer that could peel off or wear. Semi-transparent oil-based stains are the best because they show wood grain but won't peel.

I will do nothing else to my deck, only what I described above. Expect a few good years out of it, nothing will last 5 years or longer.

 

[sld]

I agree with Sherwin Williams products. Prep is everything when it comes to decks.

Last year I did my white cedar deck with the following process, all Sherwin Williams: stripper (no matter what's on the surface, strip it first); rejuvenator; semi-transparent oil base stain. No sanding necessary, just a stiff brush with long handle. Hose it off between steps but pressure washer makes the job easier. Comes out like new.

Don't just wash/bleach and apply the stain, you're wasting money. Bleach might seem like it clears up the wood, but the rejuvenator product opens up the wood and gets rid of the wood glaze that prevents stain penetration. Solid layer stains form a layer that could peel off or wear. Semi-transparent oil-based stains are the best because they show wood grain but won't peel.

I will do nothing else to my deck, only what I described above. Expect a few good years out of it, nothing will last 5 years or longer.

Thanks for the tip on the rejuvenator. I will try that...hopefully this week. Really doing a bunch of yard stuff this year. Since we paid the house off the wife and I have felt like really sprucing the place up. A long project list but it's about time for the deck job.

 

[JDgreen227]

Just some observations that may or may not be informative: I have two decks, one of them is southern exposure and is 12'X16', the 5/4" treated deck boards that were delivered were pure crap, full of knots, checks, and splits. We had to have the deck in place for a truckload of new furniture to be delivered (addition) so we used the boards. A huge mistake...because no matter how carefully I clean and prep the boards for Cabot stain, it won't stick worth a (bleep) Have another 16'X24' deck that faces southeast, I carefully chose the decking boards and paid extra for premium lumber that had no knots, checks, or splits...and despite near identical exposure and foot traffic, the Cabot stain on the bigger deck lasts 2X-3X as long.