# Realistic expectations - deck refinishing



## PatrickConstruction (Jan 24, 2011)

Dexperts...

My deck refinishing experience is very limited, largely in part to being fresh into the profession (2 years). 

I have found myself frustrated along each step of the way on a current deck refinish (probably not uncommon). My results at each step have yet to match my expectations. The house is roughly 15 years old, the deck is pressure treated pine, and supposedly it was washed and re-coated twice during that time with Olympic natural look or something along those lines. So, it wasn't well kept and many of the boards are split, but cupping and splintering is not too horrific. 

The goal was to remove the existing finish and use a natural colored translucent stain. 

The steps I took to prep are as follows:

1. Complete sand w/ Clarke American R.O. sander. 40 grit followed by 80. 
2. Flood deck Stripper & Jomax stain and finish remover (local building supply was completely out of BM Remove and had little stock left of Flood, so I was forced to run to lowes and pick up the jomax)
3. BM brightner/neutralizer
4. Complete sand with 5" R.O. w/ 80 grit

* A 4000psi 4gpm pressure washer was used with a 40 degree tip and .55 orifice. The deck was rinsed after the stripper and neutralizer.

I do realize there are far "hotter" strippers available that cost less than flood and jomax, but timing on this job did not allow time for shipping from pressuretek or sunbright...

I was astonished at how ineffective the clarke sander was. I have always sanded decks by hand up until recently when I discovered the walk behind. At least 60% of the finish remained along with dirt and mildew after the initial sand. It was a waste of 4 hours and a $120 rental fee. 

Both flood and jomax seemed to have worked fine, not spectacular, and there was quite a bit of elbow grease applied to the deck scrub brushes. After neutralizing and allowing the deck to dry, there are two things that bother me terribly.There is still a significant amount of grey left in the deck, and the second round of sanding after washing seemed to do absolutely nothing, except knock down the occasional fuzzy patch.

With the inconsistent coloration of the deck I can't begin to imagine that a light toned translucent would look good. I am pushing for a semi-trans, but I'm concerned there isn't enough pigment in that to even out the finish enough. I will either use Sikkens Cetol SRD or BM arborcoat for the stain. A solid is out of the questions, but a semi-solid would be up for consideration. 

I can't seem to get the insert image to work with the url, so here's the hyperlink to the flikr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickconstruction/

1. Could i have done something differently to eliminate more of the dead wood fibers/graying (stronger chemicals, more sanding)?

2. semi-trans or semi-solid, whats the vote?

3. What expectations would you leave a homeowner with on a deck like this?


I would pose these questions to a couple guys locally, but I feel like the professionalism is far greater on the forum. There are some incredibly talented individuals on this site. I'm quite grateful for all the discussions I have access to. Thank you all in advance.

-Tim
http://www.painttalk.com/f3/new-painter-central-va-11988/#post189151


----------



## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

Its wood and its outside.. Its going to have variations. It will look fine whatever you decide to put on it. Your title to this thread may be apt. I think you are setting unrealistic expectations. I tell people and they laugh, this is a pressure washing wand, not a magic wand.


----------



## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

All in all the surface is really not that bad. First of all it looks as though you used about 2100psi (too much - should have used an 8.5-9.0 orifice) and chems that were mixed too weak. It does have some darker discoloration that could be remedied with a stronger acid - more dwell time. 

The sander is to remove the splintering and cupping and not to remove the finish. I would normally strip/neutralize first and then sand with 60grit. There was no need for the 40grit and 80 grit too fine. 

I would use a semi-trans to match the pergola unless you are going for a 3-tone scheme.


----------



## plainpainter (Nov 6, 2007)

Working with exterior wood structures is an art form. I just completed a 3k deck restoration yesterday. And no matter how much you strip, neutralize, sand - sometimes the wood still looks kind of gross when you look real close. You just do the best you can do, and stain the thing and 99 times out of a 100 - the job will look fabulous.


----------



## plainpainter (Nov 6, 2007)

I just looked at your photos - that's as good as exterior pressure treated is ever going to look, I think you did an excellent job. The only time it comes out nicer in my opinion is when the deck was not sealed prior to you restoring it. I know where you are coming from, sometimes you are looking at the wood while on your hands and knees, and you aren't seeing perfection, beauty. The only way it's going to come as nice as you want is if you put each board into a planar. This is why I like stains with plenty of pigments, lighter stains show up defects worse.


----------



## PatrickConstruction (Jan 24, 2011)

The feedback, both compliments and critiques, is much appreciated.

I knew the psi was a little high and attempted to offset the additional pressure by holding the wand 2-3' off of the deck and was running about 3/4 throttle on the pressure washer. I'm not sure that resulted in any significant reduction in pressure, but it was an attempt. Next time around I'll be sure to grab the .85 or .9 as suggested. 

I have yet to downstream any chemicals through the pressure washer, and I'm curious to know whether you all do so with decks? 

I opted for the backpack sprayer in concern for adjacent surfaces. 

If I would have been using my head, I would have thrown a couple tarps on top of the pergola to create some additional shade instead of battling the sunlight. I have another deck refinish coming up at the end of the month and I should be a little better prepared, lets hope the results show. 


Thank you pressure pros, tony g, and plainpainter for the responses.


----------



## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

PatrickConstruction said:


> The feedback, both compliments and critiques, is much appreciated.
> 
> I knew the psi was a little high and attempted to offset the additional pressure by holding the wand 2-3' off of the deck and was running about 3/4 throttle on the pressure washer. I'm not sure that resulted in any significant reduction in pressure, but it was an attempt. Next time around I'll be sure to grab the .85 or .9 as suggested.
> 
> ...


The pressure, or lack thereof because of the height, may be the partial reason there is still grey. I think a more appropriate distance with a better pressure may have given you a more consistent cleaning. 

I have never used the retail chems for decks but I think you would have better results with some contractor grade products that you can mix yourself. They can be applied with a pump up sprayer (though time consuming), an Xjet, or downstreaming. 

Try either one of these products. Scott at the Sealer Store can give you advice on deck/wood restoration and Bob at Pressure Tek can hook you up with the right equipment if you are going to continue with wood restoration. 

http://www.theprosealerstore.com/hd80-stripper.htm
http://www.theprosealerstore.com/citralic-brightener.htm

http://pressuretek.com/f18max.html
http://pressuretek.com/f8nubr.html


----------



## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Looks like you did a good job to me. Stain it and collect your $$$$$$


----------



## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

No, that deck could look like new wood and I wouldn't do anything to it until it did, thats just me. All of that grey will produce an altered color appearance especially on light colors.


----------

