# Refinishing a redwood Deck



## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

We are going to refinish a 200 sqft redwood deck and I need some advice. I want the best looking finish possible. It gets very little sun and has a few coats of semitransparent stain on it already. My first thought was sanding but the more I read about this stripping might be the way to go. The boards are squeaking and will need to be refastened in many spots, i was planning on doing it before sanding but after stripping, depending on which way we go. The homeowner really wants this deck to be special as it has sat black for too many years. The pics are after power washing with M1 roof and deck cleaner. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

I would clean it again with something that would remove the stain. Check out this thread where Ken from PressurePros described what you need with links to the stores. Assuming you have a downstreamer for your power washer it will be fairly easy. 

http://www.painttalk.com/f2/removing-oil-based-semi-solid-deck-stain-deck-6832/


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Pretty small area. I would just use a pump sprayer and some BM Remove to strip it. Of course the chems Ken suggest are way more cost effective but I'm assuming he doesn't have time to mess around mail ordering etc. 
use the deck stripper and a scrub brush, then pressure wash. May need to do twice. Then use the BM deck brightener. Then it depends on what type of look you want. I would go with TWP 101 cedar natural tone, but there are many flavors


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

Thanks for the advice, my SW rep recommended the same thing but their version. Going to apply it tomorrow and see how it turns out.


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

After chemical stripping and brightening, we rinsed with a hose. Now we are taking the ro150 with 40 grit in rotary mode, then 60 grit in oscillating mode, finishing up with 80 on the linear sander. It's looking good but I'm concerned about the black spots that remain. Will oxalic acid fix this issue? If so do I have to be concerned with two toned wood after.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

While I can certainly appreciate the craftsman efforts you are putting into this deck, you are overdoing your approach. One pass with 60 grit paper is more than adequate for removal and smoothing. The black spots are probably remaining mold. After you are done sanding, coat with a mixture of one part household bleach, two parts water. Rinse off with a garden hose and let dry, apply oil base. Nothing SW offers is equivalent to TWP. If you can get your hands on real TWP, do it, your customer will be happy. I would call Amteco (TWP) and get their recommendation for Redwood. It has tannins that will react with some stains and make the deck look awful.


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

Thanks for the input, I found the wood looked and felt better when sanded to 80. There was a solid layer of dead wood so the 40 was faster followed by a quick 60 then 80. I can see where some budgets might not always allow for this but given the option the client felt it was worth it. Because of the lack of sun I went with Woodscapes clear latex to minimize life growth. Turned out great, client was thrilled and booked a maintenance plan to go with it.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

That looks great!!!


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

Woodscapes Look good for a season!:no:


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

Uhhhh....Woodscapes Clear? That's just a base for tinting since it is a semi-transparent. Might have issues, might not as it does have some poly in the formula.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

ZK, not knocking your technique and dedication to achieving a perfect finish, as it looks great. Unfortunately, making a deck look great is easy. Maintaining that look is the issue. Two things come to mind based upon my experience.. 

Its very difficult to get a customer to pay for that level of craftsmanship. I mean really get paid to make it worthwhile for the contractor.

The flip side is that a deck begins to deteriorate the moment you leave the project. This isn't a paint job that will last for 10 years. I see a good amount of sun hitting that deck on the far side of the finished picture. That clear will provide no UV protection. By next season that area will gray and the deck will be multi colored. The only solution will be to strip the entire finish and a one year old latex/acrylic finish is very difficult to strip. Don't be surprised if you get a callback by early next summer.


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## YoungPainter (Apr 23, 2012)

Pressure pro is correct. Really. Total Wood Preservative... TWP is unrivaled. Bleach kills mold and UV rays will break down that latex like butter. Good luck - I have learned this lesson one too many times. Rhetorical questions are fun...but kind of a slap in the face IMO. If you want to learn from someone else's experience you might have to take a leap of faith..... I am not a wealthy enough man to learn everything the hard way...... 

 hope to see pics and an update

Looks great BTW....


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Looks great, Zack. Be sure to honor the maintenance cycle. That is the key in the world of acrylic. Personally, and professionally, I have had really good luck with both Woodscapes (haven't used the clear you used here), and Arborcoat. Other people have screamed from the rooftops about failure. The key on the front end is prep (which you have done), and on the back end, maintenance (which it sounds like you have set up). No matter how busy you are next spring, prioritize those maintenance accounts. The customer you already have is more valuable than the customer you don't have yet.


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

Ken I appreciate your input as you have done far more of these than I have. I hope not following your advise does not offend you as youngpainter has implied. I do primarily high end work with clients who can afford this level of craftsmanship, and the maintenance of washing and re-coating. My SW rep recommended a yearly re coat. Scott do you do much seasonal maintenance? The deck gets almost no sun, the pic was taken in the evening. 
This job, like much of my work is billed as time and materials. I understand this is not always possible with peoples budgets but most of my clients don't have that issue so we work to give them what they want and its not always real economical. I will continue to post pics over the years and we can see how well the woodscapes preforms.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

ZKPainting said:


> Ken I appreciate your input as you have done far more of these than I have. I hope not following your advise does not offend you as youngpainter has implied.


Hell no.. not that fragile of an ego. I only share what either I have learned or has been taught to me. I used to go all out for decks. People told me, you are not going to be able to charge enough. I charged what I thought was decent money.. $1000 for a 350 s/f deck with rails. Gave the deck everything to produce craftsman results. (today $1,500 and does not include floor sanding) It just didn't work for me. Employees couldn't reproduce the output consistently. People paid the price once or twice then would start going years of no maintenance. I serve one of the most affluent areas in the country and they get sick of shelling out the money for something to look constantly pristine just as quickly as you or I would. 

You may love decks and have a long career doing them. For me, I am over them. The scheduling around weather, the callback ratios (your guys got a drip of stain on a rock underneath the deck. When can you come out to replace that?), changing stain formulas and all the rest that comes with decks has worn on me. That probably comes through in my posts. I apologize if I gave you a wrong impression. I am amazed at your results and give you full credit for an awesome job. I know what goes into making something look that good and you have my respect.


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## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

Zack, that is a beautiful deck and I too admire the labor and pride you have in your work. What are your and your client's expectations in a year's time with that particular finish?


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

Thanks Ken, it was definitely an expensive deck per sq ft but the value over time should be pretty good considering where it started and where we ended up. We plan to wash and recoat yearly, but will keep a close eye on it in the coming months to see how it weathers and possible re-coat bi-annually. Signs of greying will be a red flag to recoat. Ken I worked for D Weiss Painting a guy right in your area for 1.5yrs before I moved back to RI to start my business so I know the area pretty well and what your saying makes alot of sense.


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

ZKPainting said:


> Scott do you do much seasonal maintenance?


Yes, it is one of our primary pursuits. Shoot me an email if you have questions.


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## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

I'd like to be sure I understand this correctly. 

1. Stripping to sanding with everything in between. 
2. Application of SW Woodscapes clear latex siding stain on redwood deck flooring.

-Anticipation of clean and reapplication every 6 months to a year. Depending on how it goes. If greying appears, the plan is just to apply more SW Woodscapes clear latex. 

Is this something SW offered as a viable option? 

Scott, am I understanding that this is a system your company follows as well or am I completely reading this wrong. If there is success through your operations in this system I would like to learn more about the details if you would be kind enough to share.


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

The black is from galvanized fasteners. Redwood and Cedar contain acids that have a chemical reaction with zinc and turn in black. High grade stainless is the fastener of choice. Not the junk stainless at HD or Lowes. That is some beautiful preparation.


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## doctors11 (May 17, 2010)

Couldn't resist bringing this one back to life. Is there any update on this deck? I'd love to see pictures of it almost a year later.


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## Phinnster (Feb 20, 2013)

That's a nice job
Just surprised at the product choice after all that work
I would have been tempted to go dek two coats
Buff and coat every year after 
Good work !


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## ZKPainting (Oct 6, 2012)

Hi guys, in regards to coating the deck it has now cost me 2.5 man days and two gallons of Penofin to learn a few valuable lessons . Mostly to take into consideration bias, experience, and incentive when asking for help. I was a fool for not listening to Kens advice, Pros is part of his name after all. I requested the best coating possible and ended up with Deckscapes clear. I was skeptical but the ease of application blinded me to reality. After a month or so the client was not happy with the water stains under the flower boxes. After filing a claim with SW by sending a few pictures, they insist because water beads up that the coating is doing its job. I didnt consider my SW reps bias and had never had a reason not to trust his judgement but I realize we have very different ideas of what best product means. This summer we used the sealer remover and revive first, then sanded the deck in rotary mode with 60 grit and followed with RTS with 80. Then coated with Penofin red because I didnt plan ahead and order the TWP. It looks great the customer is happy. I will have pictures soon and more in the spring when we recoat. I continue to learn from the mistakes and have ordered TWP for a big job we are getting ready to start.


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## Rbriggs82 (Jul 9, 2012)

Ancient Chinese Secret:

Take advise from those who have already made mistakes. :yes:


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Go with dek next time.


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

Whatever you do, stop using penofin.


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## propainterJ (Jan 31, 2011)

Whats wrong with Penofin?


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

Unless they've changed the formula, its paraffin based.


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