Need advice from woodworking experts

Rent a Belt Sander and go with the grain,With that grit on a orbital sander you will get swirl marks when you stain.

 

Hellava job to sand all that. Never heard of anyone doing that.

I'd powerwash with a good detergent then chlorox, let dry, stain and seal.

 

Vig-

One would actually have to see the condition of the existing wood to make the best call as to what to do. If it is not weathered too badly, a careful power wash (careful in respects that it's VERY easy to get water stream swirl marks in the wood if the nozzle is directed too close) may be all that is needed. As for sanding, try a belt sander and let me know if you lasted more than ten minutes and in that time, got more than three square feet sanded (LOL!). If sanding is needed, the VERY best thing to do is to rent the large sander from HD. Keep in mind that this is one heavy item and if you have to take it up and down a lot of stairs, you need a good back! Also, get 2X more sanding sheets than you think you will need. You will probably go through all of them and what you do not use, you can take back for a refund.

As for getting the surface super smooth to accept stain, it does not need to be perfectly flat. Just get it close and clean to the eye and that will be 100% fine. I should mention that prior to doing any of this work, take a few minutes and inspect the supporting joists under the deck to evaluate their condition as there is nothing worse that doing all that work only to find that you have to take it all apart due to termite, fungus, dry rot, etc!

I'll throw in my $.02 as to how I refinish decks:

At my large house, I have about 1200 square feet of redwood decking. Every two years, I unscrew each 6" plank in which I: 1) If it's the first time to refinish since installed, I simply flip the plank over which produces a clean, un-walked on piece of wood. 2) If I have previously 'flipped' the plank, I'll unscrew it and run it through my planer and take 1/8th of an inch off the surface. This method is extremely fast and does not weaken the overall structure. For sealing, I use a good quality Heart Redwood stain and it comes out looking beautiful and new. As for the railing, I'll do the same as I do with the deck planks. In one full day with the use of the planer, I can complete the job and have a new looking deck!

Good luck

 

Am I the only one who feels completely lazy about his deck maintenance after reading this thread?

 

I hear ya.

 

^^^ TREX was made for you two guys

 

We did our cabin in North GA with Sikkens. It was pricey but definitely has held up. All we did was powerwash and let dry then applied the stain. No sanding at all.

 

That's why screws are ALWAYS the way to go on decks. One thing NOT to do though if you have a stripped head and that is to try to pry it up with a crowbar. I did that once and the head popped off like a .22! Man, that could of hurt!

 

I do hardwood floors for a living and I've done my share of decks. If you rent a sander make sure it is a drum sander and not one of those vibrating types. You'll also need an edger. It's manditory to counter sink all nails and screws. If you don't it will ruin the paper.

As was mentioned always go with the grain. If it's fairly level and not too dirty then a 50 grit to start with will work but I usually start with a 40. Then go over it again with an 80 or 100 grit. Same goes with the edger. It takes a bit of practice to raise and lower the drum so as not to leave grooves in the floor but there is a technique to "feather" it out. You also want to come out farther with the edger on your fine sand and then feather in the drum sander so you don't leave a groove around the perimeter of the deck. I usually do it in this order: Rough sand, rough edge, fine edge, fine sand.

I can do 750 sq ft in a few hours, count on taking at least all day if you do it yourself!

Use a belt or orbital sander to get any railings or risers. It's not difficult if you know the basics. DO NOT APPLY STAIN IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT!

Hope this helps.

EDIT: I usually charge $2.50sq ft for sanding a deck....applying stain is extra. If you want it done quickly pay someone. If you do hire someone make sure they've done decks before. It is different then doing hardwood. Having said that you can do it yourself but the price you pay for the rental and the paper adds up very quickly.