Do I need to sand douglas fir decking before sealing?

Question

I just purchased some very smooth douglas fir 1" by 4" deck stock from the lumber yard and am wondering if I need to sand it with a fine grade sandpaper before applying a sealer, or whether I can just apply the sealer to the wood as is. A second question is whether I have to apply a stain after sealing the wood (and, if so, whether I need to sand the sealed wood prior to applying the stain!).

Answer 1

Many types of lumber come from the mill with a bit of glaze on them.  I would recommend sanding with a 120 grit sandpaper which will allow the sealer or stain to adhere to the wood.  If it's too smooth, you won't get any penetration.  If you intend to stain the wood, you would do that first, and then seal it.  Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Ok here is the deal, How smooth is your deck right now? If its smooth enough for you just make sure its clean and then seal it. As far as stain goes if you decide to stain you do it before you seal. If you stain you may have to sand lightly before you seal. It depends on the stain.Oil based stains don't raise the grain so no sand, water base stains do raise the grain so you must sand. I wouldn't think in my opinion that Douglas fir needs to be stained. Good luck

Answer 3

it would help alot if you sanded the wood first.

get a vibratory sander and start with 60 grit sand paper. go over the wood with the grain a few times and then use 100 grit sand paper. do the same thing as before with the 60 grit, and then switch to 220 sand paper and that should be good enough to knock down any slivers or bug a boos that might hurt someones feet.

then you can proceed to apply the wood sealer

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