How do I refinish a beat-up deck like this one? Also, what kind of deck is this?

Question

I want to refinish our deck, but I have two problems:

1. It is really beat up

2. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is (I think it's redwood)

I heard from a neighbor that the lady who owned our house before us hired a couple teenagers to power wash the deck, but they apparently weren't very good at it and tore it up. The wood is rough and splinters easily.

I want to refinish the deck, but I've never done that before. I've done a lot of research online and have a good idea of how to refinish a deck, but I don't know if it's too beat up to refinish or not. I'm also not quite sure what kind of wood it is made of, though I think it is redwood.

Can anyone tell me what kind of wood my deck is made of, and how I should go about refinishing it? I've posted pictures of the deck in an online album using picassa, which can be accessed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/shanse3/Deck

Thanks!

Answer 1

You can definitely power wash it and use some Cabits stain (witch also seals).  Not sure of what kinda of wood it is, possible redwood but could also be old pressure treated cedar, but why is that important?

Also you can either hire or attempt to do yourself, sanding.  I would say if you want to go the sanding route I would hire some professionals cause it can be very tricky.  Decks are usually a very soft wood, so it can be tedious to sand.

Answer 2

Your deck looks like it has been sand blown to show up the grain.It looks like redwood or red cedar.You could just re-seal with a Polyurethane finish. I    would be inclined to re-do the deck with new wood.Firstly I would lay black plastic paper under the decking,to keep out ground moisture,and then lay a hardwood decking like Kwila(australian hardwood) or similar.Finishing off with a Poly finish.

Answer 3

You have a treated deck.  If you own it, it is your call what you want to do.  If I did own it, I would replace just the deck top.  I am not sure where you live, but certain wood might be a better alternative.  Having said this and the rest of your structure being made out of treated lumber, you should probably replace with treated lumber again.  These failures usually happen when proper maintenance is not taken.  The most important surface that should be coated is the underside and well as any other side or ends.  Stay away from power washing.  This only increases the chances of failure by forcing more water into the wood, only to have the sun draw it back out and blow off any coating that may be on the surface.  My last recommendation is to, never, never, never, ever use THOMPSONS anything.  good luck.

Answer 4

It looks like regular pine wood to me. If you want to make it look better...rent a floor sander....like the ones they use on inside hardwood floors. Since pine or even redwood is a soft wood....it will go fast. Don't sand in one place too long. After you have it sanded off....treat it with a good coat or two of water sealer...you can even get the tinted or colored treatment to make it look much better.