My painted deck is peeling badly. I'd like to strip the paint and stain it. What's the best way to do this?

Question

Will I need to sand it, or will a pressure washer do the trick? Can anyone point me to a good website with step by step instructions? I'm not having much luck. Also, any tips from those who have done this will be appreciated.

Thanks!

Answer 1

First use paint stripper to get the worst of it off, then rent a hardwood sander to get the rest off the floor boards, do not pressure wash the floor boards as it will lift up the fibers in the wood giving you slivers, only pressure wash the railings, you may need to sand them to. Choose a good quality stainer aswell and you may want to add water sealer to preserve the wood.

Answer 2

Do not use a high power pressure washer - you can literally damage the wood.  

I had the same problem as you a few years ago and used an electric 1750 PSI pressure washer to strip off almost everything.  Since I maintain my yard an garden organically, this was the most earth friendly solution.    

Since I was using the same color, I didn't need to strip mine bare.  If you are trying to strip yours bare, then you'll need to use either a chemical agent or sander to take the rest off.   If you use a chemical, be sure to cover anything nearby that you don't want to get the chemicals on (side of the house, year plants, etc..).

As other people have mentioned, make sure you let you deck dry thoroughly.  If you do end up using a power washer at all, be aware that it does force some water into the wood and that extends the time it takes to dry.

Answer 3

Rent a heaving duty sander/buffer if you don't own one.  You can rent one for a fair price and do it all in one day then stain.  You can purchase stain that has a lacker finish in it or you can paint or stain the wood andlet dry and then mop on lacker or shalack to give it a clear coat of added protection.

Answer 4

I would use a pressure washer to start with. the biggest problem with a pressure washer and wood is if the pressure is to high or you go over the same spot to much then the wood begins to feather, meaning it looks like fur.  Just don't get the tip of the wand to close to the deck.  Now if there is still paint attached I would use a scrapper or sander, just be care full not to gouge the wood if you use a scrapper. A good oil based stain or sealant is the longest acting application you can get.  little more clean up time but well worth the effort.  Your local Lowes or Home Depot has top name stains that will do just as good as job as a high dollar stain.  I know at Lowes in the paint dept. they have a paint pro on staff to answer all your technical questions

Answer 5

I would suggest pressure washing first, it is much easier on your back.  If you don't own a pressure washer (or even if you do) check local rental shops for a high PSI washer.  Anything under 1800 is useless in my opinion.  Good luck!

The link below has combination tips.  Pressure washer/stripper

Good luck!  :o)

Answer 6

Sweep it and use a hand held rotary sander on it. After it's all sanded, it's ready to stain and paint.  The rotary sanding pad looked to be maybe a little smaller than a dinner plate. Oh, I would definitely suggest to wear a dust mask and maybe even eye protector -- healthier that way.

Answer 7

What type of wood.  Is it painted or stained (solid color stain peels).  If it is light wood, cedar or redwood, pressure washing should do the trick.  Otherwise a pad or belt sander would work best.  If the boards have warped or twisted in any way, you should level it out with a belt sander.  If you use a pressure washer be sure to allow it to dry thoroughly before staining. The best stains are similar in color to the color the wood will look when aged.  That way you only need to re-stain to keep moisture out.  Do not skip the ends of boards on the inside of the deck.  If you get any freeze thaw cycles any wood will deteriorate if it soaks up water.  My redwood decks did and with the nails on the ends of the boards loosening and the boards warping.

Answer 8

Please know that if you pressure wash a deck that's got a lot of chipped paint on it. You will have wet paint chips all over the place. Big mess! and you probably will have a lot of paint still on the deck after your done power washing it. If you want to stain it then I would recommend either stripping the paint with a product called "Marine stripper". The best stripper I know of. Or sand it all down with a belt sander. Do you want to stain it with a clear stain or a solid one. When you completely remove all the paint. Stain a couple of the boards at a time using a brush. This is so that the stain doesn't dry on you before your done with a particular section and thus you avoid over-lapping in the final results. Let it dry a day or two. then your good to go. The big problem with decks is that if you paint them. You have to keep repainting them. But If you stain them. Then you can re stain them again and again with little or no problem. If I had to choose a route that would be easiest and most cost effective. I would paint it.  I would just scrape it down real good. vacuum up the paint chips. Clean it with a bucket filled with hot water mixed with bleach. spray it off with a garden hose. Let it dry a couple of days. And Prime/Paint it with a good deck paint. If your deck is made of pressure treated wood (Green color wood). Then this may explain why the paint is peeling badly. You will have to use a certain type of stain if this is the case or just leave the wood bare.

Answer 9

There are deck strippers made for this very situation.  See this link for Wolman deck stripper http://www.wolman.com/product_detail.asp... also see: http://www.wolman.com/product_detail.asp...

You can download the TDS (Technical Data Sheet) instructions here http://www.wolman.com/msdsptds.asp

Answer 10

i would pressure wash the deck let it dry , and apply a solid based stain called deck scapes (a Sherwin williams product) to all surfaces.