Whats the best way to re stain a deck??

Question

the deck was stained about three years ago. i thought about power washing, but wasn't sure if i need to strip first???

Answer 1

Power washing is definately a good idea, Sherwin-Williams has a good latex product that comes in several colors, easy to use. You could use a roller, to apply the stain, and then smooth it out with a SHUR-LINE paint pad. Has to be the shur-line brand. Home depot has them.

Answer 2

Depends on what you expect from the re staining! Power washing will clean the deck, but will not remove the old finish. Has furniture scared the finish? You can reapply stain/sealer over the old finish, but be aware that the deck, although will look great again, WILL be darker than when you started. Every time you apply new stain over an old stain, the deck will get darker. IF the deck is in the sun, that means it will get hotter. IF not, perhaps the darker color will be fine. I have tried to "touch up" scratches, etc. with little to no success..I end up re staining, each time the deck gets darker, fine with me...always in shade. BUT if you want to have a light deck, sorry, the only thing you can do is either strip off old finish (not sure this will do the job at all), or sand the deck with a floor sander (you better know how to handle one of these things or you will have a real mess on your hands, AND if any nails/screws are at the surface, they will tear up the sanding belt!  For these reasons, I elect just to re stain and leave it at that. My deck looks great, but it is getting darker and darker. So be it, it still looks great. Goldwing