How to Refinish a Deck - Part 2

We spoke in the last post about the reasoning behind why I chose the products and methods I chose. If you missed it, go back and read it here before reading this post.

Step 1: Cleaning





Since my deck has no previous finish I luckily do not have to worry about stripping or sanding the old finish. I will simply use a cleaner/brightener. I chose the Behr product no.63. You can find all the information on their website HERE.





Basically I bought the cleaner/brightener and a pressurized sprayer from Home Depot. The pressurized sprayer ran about $30 but was definately worth it. I mixed up a gallon of no. 63 with 4 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket and then poured it 2.5 gallons at a time into the sprayer.

I sprayed the deck down while my wife scrubbed with a brush in between taking care of the baby. It all worked out pretty well even though she had to bail halfway through to entertain what the DR. refers to as a "Wild man."

I finished the deck alternating between spraying and scrubbing. The only problem I had is that you need to keep the deck moist with the cleaner while you are working. I had to rush the deck project through the week to be ready for a party on the weekend so it was a hot day that I chose to do this procedure, too hot. The cleaner was drying too quickly so it didn't foam up well. I was still able to keep it pretty well moist before spraying it off with the garden hose.

It came out very well. I think it would have come out better if I waited for a cooler day like the directions state but I am happy with the results. Simply put, here is the procedure:

1. Lightly dampen surfaces with water prior to cleaning.
   


2. Apply solution liberally with a plastic container pump sprayer, brush, mop or roller.
   


3. Keep the surface wet for 10-15 minutes. Reapply solution as needed to keep the surface wet and foaming during the cleaning period.
   


4. Scrub surface using a stiff bristle broom or brush. The solution will foam.
   


5. After the 10-15 minute cleaning period, rinse the surface using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum pressure.

In the next post I will talk about the waterproofer I used.

How to Refinish a Deck - Part 1

Alright, sorry to everyone who has been waiting for me to start posting again. I have been through a pretty long span of being burnt out, and coupled with the new baby, I just haven't been able to even watch a home improvement show in months.

However, I am back at it now. The first project is to get my deck back in shape. I have a wood deck and it has never been waterproofed. Since it is pressure treated it is not in bad shape, it just needs a good cleaning and then an application of waterproofer.

The first name that comes to mind of course is Thompsons waterseal. I did a little research on Thompson waterseal and there are some very good reasons I decided not to use it. The main reason however is that Thompsons Waterseal is just is just a paraffin wax coating so of course it repels rain, but it does absolutely nothing for UV, the major player when it comes to weathering. Also, it wears off in 3-4 months according to Thompson Waterseal reviews. I am a big fan of researching products and then doing it right the first time. I decided to stay away from Thompsons Waterseal.

The products I decided to go with are made buy Behr, and available at your local Home Depot. The first step in refinishing the deck is going to be to give it a good healthy washing. Stay tuned for the details on that in the next post. You can find it here.