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Staining cedar deck

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  henrylarry6 
#1 ·
Hi - just sanded all horizontal surfaces of previously stained deck which peels every year. Using different stain product - Cabot's semi-solid. If I've sanded all horizontal areas completely free of stain with 60-80 grit, do I need to also apply a deck wash before staining? There are some mildew spots since I've sanded (areas in shade) and some gray streaks in areas of screws on stair rail tops. I'm hoping these can be sanded off just prior to staining. I'm hoping to clean the sanded wood off with tack cloth instead of using water as that will require 5 days minimum of drying time and I don't see that happening in the forecast. Deck is 3-4 years old. Have sanded/re-stained every year with Behr product. Hoping this will last longer. Appreciate any and all advice. Thanx!
 
#2 · (Edited)
You should be getting more than a year out of semi-solid stain unless this deck is subjected to extremely severe conditions. You might consider switching stain brands?

A colleague did extremely careful prep on a back stairs and landing for a 3-flat last year and then got the job next door it looked so great. One client, based on Consumer Reports, insisted he use Behr and I told him to walk from the project. The other let him use a paint store product. The Behr product has failed after only one season and the client is screaming my colleague should restain for free. The other landings and stairs look great.
 
#3 ·
If you sanded that thoroughly, there probably wouldn't be a need to wash. Unless mildew has penetrated deeper into the wood than you can sand. Sanding a deck is the best prep you can do IMO, but don't let it sit too long before staining. The US forest service labs says,raw wood can be UV damaged to the point of causing coating failure in as little as two weeks of sun exposure.
Removing all the dust from the pours of the wood will be important. I use an electric blower and a broom together to remove dust from decks.
 
#4 ·
Hey Jay,

Re: "Sanding a deck is the best prep you can do IMO, but don't let it sit too long before staining. The US forest service labs says,raw wood can be UV damaged to the point of causing coating failure in as little as two weeks of sun exposure."

My wife and I are currently sanding our cedar pool deck right now to remove the cabot Australian Oil Honey Teak stain we applied last June that peeled badly over the winter\spring...only thing is it will probably take us 3-4 weeks to complete the sanding due to the size of the deck, as well the Cabot rep advised us to wait until the fall before re-applying the stain as the newly exposed cedar wood will need to weather up some...is the guy full of sh*t? Should I look to stain once the sanding\cleaning of the deck has occurred, and the deck is thoroughly dried (3-5 sunny days in a row) ?
 
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