Deck: Do I need to use Stain Remover ( Pics )

16824 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Scuba_Dave, Jul 19, 2009

mbmonk

Discussion Starter · Jul 13, 2009 (Edited)

Hello everyone. First time deck stainer here. My wife and I bought a house with an existing deck, and now I am trying to stain it. I have no prior knowledge of what has/has not been done to the deck. I don't even know what wood is used. People suggest that pressure treated Pine was likely.

Here is a link to some pictures of my deck:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mbmonk/Deck?feat=email#

My biggest questions are:
1) Do I need to use stain remover on the deck, or can I just clean it and stain it?
2) What brand/type of deck cleaner is preferred?
3) What type of wood do I have, or how can I find out?
5) Any thoughts on Sherman Williams "Deckscapes" products? Or am I just better off going with Cabot's. ( I am going to use a semi transparent oil based stain ).

Please let me know if I can provide any more information.

Thanks,
Mike

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BMDealer

· #2 · Jul 15, 2009

Well your deck in definitely pressure treated.......and very dry. Steps to take to get the job done would be a deck cleaner, either Cabots problem solver or other. Let the deck dry for at least 24 hours before staining. For a semi tran deck stain I have heard good reports about SW deckscapes, Cabots is a decent product as well as Ben Moore. Another product to consider would be Sikkens semi-trans. We have had rave reviews of this product. But, now the but, horizontal surfaces are very difficult to keep a finish on especially when dealing with PT. So good luck..........

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mbmonk

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 16, 2009

BMDealer said:
Well your deck in definitely pressure treated.......and very dry. Steps to take to get the job done would be a deck cleaner, either Cabots problem solver or other. Let the deck dry for at least 24 hours before staining. For a semi tran deck stain I have heard good reports about SW deckscapes, Cabots is a decent product as well as Ben Moore. Another product to consider would be Sikkens semi-trans. We have had rave reviews of this product. But, now the but, horizontal surfaces are very difficult to keep a finish on especially when dealing with PT. So good luck..........

Thanks for the help.

Interesting about the horizontal surface and PT. Any links that discuss that? Or is there nothing to discuss.. it's just a fact to deal with?

I am going to look at Sikkens if I can afford it. Cabots if I can't

. Thanks for the help once again. I really appreciate it.

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Thurman

· #4 · Jul 16, 2009

mbmonk- -That sure looks like good ole' Pressure Treated Southern Yellow Pine to me, note all those splits in the deck boards and posts. Very normal for this wood after pressure treating and drying out some, structural integrity is not harmed by the way, just looks. I have a 12' x 18' deck on my house made of the same stuff back in 1986 and was exposed to weather until about 1998 when I put a roof over it, so I know what you are fixing to go through. Cleaning your deck will probably be the most important thing you can do. And I highly recommend DO NOT pressure wash it, this will only raise the fibres of the wood and make a heck of a mess. There are so many good deck cleaners out there now to choose from, but I have an old favorite- -TSP. It is available at most big box stores and paint stores as painter use it often, mix with hot water, spray it on with one of those one-gallon bug type sprayers. Then go right behind it with a stiff brush on a long handle, dipping the brush in the same mixture and scrubbing really well with the grain, hose it off and let dry for at least two good dry days or more. Now let me say this about "Sherwin Williams deckscapes". I just last week stained the plywood floor of my brand new cargo trailer with this product after the SW people highly recommended it for this application. This is my work trailer and will have high foot traffic in it so I wanted a coating/color that would last. After drying for three full days, every time I walked into it, along with my small grandson's there would be foot/shoe prints on the floor. They did come off easily but I had not expected that. After going back to the store and talking with them again, the manager told me that this was not a good product for something that would be walked on a lot, OH BOY. He did make things right by giving me a gallon of satin-gloss urethane to put over this to help the problem. So what is this "deckscape" good for? They stated it is for wood that is to be seen and not walked on. Why is it called "deckscape" then? As far as what to put on your deck surface, I've tried many types of material and Thompson's and Cabot's seem to be the best. They do not last forever though, maybe three years in my location exposed to weather. Exposed decks are like women, they must be treated kindly often. :whistling2: David

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joan smith

· #5 · Jul 16, 2009

Thompson,s wood protector in honey gold would be gorgeous on your deck. I use it on both decks front and rear and I like the way it has some oiliness to it that helps with the cracking . Clean deck well if deck cleaner doesnt cut all the mold you can use bleach but not too strong (about 1 part bleach to 4 parts water) and be sure and rinse off well. Let dry good before applying stain. 5 gallon of this is about $60 or so at lowes, and is a great semi-transparent color, not too dark at all. Invest in a stain pad attached to an extension pole for the back.

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mbmonk

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 16, 2009

Wow. Thank you for all the tips. I really do appreciate it.

If I can get 2 or 3 years out of the stain then I will be pleased.

Thanks for the opinion on the color. Strangely my wife has no preference or opinion on the color. Shocked me

. I just have bad taste so anything I pick out is automatically ugly

.

Thanks for the heads up on Deckscape and the recommendation on the deck cleaner.

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Matthewt1970

· #7 · Jul 16, 2009

Thurman said:
Exposed decks are like women, they must be treated kindly often. :whistling2: David

And then you can walk all over them :laughing:

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BMDealer

· #8 · Jul 16, 2009

Mbmonk I would stay away from Thompson products. If you can get a 5 gallon bucket for $60 that should explain a lot to you. Thompson tends to be a decent product for the short term, 90 days. It is loaded with parafin's, wax, that wears quickly leaving the deck unprotected. I really do not like bashing other products but have had a lot of experience both selling and using Thompson, which we dropped, and the net result isn't what most would like. Paint/Stains are one of those products that you will get what you pay for. Generally the higher price products contains higher end ingredients...example Thompson's would be $12 a gallon now jump to Sikkens which is roughly $40 a gallon. Sikkens or another high end product you may get 3 to 5 years or more where as Thompsons you will get a 1 season. Stick with Cabots, Deckscapes, Sikkens, Ben Moore, Penofin and other reputable companies. Lowes has Cabots if you do not have any independants close by but out of the above choices Cabots may be my last.

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joan smith

· #9 · Jul 18, 2009

BM dealer The original Thompson,s water proofer may contain wax to not let water penetrate, but the newer Wood Protector line is easy to work with, cuts down on cracking of the wood, and lasts well. I think you are talking about water-proofers, not stains. It says Thompson's Wood Protector on the front of the can and is not the same product as the older waterproofers, which I did'nt like either for the same reason you mantioned.

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ratherbefishin'

· #10 · Jul 18, 2009

All interesting stuff, but nobody really answered the OP's original question..:laughing:

Just about any deck cleaner you pick up contains oxalic acid, which is, in fact, a wood bleach/stain remover.....so, no, you don't need a separate product.

I'm a Sikkens fan, too.:thumbsup:

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mbmonk

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jul 19, 2009

ratherbefishin' said:
All interesting stuff, but nobody really answered the OP's original question..:laughing:

Just about any deck cleaner you pick up contains oxalic acid, which is, in fact, a wood bleach/stain remover.....so, no, you don't need a separate product.

I'm a Sikkens fan, too.:thumbsup:

Lol. That is true. Thank you for the answer

. I appreciate you clearing that up for me.

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Scuba_Dave

· #12 · Jul 19, 2009

Another reason I use hidden fasteners to build a deck
The only place there are screws are at the very end of the boards under the railing
It's a lot more work, but the end result is worth it

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