Hey everyone! I just moved into a new place with a pressure treated deck that gets a lot of sunlight. While it looked great when we bought it, the paint has now peeled, and the wood has cracked with some knots splitting. I'm wondering about the best way to refinish it. Should I try flipping the boards since the underside seems better? I was considering pressure washing, doing some sanding where necessary, and applying an oil stain. Any advice would be appreciated!
1 Answer
It seems like the previous owner may have painted it with a solid stain. Your best bet might be to either sand it down or replace the boards if they’re really bad. You might want to invest in a moisture meter to check that the wood is under 20% moisture before applying any stain. Go for a high-quality semi-transparent stain like Cutek Extreme or Cabot; avoid those cheap options! To prep the wood, mix bleach and water in a pump sprayer, spray it on the deck, wait about 15 minutes, then rinse it off. Just be careful not to power wash it—all that pressure can mess up the fibers. You’ll likely need to re-stain every few years based on how much sun it gets!
I was also worried about power washing doing damage! Is the bleach mix really necessary to get rid of the paint?