Deck & Fence Staining

[HURRICANEBOB]

RE-Decks: I have used he Home Depot stuff Geo noted and had great results. Keep in mind, pressure washing is a good first prep step, but don't rule out a light sanding of the deck boards after presure washing to help close and smooth the surface before staining. Reduces splintering too.

You may want to have a pro service give you and estimate on each piece, deck, fence, pagoda, play set, etc. Ask them to itemize it. Tell them you want an estimate so you can work it into the future budget.

Then compare that estimate, to what you would spend to buy or rent the equipment to do the job yourself, along with materials.

I take this approach on big jobs, and decide what parts I want to do my self given existing equipment I got, that will save me a buck to 2, and then contract out the parts that are either very labor intensive, or would require high cost rental or high cost equipment buys to complete.

Sometimes it makes sense to buy the tools and have them for the long haul especially if they will be of benefit on other type jobs. Rental equipment sometimes is a pain, as it may not be maintained very well impacting the results, and may extend the time to get a job done as you repair their equipment to make it do the job. Some rental companies are on top of things, so shop the rental places.

[mhall]

Brian pressure spraying is fine as a prep but don't hit it with too much pressure causing it to fuzz up. Allow to dry completely, don't think its dry, know its dry.

Determine what the existing stain is. Is it solid color or a semi transparent, is it a Latex or Oil base. Latex over Latex or water base is fine. Oil over a Latex will perform poorly. If it is a a semi oil base, go back with an Oil and it will perform better. Oil bases tend to hold up better, clean up is tougher but the product will do better in our crazy weather swings and amount of rainfalls especially on horizontal surfaces...

[MrSplitshot]

Y'all are awesome...a lot of good advice here...thanks!!!

The previous owner left me a 5 gallon can of the stain, so I know what it is that he had been using. It's Olympic something or another...I'll check when I get home.

[elnutsmalljaws]

The best time to do this work is JULY-AUGUST. I have power washed and stained many a deck and fence over the years and the absolute best quality job is done in the hottest months. Depending on how bad the mold and mildew is on the wood you might get away with a simple bleach and water mixture sprayed on the wood to help "bleach" the wood back to a natural color plus remove the mold. Power wash it enough to take away what you want but not too much pressure because you can split and tear the wood apart easily. Then let it sit in the baking sun for several days to let the wood dry to the core. This will let the maximum amount of penetration for the stain / waterproofing to soak in. Do this process every few years and the wood will last a long time. Don't do it or do a bad quality job and you are replacing the fence, deck, swing and such. Trust me some sweat and stain is a LOT cheaper than lumber and cost to replace.

I have a power washer you can borrow when the time comes if you need one