Deck Preparation from a DIY

My now significant other had a cedar deck build two years ago. The contractor said she needed to let the wood dry before staining. Two months or so later she hired a painter who stained the deck and railings using Cabot opaque deck stain. He applied the first coat and three days later applied the second coat. As far as she can remember they did not do any deck preparation. We noticed last Winter when we were putting away the deck furniture, ect. that our shoes were working through the stain. We started a project this Spring to restain the deck. Using a pressure washer we found that the stain came right off the deck like using an eraser on a chalk board. At this point we have used a stripping solution on the deck (about 1000 sq ft).

I am going to use a brightener as the next step. What is the time between using that and applying the stain?

We are debating using Cabot again or Behr. Cabot had a very good rating from CReports. No metion of Behr.

From some of the threads I've read and agree with an oil based stain should last longer than the acrylic/water based. Am I correct?

Should I be concerned about the "fuzzies" from the cedar decking? If so, what would you recommend to take care of them? Will the brightener treatment take care of them?

If all else fails, do you have members in the Seattle, WA area?? This is a honeydo project <BG>

Regards,

Mike

Mike,

I'll start the replies others I am sure will chip in also.

First, do yourself a favor and don't use behr. If you are going to use an over the counter, cabot's is a higher end product. There are all kinds of opinions on this, but this is mine. Behr is just not pretty enough. Try and stay with a semi-tranparent stain at least so you can see the beauty of the wood grain.

As far as the old stain coming right off, this was probably do to mill glaze being present. This is caused by the mill itself. They won't spend the $$$$ to change blades once they start to dull. The dull blade basically burns the wood causing it to "glaze". An oxallic or citric acid wash will help remove the glaze. I prefer the Oxallic washes. One way to test for mill glaze it the "splash" test. Take a few drops of water and drop it on to the wood surface. If it soaks in quickly then the surface will take the sealer. IF it stays on the surface, then most likely you have a good dose of mill glaze. Now this is on new unstained wood mind you.

As far as fuzzies go, welcome to the world of Cedar You can get them off in a number of ways. They will also disappear on their own but will take quite some time. If you want to do it right, use one or a combination of the following: 3m stripper pads, a stainless steel pool brush (won't leave rust stain from some of the steel left behind), a palm sander with medium grit, a belt sander with medium grit, or a real stiff push broom for the floor.

Once you strip the deck, you should neutralize when you are finished stripping. I wouldn't wait. You then need to let the wood dry to a moisture level of 12% or better. You don't want to lock in moisture and you want the sealer to penetrate and not compete with water. If you let the wood dry for about 48 hours to 72 hours you can be safe with the moisture level being low enough. Also, don't seal in the mornings, overnight dew needs to be evaporated first, then start you sealing.

There are fellow members of this board and the other bb's in your area that will probably respond also.

My recommendation is to post your questions and gather all the info you can. Then with that info you can put it to work for your needs.

Reed

Reed,

I appreciate the information. You mentioned neutralizing the stripper. Do you mean with the wood brightener?

Regards,

Mike Todd

ron p

Reed ment 12% or less, not better.
You should call Russell at www.woodstrip.com he will send you everything you need. Except the sealer. Yes todd with brightner.
Brightner in most cases is citric or oxalic acid, some sell a combo

Anyone Use the Stuff anymore ?