[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

Not sure what he did, but he clearly didn't fully remove the furring. You never want to sand finer than 60-80 grit. Maybe he just missed those spots. He didn't cause the furring, the stripper did.

@deckstainhelp 

So sanding cedar with 60 grit on an orbital results in no raised fibers? Everywhere else I read that 60 is rough on cedar and you want to knock down those roughed-up areas (remove the furring) with a higher grit to get a smooth(er) finish. 

Don't mean to challenge you, just trying to understand. Thanks. 

@eelefter99 The furring 100% happened from the SW stripper. Sanding never creates furring, but removes it when done correctly.

Just got off the phone with the contractor. He said "sanding with 60 grit is going to create fuzzies" and also "I did everything I could to get rid of them. Cedar is a softwood, it always has fuzzies. I only stained when the boards looked smooth, so the fibers must have raised after I applied the stain," which doesn't make sense to me.

Is there any truth to that?

He's coming over at the end of the day to have a look at it and to get paid or not.

Regarding payment, he basically said "anything you want to do is fine." He's not a bad guy, that's not at question here. He painted the exterior of our home a couple of years ago, did a great job at a fair price.

I really value your expertise and experience. Any insight would be great. Thank you very much, Scott.

No, he's wrong or inexperienced. As I said, the stripper caused the furring/fuzzies. Not the sanding or the stain afterward. He did not sand them off fully, and in his defense, he may not have been able to see them when the wood was dry. Painters are not always deck restoration experts, or vice versa. For example, you would not want me painting your house. 🙂

These boot prints and orbital sander artifacts are localized in 2 separate areas. Contractor says he will remove them via gentle sanding and then restain those areas with a cloth to avoid laplines and achieve blend. 

Is this good thinking or might it make things worse?

Regarding the saturated furring that resulted in a blotchy appearance...I'm assuming you recommend that I just live with it and learn to love it...or at least hate it less?

Thanks. 

Hi, we are reapplying TWP100 (2 years since first application). We cleaned and brightened the deck yesterday and are waiting for it to dry. Do we need to wait 48hrs or can we apply the stain sooner? There is a slight risk of a thunder shower this afternoon. If it does rain, can we stain tomorrow? (I read that some moisture is OK with the oil based product so we'd appreciate your advice). Thanks

SE British Columbia, Canada (Rocky Mountains)

Pressure treated deck (10 years old, previously treated with TWP100 2 years ago).

@eelefter99 We have never been very successful at spot sanding/preppign and then having the stain blend. Does not hurt to try, though.

It is just cosmetic and is not long-term, as it will go away when you redo. Maybe put a rug or some furniture over the bad spots?

@cftrozzo 48 hours at a minimum to dry after prep or any rain.

@deckstainhelp Thanks! We really appreciate your prompt and knowledgeble reply!

Hi Scott;
We have an old deck of treated pine. The deck boards are in decent shape. Two years ago we put on a semi-solid (Cabot) deck stain that seemed to have vanished, except for outlier boards that don't get any traffic (we have five dogs). I'll upload photos. Since most of the semi-transparent stain is gone, could we get away with not having to strip?

No, you have to strip. Plus, what is on your railings looks fully opaque, not semi-trans or semi-solid. You would need to strip the paint here unless you want to use a solid opaque stain there.