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Deck Stain Stripping Questions and Answers
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Topic starter
07/09/2015 12:29 pm
My wife and I just moved to a home recently with a deck built in 2000. Please see the pictures. I am not positive, but it seems to me that the deck is made from pressure treated wood. I am basing this on the green tint on the end of the boards. Can anyone confirm that for me?
Also, if the deck is pressure treated wood, I read somewhere that pressure treated decks older than 2003 contain arsenic and that there would be a danger in sanding or pressure washing the deck because of that. Is that true? Would a stripper be safer to use than sanding or pressure washing?
If possible, I would like to remove whatever is on the deck and stain it. As you can see from the pictures, the deck is peeling in several places. However, I do not know if this is paint or stain? How can I find out? If it is paint, I don't want to use anything harsh such as those chemicals that contain methylene chloride in order to remove it.
If it is impossible to know whether this is paint or stain, and given the deck's condition, would I be better served by just painting the deck every 2 years or so?
Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
07/09/2015 12:35 pm
You have a solid opaque stain on the deck and stripping/ pressure washing will not remove all of it. Easier thing to do it pressure wash with a deck cleaner to remove all the dirt and the loose stain then reapply another solid color stain over top of it. Look at Flood solid stains.
Topic starter
07/09/2015 3:29 pm
Thanks for your help. I noticed that Flood makes a stripper that they "claim" will take out solid stains. Should I bother with this at all or just use the deck cleaner as you mentioned above?
Also, since all of the old stain will probably not come out, does the new stain need to be one that is close in color to the old stain or can I use a color that is very different?
Thanks again!
Topic starter
20/09/2015 11:23 pm
Here are some before and after pictures of my deck after using restore-a-deck stripper and a power washer. My original plan after this was to use restore-a-deck brightener and then apply Flood Solid Stain. This was based on the administrator's advice.
However, from the pictures, you can see that I was able to get most of the previous stain off. Would it be worth it to sand the remaining spots and use semi-transparent stain, or should I go with the original plan?
Also, can anyone tell what type of wood this is? If this is pressure treated wood, I am not sure that I want to sand anyway due to arsenic concerns.
Thanks in advance,
Lee
21/09/2015 10:42 am
It is not cedar or redwood so more then likely it is the old PTP that has the arsenic in it. I would not sand. . Try a good solid color stain. I would also suggest that you light rewash with water to remove any loose solid stain that seems to still be on the wood in the pictures.
21/07/2016 3:52 pm
I stripped the stain from a 17 year old pressured treated deck with Benjamin Moore stripper. Now there is a a white residue on the boards. Does the residue need to be removed prior to staining? Will a semi trasparent stain cover the residue? See the attached pictures. Thanks.
22/07/2016 4:39 pm
If I can't remove the oxidized wood fibers, can I stain over the fibers without affecting the durability/bond of the stain to the wood? Will a semi transparent stain hide the oxidized fibers or should a semi solid be used? Thanks.
