Sanding Tool Suggestions - Deck Stain Stripping Questions and Answers

RE: Sanding Tool Suggestions

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:08:41 +0000

No deck stain stripper will remove a solid stain 100% so what you did is correct. Strip what you can and sand the rest. The difficulty of removing a solid stain easily and effectively is why we walk from these jobs especially when there are hard to reach areas for sanding. We do not have a good sanding tool for these areas. If we cannot get at it with a drum sander or floor edger, it is very hard to remove. Plam sanders work best or circular grinders with a sanding pad.

RE: Sanding Tool Suggestions

Excelsior1958 — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:00:13 +0000

I am also interested in what DeckStainHelp suggests as a stripper for acrylic/latex stain removal.

Sanding Tool Suggestions

Excelsior1958 — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:36:42 +0000

I am a painting contractor. I am in the process of preparing a deck for staining. I will be using an oil-based semi-transparent stain. The deck that I am currently working on had an acrylic-based solid or semi-solid stain on it. I don't know what the brand was and neither does the customer. I used sodium hydroxide and butoxyethanol to strip the old stain with multiple applications and still could not remove all the stain. Most of the areas that the stain could not be removed completely are in areas that are hard to reach with a random orbital or band sander such as the handrails between the balusters or pickets or the inside of the pickets.

I would like to get some suggestions on power tools that will effectively sand in these areas. Years ago, my wife gave me one of those detail sanders that had the triangular sanding head on it where the sandpaper attached by velcro. It wasn't very expensive and I wasn't all that impressed so I never considered it again but maybe I just need to by a more expensive brand or maybe they have improve. An example of the type of sander I am referring to is something they sell at Home Depot such as the Ryobi 0.4 Amp Corded 2-7/8 in. Detail Sander or something similar. I would like to get suggestions. Maybe I should have used a different stripper?