How to match old and new decking boards?

SashaSands

Could anyone please recommend the best way to make the new and old decking match. Will a stain do it or does it have to be paint ? I should add the bottom half is new decking which is 6 weeks old and the top is old decking with worn off paint on it .

EricL

Hello @SashaSands 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your decking panels.

In order to give your decking a very close even finish, I propose cleaning the deck with Intergrain 4L UltraPrep Timber Cleaner in combination with a scrub brush. The purpose of the wash is to remove all the oil and grease deposits that could have embedded themselves on the decking panel's surface. 

Once you've given it a proper wash and the timber is totally dry, I suggest sanding the surface of the old decking boards. This will remove the old stain and varnish that is on it. It will also remove the grey dead timber fibres on top and reveal the original colour of the wood. You can also sand the new decking boards until they are close to the same finish as the old decking boards. 

When you've finished sanding all that's left to do is pick a stain and varnish that you prefer. The technique for a uniform finish is to get the timber to have a uniform finish first before you start painting it.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:

• How to clean a deck
   
• How to sand a deck
   
• How to stain a deck

Please keep in mind that your older decking panels might have a different absorption rate when compared to the new panels. There could possibly be a bit of a tonal difference, I suggest testing your oil or stain on a small portion of the old and new panels to see the effect that will come up. If it comes up too light and the difference is noticeable it might be necessary to go with a dark stain to hide the contrast.

Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W and @Remarka6le for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric