Do I need to stain or oil the deck?

[legopoint]

Hi

Deck is not in good condition and I want to fix it.

I saw some staining and oiling videos.
It looks like I need to stain  it but just wanted to make sure I am on right path.

Do I need to sand it or just clean and then stain it?

or can I clean it and oil it?

[MitchellMc]

That sounds like a plan, @legopoint. By oiling the deck, you'll preserve the timber and stop it from deteriorating. Sanding the deck just improves the look of it; so, the oiling is more important at this time.

Mitchell

[legopoint]

Weather was good this weekend for cleaning and coating.

Work in progress.

First coat done.

I'll do another in 2 hours.

I read a tip that to see if another coating is needed is to do water droplet test.

As you can see in before photo deck condition was very bad.

Should I go for third coat ?

Before

Before

After

After

[MitchellMc]

If that's the first or second coat in the after images, then it's looking pretty good @legopoint. If it's the first, I'd do another, but if it's the second, you are probably right to stop there.

Well done!

Mitchell

[legopoint]

Thanks @MitchellMc 

After photo was 1st coat. I did second and then waited 2-3 hours to do water beading test.

It was so satisfying to see water not disappearing into boards.

So I stopped at 2 coats. I guess it is sorted for another year or two.

Thanks all for the helpful information.