How to sand deck with nails sticking out?

[bodega]

Hi - restoring an old deck that was built by previous owner. The foundations are pretty good but long overdue to be re-sanded and re-finished as I'm already replacing old boards here and there.

Deck area is roughly 6m x 4m, manageable but still decent work.

Questions:

1) Been putting this off as I noticed all the boards have been nailed in, I've attached some details photos. Will these be ok to sand over? Some of the boards I've had to replace I've used weather proof decking screws which are much better and flush with the deck instead of slightly raised.

2) I was going to buy a belt sander. Or should I hire an orbital sander? I've watched so many tutorial videos but could use suggestions.

All suggestions welcome.

[EricL]

Hello @bodega 

I agree with @Nailbag's recommendation on the number of belts to get. Any belt not used and is still its packet can be returned for an exchange. Please remember to keep all your dockets!

Eric

[bodega]

Hi @EricL 

I purchased the Ryobi belt sander that’s $149 at Bunnings and using 80 grit sanding paper that comes with it. Unfortunately, it’s not really doing much to the wood. 

Im wondering if it’s the belt sander or the grit I’m using? I’ve uploaded an image and this is after a solid 15 minutes just trying to get through this section. The belt is on correctly, nice and centred. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong? Should I try 40 grit?

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @bodega,

Being a 240V belt sander, your Ryobi 800W 76mm Belt Sander should be powerful enough; you may just need to apply a bit more pressure. You don't want to push down on the belt sander so much that it audibly struggles, but some downward pressure will go a long way.

Switching up to some 40-grit sandpaper is also going to be worthwhile. It looks like you're taking off quite a few years' worth of oil and stain, so the rougher grit will certainly help with this. These IRWIN 75 x 457mm 40 Grit Sanding Belts will be compatible with your sander.

Your belt sander will work, but it is going to take some time. If you wanted to speed things up further, an Orbital Floor Sander would be the way to go.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[bodega]

Thanks @JacobZ and team.

Went with the 40 Grit sanding belts, although it worked well I'm going to cut my losses and go with hiring a Orbital Floor Sander.

@JacobZ - one question, why should I hire the orbital sander instead of the drum sander that can be hired? I've come to the realisation there is quite a lot of oil and stain on the wood, and want to ensure what I hire is going to be able to do the job

[EricL]

Hello @bodega 

After much observation the team has realized that the drum sander is too sensitive and gets damaged easily when it runs over a nail head. It strips the sandpaper off causing jams and the drum itself gets damaged as well. Whereas the orbital sander is more tolerant to nail heads sticking out and is not easily damaged. It may strip the sandpaper but does not jam the mechanism of the sander. 

Here is a handy guide that will help - Tips for Using a Floor Sander 

If you need further assistance, please let us know

Eric

[bodega]

Hi @EricL @JacobZ @Nailbag @Dave-1 

Calling in the dream team here.

The deck has been sanded back and looks great. Thanks for all your suggestions, I've attached images for reference (I still need to do the edges).

Next step: Oiling the deck. I'm a bit confused if I need to use Tannin & Oil Remover, or if I can just start oiling the deck first?

My goal is the have the most natural, transparent oil I can get and reduce darkening it as much as possible. Please let me know thoughts - I was using this guide here as a reference

I also noticed since sanding it back (Started with 40 Grit and then smoothed with 120 grit), that literally EVERYTHING marks the wood. Even the slightest speck of rain ends up marking the wood - is this normal? To counter this until I coat it, I've covered the deck with Tarp.

What will remove any of these marks before I start to Oil the deck?

In Summary:

- Do I need to use Tannin & Oil remover?

- Which products provide the clearest/most transparent decking oil?

- Is there any way to remove stains/rain marks on the deck before oiling which happened between the sanding and oiling process.

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @bodega 

Thats some nice work

Yeah rain will mark it until you seal it, its really pretty much raw timber until you stain it so I would maybe cover it until you do with a tarp or painters plastic as a precaution.

When I sanded my deck with a belt sander because I had high screws, I didnt clean the area before sealing. I swept it smooth and dust free tho.

So when I oiled the deck the next day it looked great, and it rained and still looked great. within a week tho I had a bunch of tiny little plack dots appear all over the deck and more spots in certain areas. I was confused as was the crew about how and what happened. Eventually I think it was @he local Bunnings guy from Kembla grange suggested that the oil may have reacted with the metal fragments from when I sanded the deck and then the rain caused a type of bloom/reaction with them and the oil. (he was right )

I decided to leave it as no way I was going to redo the lot lol there was also a suggestion that it would fade with time from someone. This turned out to be true thankfully  

So I would wait to have it confirmed but washing the deck and scrubbing with a deck cleaner would be a wise move and letting it dry totally before you seal it would be the way to go. I will let @EricL and @JacobZ  suggest the best type of deck cleaner tho. (yeah prob @Nailbag knows as well

Here is a link to the hardwood deck restoration Hardwood deck restoration where you can see the black dot bloom I am refering to.

Dave

[EricL]

Hello @bodega 

Thank you very much for the update, the deck sanding turned up superb. I suggest using Cabot's 1L Deck Clean - 1L to give it one last wash before you begin oiling the surface. It's great that you've received excellent advice from @Dave-1. I propose looking at either the Intergrain 10L Natural UltraDeck Timber Decking Oil or the Cabot's 10L Aquadeck Natural Exterior Decking Oil. 

Please note that timber surfaces will tend to change when a wet medium is introduced to its surface. It's just like when raw timber gets exposed to rainwater it goes a bit dark. I suggest testing the oil in a section of the deck where it is not immediately seen. Give it a day or two to settle on the raw surface and see if you like the finish. If you are happy with the results, then you can commit the entire deck to the oil you've chosen.

In order to gather more information, I suggest visiting your local store and having a look at the timber oil sample board. There you will see how the oil reacts with different types of timber and see what they actually look like. Remember to speak to the paint specialist to gather more insight about your goal of getting a natural transparent look. 

In regards to the stain marks, they will all fade away once you've given the surface a final wash. My best advice is to look at the weather for the week to make sure that you have several days of sunshine in a row so that your freshly oiled surface does not get rained on.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your deck fully oiled and ready for use.

Eric

[Nailbag]

This is looking sensational @bodega 

I've just finished reconditioning/oiling 7 decks in as many weeks and I wish they were as prepared as yours.

My recommendations for next steps are:

1. Use a deck wash to rinse any contaminants off. I would do this late afternoon, then broom the excess water off when done. This will mean that as early as possible the next morn ing it will be dry to oil. Plus I use a long handled tin opener to flick out stones etc stuck in between boards.

2. I've used all the major oil brands, and by far Feast Watson "matt" finish is my go to. Not only does it dry faster than the others, it never leaves a tacky residue that can last several weeks. They do have a standard satin finish, but I've not used this so, I can't say on how it dries. Oh and its mid-price point to which is another plus.

3. If the deck gets mostly sun, I would do 3 coats otherwise two. First coat will always take 2-3 times longer than subsequent ones. Start by cutting in all the edges, sides and any steps with a fine haired fence brush. Then I like to use this type of brush for the oil.

4. Diarise for November 2026 to re-oil two coat if lots of sun or you might get away with one coat if mostly under shade. And I always desk wash first after my pressure washer which I use to remove debris build up at joist points.

Nailbag

[bodega]

Hi @Nailbag - thanks for that. Just a quick one - your link in "Then I like to use this type of brush for the oil." is going to the Feast Watson Oil, are you able to re-send the link for the brush. Paranoid I'm going to get the wrong equipment.