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Refinishing a deck

Hello all! I am wanting to stain my deck with as little effort as possible haha. I've attached some pictures, I have no idea what type of wood it is etc. At this stage I'm thinking a good clean with a pressure cleaner and deck cleaner, then 2 coats of a dark deck stain. Do I then need to oil it? Any recommendations of products? Thanks!!

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Decking and Paving

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homediyguy

Hi Nadine1,

Cabot's website and their videos on Bunnings website will answer all your videos, even use the weather forecast to tell you if it's a good day for it!

https://cabots.com.au/

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/our-range/brands/c/cabot-s

Jason

Hi @Nadine1,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you as a community member and we trust you will get heaps of helpful information, advice and inspiration for all your projects around the house and garden from our wonderful members. Please don't hesitate to post anytime you need a hand or have something to share.

It's a little hard to tell from your photos, but I suspect you won't get a great result by simply cleaning and then staining your deck. Because of the uneven wear that you seem to have, I believe you will get an uneven result unless you sand back the entire surface.

As an example, you might like to check out my own deck renewal project or visit these previous discussions for further examples:

Decking revamp by @Nikkaz

Pressure clean, sand and stain outdoor deck by @indeed

Deck strip, sand and oil by @DIY_Dan

I will also ask the ever-helpful @MitchellMc to share his thoughts when he is back on the site tomorrow.

Thanks,

Jason

Nadine1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/9870#Comment_9870

Hi Jason, thanks so much for those links! What I'm concerned about with hiring sanders is the nails used on the decking, they are rounded nails (I assume decking nails) but even after hammering in they sit on top of the wood. Would an orbital sander be able to run over these?

EDIT ** Just found a nail punch should help with the protruding nails!

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/67262#Comment_67262

Hi @Nadine1,

I thought I'd also welcome you to the Bunnings Workshop community, it's fabulous to have you join us.

To confirm what @Jason was mentioning, preparation is key to getting a great result and sanding the deck will be well worth the effort. If you take the time to sand now then you'll end up with an excellent deck that only requires yearly oiling for maintenance.

In regards to your stain question, you'll need to apply oil as well or use a combination oil product with stain included. A stain colours the timber and oil protects the timber.

An orbital sander will be great for the perimeter of the deck and tight spots, but I would encourage to hire a deck sander for the rest as it will make short work of it and give you a more consistent finish.

It would be great if you could keep us updated on your progress as our community members are always interested if a good deck restoration project.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or had any questions.

Mitchell

Nadine1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/96455#Comment_96455

Hey @MitchellMc thanks for your reply! So far we've used Cabots deck cleaner and this is where it's at. I then did a patch with Cabots Natural Decking Oil in Merbau to see if we could get away with not sanding - I've uploaded a picture of that as well. Interestingly, it hasn't dried on the board with remaining stain. But it was 8 degrees overnight last night so I'll let it sit this morning. But chances are we will go down the sanding path

Any idea what wood our deck is made from? Just spoke with a guy at bunnings over the phone, he suggested if the board was 19mm thick (which it is) then it's likely merbau. We had thought treated pine.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/96455#Comment_96455

Hi @Nadine1,

You'll find the stain will dry on the board that had the stain left on it, but it won't soak in like the board on the right. Whether it drys or not I believe if you sand then the deck will look amazing. Definitely not treated pine, could be Merbau (but it's fairly light coloured) either way it's a beautiful hardwood.

Mitchell

Nadine1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114844#Comment_114844

Thanks again @MitchellMc !!! We will get on with sanding and update on progress!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/125215#Comment_125215

Hi @Nadine1,

Just wondering how you are going with sanding? Let us know if you need a hand with anything, and we are looking forward to seeing progress.

Thanks,

Jason

Nadine1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132204#Comment_132204

Hi @Jason !

We hired an orbital sander and edger combo and used 80 grit sandpaper. In hindsight we should have used 120 because it took forever and didnt leave us with a perfect finish (shadowing remained in the centre of some boards) . We also struggled with the edger haha! But at least we got the old finish off so the new oil went on lovely (Cabots Natural Decking Oil in Merbau). Here's a photo of the boards sanded and then oiled.

Next project is replacing the lattice on the fence and painting!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136433#Comment_136433

Many thanks for the update @Nadine1. Love the look of newly sanded timber - it's just beautiful and makes all the hard work worthwhile.

Well done and thanks for sharing.

Jason

LePallet

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136433#Comment_136433

Awesome work

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