Restoring neglected decks

	Restoring neglected decks

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Subject

Author

Date

Restoring neglected decks

John

11-27-2006

Re: Restoring neglected decks

Edwin Pawlowski

11-27-2006

Re: Restoring neglected decks

John

11-27-2006

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Posted by John on November 27, 2006, 11:45 am

The house came with two decks. One was 10 years old and the other about 6
years old. They were severely neglected.

The previous owner did zero maintenance on the house (hence the lower price
of the house). The deck was nearly unusable. Lots of nails sticking up; some
quite high. All the boards were badly cupped and many were splintered so
walking barefoot was not safe.

I chemical cleaned and pressure washed the deck which did get rid of a lot
algae and many black stains but the surface was still so bad that it was an
eyesore (especially when it got wet) and very uncomfortable to walk on even
with shoes.

This is what the stairs looked like. The photographs doesn't do a good job of
revealing the cupping or the areas where the boards were heavily splintered.
But you can see that under the bench to the left of the stairs where the wood
has turned totally black.

http://i15.tinypic.com/2yvjq08.jpg

And here's what the condition of "newer" lower deck looked like. Again, the
photographs seem to disguise the extent of the neglected condition of the boards.

http://i15.tinypic.com/4bock1d.jpg

Knowing that I could never afford anyone to restore the deck and I didn't
want to rent any heavy equipment I decided to do the job with a belt sander
that I already owned.

Here's the work in progress using 24 grit blue sandpaper. I had to pound down
several hundred nails. My helper points out where further work needs to be
done. Good supervisor and doesn't talk too much.

http://i10.tinypic.com/3ycxabn.jpg

Here's another picture of the stairs and lower deck in progress.

http://i14.tinypic.com/44hajo1.jpg

First pass at sanding the lower deck. After using 24 grit sandpaper, I sanded
the entire deck with 60 grit sandpaper. No photographs of the finished work.

http://i9.tinypic.com/316vqdk.jpg

After living with the ugly black boards, I couldn't bear the thought of
putting on a dark stain so I used Cabot 2752 Golden Tan. Two coats are
absolutely required. In the shade at around 70 degrees, I used a roller to
quickly distribute the stain (one board at a time), then, and this is
critical, I used a wide paint brush in one long stroke down the entire board
to evenly smooth out the stain. I used 4 gallons at $28/gallon.

Even though Cabot claims that the finish will last 3 years, with the heat and
scorching sun here I expect that I'll have to recoat once/year. Coating goes
quite quickly once you get into the rhythm.

So now I have a deck that's easy and safe to walk on barefoot. The project
took about a week.

I do, however, wonder why so many people have decks to begin with. Where I
live hardly anyone ever uses the deck regardless of the sun or temperature.

Have decks become decorative like shutters?

Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on November 27, 2006, 4:02 pm

>> So now I have a deck that's easy and safe to walk on barefoot. The

>> project

> took about a week.

> I do, however, wonder why so many people have decks to begin with. Where I

> live hardly anyone ever uses the deck regardless of the sun or

> temperature.

> Have decks become decorative like shutters?

You sure did a lot of work there' but looks good. If the nails start to pop
again, use deck screws and they will hold much better.

As for using them, from about mid May to mid September, we use ours most
every day. Shaded in the afternoon, we cook out there and relax after
dinner. Here in New England, the summers are generally moderate. If the
structure is sound, over time you may want to consider replacing just the
top deck with better materials.

Posted by John on November 27, 2006, 4:41 pm

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

>>> So now I have a deck that's easy and safe to walk on barefoot. The

>>> project

>> took about a week.

>> I do, however, wonder why so many people have decks to begin with. Where I

>> live hardly anyone ever uses the deck regardless of the sun or

>> temperature.

>> Have decks become decorative like shutters?

> You sure did a lot of work there' but looks good. If the nails start to pop

> again, use deck screws and they will hold much better.

> As for using them, from about mid May to mid September, we use ours most

> every day. Shaded in the afternoon, we cook out there and relax after

> dinner. Here in New England, the summers are generally moderate. If the

> structure is sound, over time you may want to consider replacing just the

> top deck with better materials.

Yep, I used to live in northern New England. Nice summers, awful winters.
Here in the deep south (y'all), it's impossible to use decks most days from
June to August. Today, however, it's in the 70's (late November) and it's
great being outdoors. Decks in the south are great in spring and fall and
sometimes in the winter too.

One other point: I used a Black & Decker "Dragster" (what an awful, stupid
name) for a narrow wedge shaped sander designed to go underneath deck
railings. The only problem is the sandpaper is on the right which is great
for sanding to the left side of posts. When I couldn't reach the posts from
the opposite side of the deck, I had to scrape and hand sand. Not a lot of
fun. The "Dragster" is also greatly underpowered and does an awful job of
dust pickup. I brought it back.

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