Carefully Sanding The Wood Deck For A Smoother Refinishing End Result

Aged wood decks are an amazing addition to the outdoor home improvements. A professionally refinished wood deck looks fantastic and also improves its longevity. It may also boost the re-seal value of your property in case you decide to sell it one day.

However, maintenance and refinishing of a wood deck have their challenges. Although a power washing is essential with a cleaner, the process itself may cause the outdoor flooring made with wood decks to swell up and lift due to expansion. These wood fibers may remain elevated after drying as well, causing splinters.

This makes sanding a very crucial step. Before you begin your refinishing project, you must give the wood deck a comprehensive inspection to look for loose surface boards and structural issues like decaying or split boards. You need to address these problems first and make necessary repairs first before commencing with the refurbishing project.

Additionally, if the outdoor flooring is painted or varnished, you will need a chemical remover to remove those layers from the surface of the wood deck. This must be followed by a thorough cleaning as well as sanding old timber floorboards before applying a fresh stain. You will also need to clean dirt and gray stains resulting from sun exposure with a mild oxygen-based cleaner.

Tools that you will need for sanding the wood deck in your house

Some tools which are essential for the project are:

1. Scrub brush
2. A sander (Random orbit or oscillatory)
3. Bucket
4. Protective gear
5. Sandpaper of variable grits.
6. Cloths
7. Sometimes, screws and a screw gun could also be required.

Steps involved with sanding

Making your home outdoor flooring ready for staining, you must follow certain steps to ensure that the result is a beautiful, professional-looking deck. These steps are:

Washing

1. As per the instructions written in the manufacturer’s guide, you must wash the deck first.
2. If you power washing, using a sprayer setting will prevent the wood from getting harmed.
3. You must rinse the surface of the deck thoroughly to remove any chemical traces from the deck after using a cleaner.

Repairing

1. Replace old screws.
2. Add new fasteners to fix any loose boards.
3. Use wooden fillers to fill any gouge or splinter in the wood.
4. Let it completely dry and harden before sanding.

Sanding the surface and board edges

1. The first step of sanding is not to get a smooth surface.
2. Therefore, apply medium pressure and use a minimum of 60 grit sandpaper to sand the deck surface.
3. Reduce the pressure if the deck is made from softwood material.
4. You cannot use a power sander on the board edges, therefore, sand with a detail sander instead.

Sanding the railings

1. On the railing, you will need to increase the grit of the sandpaper to 100.
2. Hand sanding is the best to ensure every surface is carefully sanded.

Vacuuming

1. Once done, remove all the dust using cloth pieces and vacuum all the surfaces.

Finishing Deck Recoating

You can now apply the sealer or stain for completing the refinishing job.

In any event, a professional-looking refinishing job for your wood outdoor flooring can be completed in a couple of weeks, transforming a drab, weary old deck into a lively, gorgeous entertainment area ideal for a barbeque celebration.