Hi All,
I have a customer who has asked me to clean and restain their deck which has pressure treated decking covered with a worn reddish stain. They want to go to one of the new “solid color stains which are latex based. Would a good cleaning suffice before staining? Or should I used one of the new stain/finish remover products that I’ve seen at SW , the Depot , and Lowes. These are the products that you brush on, keep wet for 15 minutes or so, then brush/hose off.
I guess what I’m asking is: is this stripping process necessary or not since I’m going to be applying a solid color stain?
Thanks in advance!
Dave in Rochester, NY
Replies
I did this last week for a client. I pressure washed, then scrubbed the deck with a TSP/bleach solution, then took a RO sander to the decking and cap rail. Both the decking and cap rail received two coats of Cabots decking stain, while all other parts received one.
Lots of manual work, but the results looks great.
Edit: Someday I'll try airless spraying the stain on, but the mess...
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Edited 9/5/2007 8:09 am ET by NickNukeEm
Depends on if water beads up on the deck, if it does at all the new stain will not penetrate or bond well. Even though the new stain is a solid color, some of the old stain could show through if it is dark enough. I would strip it with one of the lye (sodium hydroxide) based strippers that you mentioned.