Deck refinishing recommendations?

[Brian]

Anybody know a good deck refinishing guy? We never got around to sealing our deck when we moved in 5ish years ago and it's already blackening with mildew and is very rough. Will almost certainly need some sanding of the floor and handrails, powerwash, and stain/protect. We talked to one of those stain companies earlier in spring with the space age proprietary stuff (sealwise or something like that if I remember correct) but it was crazy expensive for what appeared to be no good reason. I had planned to get a pressure washer and do it myself this summer, but have been either too busy or too lazy to get it done myself.

Other than a recommendation, anything else I need to know? Is the Thompson's or whatever stuff you can get at HD/Lowes good enough or do I need to have the contractor bring some "good stuff"...?

[JM Ver. 2.0]

Anybody know a good deck refinishing guy? We never got around to sealing our deck when we moved in 5ish years ago and it's already blackening with mildew and is very rough. Will almost certainly need some sanding of the floor and handrails, powerwash, and stain/protect. We talked to one of those stain companies earlier in spring with the space age proprietary stuff (sealwise or something like that if I remember correct) but it was crazy expensive for what appeared to be no good reason. I had planned to get a pressure washer and do it myself this summer, but have been either too busy or too lazy to get it done myself.

Other than a recommendation, anything else I need to know? Is the Thompson's or whatever stuff you can get at HD/Lowes good enough or do I need to have the contractor bring some "good stuff"...?

I wish I knew more about it... I'd come do it for ya... I'm all about extra money at this point.

[twitchyfinger]

I do but am too tired to get into and explain and am headed to bed soon but short version is thompsons is some if the worst out there might as well use water as for most of the other stuff big box stores and hardware stores sell. Cabot is about the only thing they sell I would use in a pinch. I just stained my cabin this summer and used Armstrong Clark cedar on it with great results and yes you have to order it. Check out the sealer store they have many excellent brands and also a forum where there is great info from the pros! Also sanding is the worst thing you can do to restore a deck. There are many chemical strippers, brighteners and neutralizers out there that work much better. Check out the website and forum and you'll have to do your homework as to what will work best for your application.

link: http://www.opwdecks.com/

Here is another great link on how too's and quality deck stain reviews: http://www.deckstainhelp.com/

[Wulf202]

There's a thread about deck staining if you want to search

[Big Wall]

Go to Guiry's in Parker. Use the Benjamine Moore stripper, brightner and neutralizers. Let it dry, sand it and stain it with a good oilbased stain. Whe we had our house painting business we used Sikkens. Their pigment is ground so fine that you don't even have to stir the stain to keep it mixed up properly while applying it. Once done and it has dried, make sure you rinse it off often to help keep the dust from being so abrasive and wearing the finish. It takes a lot of work to keep a deck in good shape. I have never personally seen a deck properly taken care of. Once water stops beading on the surface, the deck needs to be stripped, sanded and restained.

We went to a presentation by a stain rep once. He had a deck at home that was absolutely beautiful. Every couple years he would disassemble the deck, strip it, then send everything thru a sander/planer, stain all sides and ends and then reassemble the deck. Pain in the ass? Absolutely. Beautiful? There aren't even words.

[newracer]

My mother in law's deck is in rough shape too. I am thinking about using one of the new deck coating products.

[ray1970]

My deck is poorly maintained. I'm thinking about trying to coat it with one of those epoxy type coatings made for doing garage floors and see how that works out.

[copfish]

Decks are a pain in the ass. I stripped my deck and then painted it. FUBAR. Never use paint on a deck... Geez, I wished I would have asked a pro... New house had a TREX deck. 1000% better.

[ChadAmberg]

Recently had my fence stained finally after 5 years, and the Olympic cleaner http://www.olympic.com/products/stai...m-deck-cleaner was just incredible. Simply spray it on and wait a few minutes, then rinse. MAYBE you'll need to take a push broom to some really bad spots, but that's it. No hassle...
It won't help the sanding/restain, but at least it won't make you mad when you look at the deck and see the mildew.

[ray1970]

Decks are a pain in the ass. I stripped my deck and then painted it. FUBAR. Never use paint on a deck... Geez, I wished I would have asked a pro... New house had a TREX deck. 1000% better.

That composite decking is definitely the way to go. When I re- did my deck I looked into it. It would have cost me about $2400 to use the composite stuff. I went with wood instead an spent about $700 on materials instead. Part of me wishes I had just spent the money on the good stuff to begin with.