Author Topic: Time to repair wood patio deck  (Read 2409 times)

mozar

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Time to repair wood patio deck
« on: July 05, 2018, 10:27:56 AM »
Hello and many thanks,
I've been putting off resealing my wood patio deck for years. It's not in terrible shape. There is a little bit of wood rot which is just going to get worse. I was looking at this on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JOF9BZQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A3MI9MEJ3HV949&psc=1

Any tips/ advice/ brands that are better?

I'm planning to rinse it off, hope that it doesn't get more plants on it while it dries and use a paint brush or a roller to paint it on.

frugalfoothills

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2018, 10:44:06 AM »
I re-stained a 12x12 wood deck last year and after a ton of research, found myself on a contractor's forum. Ended up going with the prevailing recommendation: TWP.

They offer some different product lines so you can choose what's right for your situation. For me, I had to remove some older stain (ended up just using a pressure washer to do that), then used the TWP cleaner/wood brightener before applying the stain. Went with Dark Oak stain which is really nice, it doesn't cover the grain of the wood which I like. I also like that maintenance coats can be applied right over top of the old stain. I'll probably apply a fresh coat this coming spring and try to stain on an every couple years schedule.

I'd attach some pictures, but I don't know how...

Retire-Canada

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2018, 10:57:59 AM »
I have to re-stain part of my deck this weekend. I use a pressure washer to get the old stain off and then slap on something new. I just grab whatever is on sale that's the colour I want.

dcheesi

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2018, 11:09:04 AM »
When I looked into this a few years ago, my initial thought was to cover up all the faults with one of those "deck-over" products (like the OP's link). But my research suggested that those products actually require more meticulous surface preparation, or else the thick layer of coating they create just tends to flake off en masse after a few years.

I wound up going with pressure-washing, and replacing a few rotten/damaged boards, and then re-applying the same type of stain I had used originally (most of the problems weren't the fault of the stain, but rather the application and/or the condition before I started the first time).
« Last Edit: July 05, 2018, 11:12:18 AM by dcheesi »

mozar

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2018, 11:48:19 AM »
Oh, OK. Any suggestions for stains? There is not a stain on it anymore and I was not the one who originally stained it.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2018, 11:53:45 AM »
Oh, OK. Any suggestions for stains? There is not a stain on it anymore and I was not the one who originally stained it.

I've bought the cheapest stain of the colour I wanted and had no issues with it. My [limited] experience is that how you prep the surface is more important than the stain you use within the spectrum of quality at the chain hardware stores.  I need to buy more this weekend. I'll just grab what is on sale.

tyrannostache

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2018, 12:44:23 PM »
The previous owner of our house used one of those "deck-over" products to prep the deck for sale. The deck looked pretty good for about one year. 2 years later it is a flaking mess. We will end up scraping it all off and resealing either this fall or next spring.

We live in the far north of the US, so we get a lot of temp and moisture fluctuation with summers being incredibly dry.

Candace

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2018, 01:21:14 PM »
I have a similar situation to the OP. My large back deck has a Behr product on it now that was supposed to be elastomeric, that is, it was supposed to last several years. Two years later and I need to re-do it, probably with a different product. It's just flaky flaky flaky. Very disappointing. I hired someone to do it, which may have been my mistake.

Five years ago I did my medium-sized front porch with Rust-Oleum Concrete and Deck Restore. It's hard to overstate how important surface prep is when using one of these products, and following all the directions closely. Mine has performed brilliantly. I was meticulous during prep and application. I had an advantage in that the front porch didn't have a stain on it previously -- the wood was just weathered. Therefore I didn't need to remove old stain first. On my back deck, I anticipate needing to pressure wash and then probably use a stripper as well to get the old product off. I do think I'll go with the Rust-Oleum Concrete and Deck Restore product though, because I've had a good experience with it. I have a few misgivings as I've seen a lot of videos and complaints online that show the product flaking off terribly. But aside from a few spots on the leading edges of the front porch stairs that are very high traffic and can easily be touched up, I have had no flaking at all in five years.

Bird In Hand

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2018, 03:50:08 PM »
Agree with everyone who mentioned that the key is good preparation via stripping (optionally) and cleaning.  I've had decent luck using OxiClean + water + a deck scrub brush and/or pressure washer to prep the wood.  Kind of a poor man's version of Restore-A-Deck (which I plan on using next time).

A whole lot of research has led me to TWP for softwood, and IPE Oil for hardwoods.

Deck/porch maintenance is a pain, but your job becomes much harder if you don't clean regularly and re-stain as needed.  A classic case of "Pay now, or pay (more) later."

Candace

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2018, 04:41:35 PM »
How long does TWP last? I like the idea of all the research you have all done, but I also like the effort to be once every six or seven years rather than every two or three. Also my deck's wood is quite weathered and the idea of covering it in the heavy textured coating of the Restore 10x is appealing.

Bird In Hand

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2018, 07:12:33 AM »
How long does TWP last? I like the idea of all the research you have all done, but I also like the effort to be once every six or seven years rather than every two or three. Also my deck's wood is quite weathered and the idea of covering it in the heavy textured coating of the Restore 10x is appealing.

If your deck is exposed to a lot of sun/rain?  Probably a couple years max.  My front porch is covered and gets little sun.  In that environment a quality stain applied after good prep work can last 5-10 years if it's cleaned regularly and doesn't get a ton of foot traffic.

I understand you're looking for an easy way out of all the maintenance associated with a wood deck.  You sound like someone who might do better with a composite deck.  :)

I don't have any experience with Restore 10x or similar products, but my guess is that it's going to start flaking off after a couple seasons, and then you'll have a bigger mess on your hands.  Actually I suspect that whenever the product starts to fail, be it 2 years or 10, you're going to have a mess to clean up.  I could be wrong though!  If your research says that you can get 5+ years out of it, go for it.

frugalfoothills

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2018, 01:39:28 PM »
How long does TWP last? I like the idea of all the research you have all done, but I also like the effort to be once every six or seven years rather than every two or three. Also my deck's wood is quite weathered and the idea of covering it in the heavy textured coating of the Restore 10x is appealing.

From what I remember TWP recommends a maintenance coat once every two years, three at the most. Of course like I mentioned upthread you don't have to strip, etc. before applying... it goes right over the top of the existing stain.

My deck is uncovered and gets blasted by the sun for most of the summer. I also live in the south where it's humid as hell and we have all kinds of critters to contend with. I don't have the snow to deal with, though, so can't comment on how it stands up to that. All I can say is that almost a year after application and with only one quick soapy rinse this spring, it's looking as good as it did when I first applied it.

I originally wanted one of the thick deck-over products for the same reasons you mentioned, but read enough horror stories online (and got some warnings from an uncle who's a professional house painter) to dissuade me. It sounded like the "every six or seven years" was actually not the reality that 99% of people experienced when using those products. I'm glad I changed my mind... am very happy with how it turned out with the TWP. Wish I knew how to post pics so you could get a feel for it.

mozar

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Re: Time to repair wood patio deck
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2018, 07:59:43 PM »
@frugalfoothills
Under the reply box click on the plus sign next to "attachments and other options."
Click "choose file" and navigate to where the pic is
Post as normal