Wood Deck Restoration PICAsk any questions regarding exterior wood and deck restoration. Questions can relate to wood fences, wood decks, wood homes, etc. If you have a question on your wood project then this is the best place to ask.

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    Cindy W · 11/12/2018
    HI,
    I have a screened in porch with ipe wood flooring (untreated). Painters recently scraped a shelf across the wood and created indentations. They also got a lot of paint and drywall on it that is not coming out. Any tips on how to get rid of the cracks? Can we sand it? Should we seal it once it is fixed (if it is fixable?)
    We also have the ipe wood on a raised deck and steps. We plan to clean it next spring? What is the best way to get the mildew out and bring it back to life? Also, should we then seal it? We want to be as low maintenance as possible. We live near a small lake (not sure if that impacts the answer)
    Thanks for your help.
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      The Sealer Store · 11/12/2018
      You would need to power sand all the wood to even out this and to remove the imperfections. Once done, stain with the Defy Hardwood Stain: https://www.opwdecks.com/defyhardwood.htm
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        cindy w · 11/13/2018
        Thank you. Should we do this to the deck and steps outside and use the same product to seal it as your recommending for the screened in porch. The ipe wood that is outside has already grayed. Would power sanding bring back its original color easily, or would that be impossible with all the posts and other hard to reach areas like on steps?
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    RichardT · 10/06/2018
    I have a mahogany deck full 1" boards x 3 1/2" wide. I just replaced a portion of the deck which was rotted with new mahogany. This portion of the deck is exposed to all the elements. The other part of the deck is under a 2nd floor porch. It was stained with a reddish stain, which I just sanded to bare wood with 60 grit paper. So I have new and old (20 years) wood that I would like to match when I m done.
    1. Should I also sand the new wood?
    2. Should I leave all of it bare through the winter? or should I treat the old and new wood differently?
    3. What stain or product should I use with the bare wood. Should I treat the new and the old wood differently?

    Richard
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      The Sealer Store · 10/07/2018
      1. No.
      2. Yes. Clean and brighten all the wood in Spring.
      3. Defy Hardwood Stain or Armstrong Clark.
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    Andrea · 10/01/2018
    Do you recommend any carpenter bee additives for Armstrong Clark stains?
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      The Sealer Store · 10/01/2018
      Better to spray for the bees after the stain has dried.
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    Evan P · 09/15/2018
    I have stripped ( using a scraper) and sanded ( 36 grit then 120 grit) my acrylic painted deck down to the wood. Do I need to do anything else to the boards before I start staining? Any type of conditioner, brightener, stain prep ( I am planning on using an oil based stain ) or wood wash or anything? I believe the wood is pine and I have saved about 95% of the boards. You can see in the photo the section I have completed sanding and the boards that are next to be done.
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      The Sealer Store · 09/16/2018
      Use a deck cleaner and a wood brightener for the final prep.
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    Jim Bond · 09/12/2018
    We had a builder build our new deck 12 months ago. We were cleaning the wood in preparation of staining. However, every time we use a cleaning there is this white gummy substance that comes out of the wood. We contacted the builder who says this is due to the wood being bad (saturated with sap) and stated he wouldn't stand behind it; he told use to call the lumber company he bought it from. If they will not stand behind this product is there anything we can do with this wood to salvage our deck?
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      The Sealer Store · 09/13/2018
      It has nothing to do with bad wood but is oxidation of the wood fibers from the UV. This happens when exposed for a year and would happen to all wood types. Use a deck cleaner and pressure wash until all wood fibers are removed. Brighten the wood after. You may then have some "fuzzies" to the wood that will need to be sanded off after.
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    Todd · 09/09/2018
    I bought armstrong natural oak semi trans i have clean and brighten the deck if i need to restain in a year do i need to strip the deck first or can i clean and restain with the armstrong stain
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    sean fay · 06/26/2018
    what is the best cleaning product for a composite deck , to remove algae, black spots and mildew
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    BWood · 06/08/2018
    We live on the lake in cottage country NE of Toronto and are staining our 6 year old cedar decks for the first time. I see that TWP, AC, and Defy are all recommended brands. Which would be best for our climate? We also have a 480 SqFt Dock over the water and I’m interested in the Defy Marine product. Is that the best product for the dock or would the best dock product do just as well?
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      The Sealer Store · 06/08/2018
      It does not have to be a Marine stain but the Defy Marine would work well here. All of these brands are excellent and not one is better than the rest. Go with the one you like. :)
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    sean · 05/25/2018
    i live in iowa have a ceder wood deck , that needs some work i have black metal spindles in the railing my 4x4 look good from being stained about three years ago, but my floor is showing signs of ware, and the stain repellant is peeling in some spots, don't have a lot of money to spend . what would you suggest i do , to try and have a good looking deck for the next couple years. thank you scs
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    Charles · 04/21/2018
    We have a treated wood fence that was stained about 10 years ago. What should we use to prep for restaining?
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      The Sealer Store · 04/21/2018
      Hello, how to prep depends on the current condition and the brand/type of stain that was used before. Could you post a picture?
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    Carl Zink · 11/01/2017
    We have a 10 year old wood deck, that was previously painted. The paint is beginning to flake in large quantities. should we repaint, or sand and stain? What are your recommendations? CZ
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      The Sealer Store · 11/01/2017
      It will continue to peel if you repaint. Best to sand it off fully and then go with a penetrating stain that does not peel.
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    The Sealer Store · 09/07/2017
    Bruce V:
    Hi,

    I recently purchased a house in the new england with a newish but unstained deck (pressure treated wood/some mold and mildew observable). I would like to protect the deck for the winter but we are undecided on what color to stain it. What is best to do? Just clean it, clean it and stain it with a transparent or light colored stain, leave it as is until the spring? Thanks for any advice.

    If you are unsure on the color, you can wait until Spring to clean and stain.
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    Bruce V · 09/07/2017
    Hi,

    I recently purchased a house in the new england with a newish but unstained deck (pressure treated wood/some mold and mildew observable). I would like to protect the deck for the winter but we are undecided on what color to stain it. What is best to do? Just clean it, clean it and stain it with a transparent or light colored stain, leave it as is until the spring? Thanks for any advice.
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    The Sealer Store · 08/21/2017
    Chris A"][quote name="TheSealerStore"][quote name="Chris A:
    Hi,
    I have just purchased a house with a fairly old, unloved deck -it's composite floor and wood railings. I expect I need a cleaner and brightener on the composite. DEFY seem to have a dedicated composite product ... would this give a better result than the general restore-a-deck packages? Also do I need something different for the wood pieces? I'd prefer to use the same process & products on all of the deck where possible for ease, unless that would significantly affect the results.

    Any advice?

    Thanks in advance.[/quote]
    Just use the RAD kits for all. The Defy product is a different label of their Wood Cleaner, not a different formula.[/quote]

    Great thanks. And apologies if this is a stupid follow up, but is this all I need? Or after cleaning/brightening do I then need to apply a sealer for the composite (I see DEFY have one) and a stain for the wood pieces (again DEFY)? Or would you recommend something else, or is the RAD package all I need?

    The RAD kit is the prep. You should stain the rails with the Defy Extreme and you can seal the composite with the Defy Composite Sealer.
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    Chris A · 08/20/2017
    TheSealerStore"][quote name="Chris A:
    Hi,
    I have just purchased a house with a fairly old, unloved deck -it's composite floor and wood railings. I expect I need a cleaner and brightener on the composite. DEFY seem to have a dedicated composite product ... would this give a better result than the general restore-a-deck packages? Also do I need something different for the wood pieces? I'd prefer to use the same process & products on all of the deck where possible for ease, unless that would significantly affect the results.

    Any advice?

    Thanks in advance.[/quote]
    Just use the RAD kits for all. The Defy product is a different label of their Wood Cleaner, not a different formula.


    Great thanks. And apologies if this is a stupid follow up, but is this all I need? Or after cleaning/brightening do I then need to apply a sealer for the composite (I see DEFY have one) and a stain for the wood pieces (again DEFY)? Or would you recommend something else, or is the RAD package all I need?
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    The Sealer Store · 08/18/2017
    Chris A:
    Hi,
    I have just purchased a house with a fairly old, unloved deck -it's composite floor and wood railings. I expect I need a cleaner and brightener on the composite. DEFY seem to have a dedicated composite product ... would this give a better result than the general restore-a-deck packages? Also do I need something different for the wood pieces? I'd prefer to use the same process & products on all of the deck where possible for ease, unless that would significantly affect the results.

    Any advice?

    Thanks in advance.

    Just use the RAD kits for all. The Defy product is a different label of their Wood Cleaner, not a different formula.
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    Chris A · 08/17/2017
    Hi,
    I have just purchased a house with a fairly old, unloved deck -it's composite floor and wood railings. I expect I need a cleaner and brightener on the composite. DEFY seem to have a dedicated composite product ... would this give a better result than the general restore-a-deck packages? Also do I need something different for the wood pieces? I'd prefer to use the same process & products on all of the deck where possible for ease, unless that would significantly affect the results.

    Any advice?

    Thanks in advance.
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    The Sealer Store · 06/10/2017
    Toni:
    I have an ipe deck and got the stripper/brightener kit. I just did a sample area on a step and am amazed how well these product work ! Question; how best do I treAt the vertical boards along the side and inder stair tread?

    Treat as in prep or stain? Best to prep the same way and stain as well.
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    Toni · 06/10/2017
    I have an ipe deck and got the stripper/brightener kit. I just did a sample area on a step and am amazed how well these product work ! Question; how best do I treAt the vertical boards along the side and inder stair tread?
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    The Sealer Store · 04/05/2017
    JimConnell:
    I have a fairly old pressure-treated deck which I have been finishing with TWP1500 Natural. I would like to switch to a gray-colored stain to be more appropriate for my New England location. I've used RAD cleaner before restaining in the past. Should I use RAD cleaner again, or RAD stripper, before changing the color? Also, what stain do you recommend that comes in a gray color? Thanks,

    -jimc

    Best to use the Stripper when changing colors like this. Brighten after. Try the Armstrong Clark in Driftwood Gray.