Decks, Decks, and More Decks!

With summer in full swing we are heavily into deck season. One question we get asked a lot is "Why do decks need to be stripped instead of just pressure washed?"

If you have a deck that you want stained with a transparent stain then stripping and conditioning the deck is a must. If you put a transparent stain over a grey and dirty colored surface then the stain will look discolored and dark instead of beautiful. Also, the stain may or may not penetrate into the wood if there is a previous coating. (For some stains you can stain over the top of the existing if you use the same product, such as the product we are recommending for cedar decks.)

We recommend for any transparent stain for the deck to be stripped of all previous stain. This will also help to get rid of discoloration and greying. Then condition the wood which gets the wood's color back to its blonde or reddish color. Then we sand the deck with 60 - 80 grit sandpaper which also helps to open the pores of the wood and also give it a nice finish.

After all of this preparation has been completed, then it is time to apply two generous coats of Timber Pro Coating's Deck & Fence formula. You can check them out at www.timberprocoatings.com. We have been using their products for years to great results.