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paddywawa t1_ixs2wrt wrote

You can google this as there is a lot of sites with great advice but I believe it’s a very good practice to wash after sanding. It will get rid of dust and brighten the wood.

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Suffot87 t1_ixs5ey5 wrote

I would wash it before you sand it. Removing loose particles and dirt/grime will greatly extend the life of your sandpaper and prevent any of those particles from getting embedded and and messing up your deck.

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hbigmike1 t1_ixs5gyk wrote

I would wash the deck first. What will be removed is dirt, grime and any residue that lay on top of the deck. If not removed then the sandpaper would “load up” that much quicker and make for sanding just that much more difficult. Washing and or pressure washing is an easy step to take both before and after sanding…good luck.

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rbundy t1_ixs7odf wrote

If redwood or a similar soft wood, I would suggest washing it after sanding using a broom and oxygen bleach, then rinse well. Pressure washing is very hard on the wood fibers and will prematurely degrade the surface.

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604_heatzcore t1_ixsn7h0 wrote

Depends. If u wash it its gonna get wet... n u gotta let it dry if u live somewhere hot I'd do it but if it's winter or cold I'd just blow it down or sweep it

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Tasker2Tasker t1_ixsn7pm wrote

Need to? No.

Does it benefit the overall process? Yes. The sequence below maximizes benefit and outcome, under most conditions.

Knowledgeable word care/restoration folk would either strip or clean, then brighten with oxalic acid, then allow to dry. Then sand (40 grit for aggressive removal, 60 for moderate, finish with either 80-100, fairly pointless/counterproductive to go above that for decking without knowing precisely why) and stain.

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oldmanartie t1_ixsot6e wrote

Depends on the wood maybe, but a quick wash with a mild detergent to get any oils off that would cause the stain not to adhere would be wise. This will pull stuff up out of the wood that sanding wouldn’t (woodn’t).

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Liesthroughisteeth t1_ixsptjn wrote

If it's not finished and reasonably clean why bother. I'd be more inclined to wash it after sanding, but a day or two before refinishing (depending on the weather). :)

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SapphireDesertRosre t1_ixsqbq8 wrote

No matter what the question is, the answer is always yes. Wash it.

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Jagbag13 t1_ixswxjm wrote

I refinished my deck this past fall. I power washed the deck and would highly recommend it. Not only did it remove most of the old paint/stain, it also removed a ton of dirt and debris that otherwise would have ended up reducing effectiveness of sanding.

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JadaNeedsaDoggie t1_ixswzqw wrote

Replying to Tasker2Tasker (#676,531)

When you sand with a much higher grit, you're closing the pores in the wood (which is why it feels smoother) and the stain/water repellent won't penetrate as deeply and won't last very long, especially with foot traffic. I have a cedar deck and stop at 80 when I refinish about every 3 to 4 years.

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alohadave t1_ixsx32x wrote

Replying to hbigmike1 (#674,386)

> Washing and or pressure washing is an easy step

Just give it several days for the wood to dry. Pressure washing especially is going to soak the wood. It's the same reason you don't seal a deck for at least a week after pressure washing it.

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redw000d t1_ixsxpaw wrote

a friend 'sanded' his redwood deck. so, the nail heads, become iron filings, thus, Blackening his deck.. just for your info...

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Coal_Morgan t1_ixsxuvp wrote

Replying to Suffot87 (#674,378)

Plus washing it will get into grooves, nicks and notches that sanding won't get into.

The gunk in notches will stain differently or not allow the stain to penetrate.

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moralesnery t1_ixt16bo wrote

It's not obligatory, but power washing it will remove dust, dirt, some mold.

I would just try to use as little water as possible, do it when the sun is out so it can dry faster, and then sand it.

And after sanding it I would clean it using paint thinner or at least alcohol.

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navigationallyaided t1_ixt31wc wrote

Wash it with Dawn, Clorox Outdoor formula or deck wash(Behr, Olympic, Zinsser, Ben Moore - doesn’t matter which brand for cleaner). If water beads, you have wax or grease on the deck and that must be addressed.

If Thompson’s Water Seal was ever used, you must scrub the deck with ammonia to remove the wax.

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sbsb27 t1_ixt68jl wrote

In the Pacific Northwest - cedar deck: Every year clean...packaged mildew solution or diluted bleach. Protect your plants. Scrub with a stiff bristle push broom. Rinse. Let it dry. Touch up/re-apply deck finish as needed. Then, every 2 years, mildew treatment then strip the old finish - that stiff bristle push broom is the ticket. No pressure washing - raises the grain. Refinish. And every 7, 9 years (climate dependent) mildew treatment and strip - then mechanically sand (ok, 9 years) and re-stain/refinish. Yes, a cedar deck is work...and beautiful. I had a cedar deck for 25 years in a temperate rain forest, replacing three boards due to mildew damage. No maintenance, no deck!

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Bergwookie t1_ixtu7zh wrote

Replying to redw000d (#677,731)

If you have sanded down to the nail heads, you can fix this, although with a lot of work... You take a punch and hammer and give every nail a beating

You'll feel every vertebra for at least a week, but by driving the nails a bit further in, you gain a bit more ''flesh'' for future sanding, afterwards you take the sanding dust, mix it with wood glue and fill the holes.

The same procedure like on long board wooden floors indoors.

Incredible amount of work, but way better than ugly iron stains or a nail ripping a nice groove in your bare feet (and now nice blood stains in the wood) ;-)

Check from time to time if nails work themselves up, wood is constantly ''working'', so nails tend to come out over time, if they become loose, pull them, put matches with wood glue in the hole and hammer the nail back in.

Or you go completely for larch or Douglas fir for your next deck, those don't have to be sanded/stained, as long as the underconstruction is well made, so the wood can dry completely, the wood gets grey but doesn't rot. Such decks can last up to 100years if done properly (proper ventilation, groves between the boards, not mounted directly on concrete, no always shady places, nails/screws out of stainless steel).

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chopsuwe t1_ixtxcki wrote

Come on, the joke wasn't even that good to start with. Surely you've got something better to do with your life than repeating the same joke for the hundredth time.

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