How to sand ridged decking?

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Felicity asked 9 years ago

Our deck is about 10 years old. It was built and painted by the previous owners of the house and needs repainting or staining.

I would like to sand and stain it but am not sure how to start because the boards are ridged, rather than flat. I think they were laid upside down and that the ridged surface is actually meant to be the underside of the beck.

I hope I’ve explained things properly. Do you know what I mean about the ridged boards and, if so, how would I go about sanding the deck?

Many thanks.

2 Answers
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MagicDave answered.

First off… you cannot "stain" a previously painted surface… without first removing completely, all the paint with either a Stripper or Refinisher Product… just sanding alone will not allow stain to completely penetrate the surface…

If you just want to repaint a previously painted surface which has a coarse surface structure… try coarse steel wool… or use a pressure washing system…

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Crowder Painting answered.

Some ideas;
1- Flip over the floor boards. Depends on the construction of your deck but could expose some nice wood for staining.
2- Use a wood floor sander, drum sander. Lots of work but can be rented.
3- Use a deck stripper and pressure washer as mentioned.