Can I sand my deck?

Question

We had a new deck put on our house and the guy who built it, also stained it - badly. It was all drip marks and uneven, just not good. He said he'd fix it by powerwashing it - he did powerwash it, but now its worse. The color is still uneven, there are still drip marks and worst of all, there are big rough patches with huge splinters, etc. The "deck guy" is gone and won't be back. What's my best option at this point? Can I sand the deck down to get ride of the rough spots and then prep it to restain? Its a mess and needs to be fixed!

Answer 1

Absolutely,, sanding is about the only thing you can do to remove the unwanted rough patches and the drip marks. If you have a belt sander, they work best using a 180 grit belt.

Answer 2

This is wood, it has variables, he should have told you this, made it plain that it's near impossible to make it even. Even if he power washes it, it's near impossible to make wood even and the grain perfect to take a stain that will be perfect.

To take this to court, I could make your case last two minutes and show you it wouldn't hold up, you would be wasting your money. It has happen.

Sanding your deck is going to get the top, the rough surface, the splinters, etc. this may help.
The contractor should have told you, in fact showed you, that the wood has variables, he was sloppy, that was wrong, he should be held responsible for that part. There should be no sloppy drops and spills but, you should have overseen the job and stopped him right away, I would have.

After power washing he showed have waited until it dried so the stain would have taken a little more evener and went in better, he was in a hurry. He was wrong here. Get him back and tell him to either redo the job or your going to go for his bond or certificate, sue him.

Sanding the deck will take out the splinters and take out the sharp edges, make it safer

Answer 3

Some detergents can discolour your deck, depending on the type of timber it is made of, so be careful when you chose a product.
From experience, the best way I have found to get rid of anything on timber is caustic soda mixed with water but you have to be VERY CAREFUL. Wear protection goggles, overalls and thick rubber gloves.
Apply the mixture with a broom and leave it for hafl an hour or so. Scrub, wash with a hose and repeat if necessary until the stain is gone. When it is dry, sand if needed and restain.

Answer 4

You can still refinish your deck. Just take precautions. Wear a good quality mask (not just the white dust mask), gloves, and glasses, etc. Don't sand on a day that is windy. You don't want the wood dust to float to a neighbor's yard. Also, sweep up the wood dust periodically, to keep it contained. When you are finished, wash the deck well, and wait a few days to finish it.

Answer 5

If you have a contract the deck guy is not gone. Go to small claims court with the contract and pics, he will be instructed to make it good with you or replace it. We always stain our own decks. That way we get the color we want, I have refinished furniture for years. Please do this, don't let this .........ruin anyone else's day. Also if you have his license # report him. You can use bleach and water mix. We used floor brushes and scrubbed, make sure you don't wear good clothes. Unfortunately the reason they call it stain is its permanent.