My father in law has a deck that the paint is peeling off of, what should he do?

Question

What is best for treating outdoor decks that have been stained.

Answer 1

Strip the paint... you can use a chemical stripper, or a power washer, or, if you're into pain, hand sand it.

......Clean the deck THOROUGHLY... use a liquid laundry detergent (it has non-bleach additives that'll clean the wood better than just soap & water) solution of one cup laundry detergent to one gallon of warm water. Broom the solution onto the deck wood, let sit for 10-15 minutes and then rinse, rinse, rinse. Try to do the cleaning early in the day when the deck is in shade.

......If there are any mold/mildew stains, treat them w/ a 1:4 bleach:water solution after cleaning the rest of the deck area per above instruction. If this doesn't work, use a TSP (trisodium phosphate) solution of one cup TSP, one cup household bleach and one gallon water. Broom solution onto deck, wait 15-30 minutes, then "scrub" rinse the solution off with a broom.

......Then let the wood dry.

......I can't stress the rinsing/drying too much... applying ANYthing over detergenty and/or damp wood will reduce it's staying power by about... oh, say 917%.

......To refinish the deck, decide if a wood stain or paint is preferred.

......If the wood isn't terrific, paint it. Use an exterior paint made for decks, or a marine grade deck paint. For safety's sake, consider adding an anti-slip agent to the paint. Paints will typically require at least two coats.

......If the deck is made of good-great grained wood, a penetrating stain is usually preferable; you can choose a natural wood stain or a colored stain. You can get away w/ one coat of stain, but it'll last longer and look tons better if you use two coats.

......No matter what you choose for the deck's finish, it MUST have the following three characteristics, else you're gonna be doing this job EVERY year:

............1. The stain/paint has to be "water repellent" or "water proof," not just "water resistant."

............2. The stain/paint has to have UV (ultraviolet) protection.

............3. The paint/stain should contain a mildewicide. If it doesn't, you can buy a mildewicide separately and add it to the stain/paint. (If there's trees/shrubbery overhanging the deck, consider cutting it back to avoid water dripping onto the deck while also allowing sun to get to the deck.)

......Do allllllllllllllll of this and the deck should be good to go for at least three years, and upwards of five.

Hope this helps.

TX Griff

Answer 2

Have it power washed and re-stain it. Stain does not peel by the way. Decks shouldn't be painted but if it was, then you might need a professional to get rid of the paint.

Answer 3

Sand the paint off and finish the deck in a weather PROOFER , not a a sealer. Paint will never stick to a deck for long. first, it should be made from pressure treated wood, paint just won't stick to it for long. using the deck wears down the paint, breaks the seal, water gets under it, it's gone.

An easy solution would be to put the plastic interlocking tiles made for going over garage floors on it.

Answer 4

either sand/power wash and re-stain, and use a good clear to keep the stain longer, or replace with synthetic board that will never need to be re-stained

Answer 5

sand it and re stain with a clear stain

Answer 6

its only about time to have it repainted. use scothtape to pull them easily. sandpapers can hurt your skin.

Answer 7

Repaint it...