Stripped my first deck

[mas3372 14]

I got a job about a two weeks ago to strip and reseal a deck. 12 x 16 with 45 square spindles, 2 steps and 33 feet or railing. Priced it $475 with sealer. There is a new section that was just added and the other 2/3rds had a grey stain on it that she said of Dafoe. Had to wait out the first week with the rain up in New England.

Went over there yesterday and it was drizzling a bit. Mixed remove from sunbrite 3 to 1 instead of 5 to 1 because I figured the rain was going to dilute it a bit more. Sprayed on with a garden sprayer and let is sit 30 minutes. To my surprise, the existing finish came off like a slurry and washed right away.

I instantly loved the fact that this old grey weathered deck looked better than the new section. Finished it off with some oxalic and will be sealing it tomorrow.

The HO is persistant that I use Dafoe again so I did. Couple gallons of natural cedar.

My whole point here is to say that Deck stripping was more enjoyable than expected and I really wish I took before and after pics.

Now my next question is,

what is the prefered sealer appplication method

Brush, Spray, or Roll????

[seymore 90]

Now my next question is,

what is the prefered sealer appplication method

Brush, Spray, or Roll????

I would prefer to stain w/shurflo setup to get in the cracks real good and back pad.

I'm glad you think stripping is enjoyable cause i know there are times when i wish i wasn't in this biz it sucked so much!

If you think that was easy just wait till you come accross some solid Acrylic stain or some newly applied Sikkens.You sometimes have to spray multiple times of stripper dwelling 1/2hr.or longer.

congrats on your first stripping of a deck :cool:

[tropical wave 22]

Now my next question is,

what is the prefered sealer appplication method

Brush, Spray, or Roll????

dont know anything about defoe, devo or whatever it is, but as far as the "prefered method" goes, in my case, the situation dictates the method, Ive sprayed (shurflo), brushed, rolled, padded, stain paddled and the rest, in a perfect world, there would be no wind in chicago, no underneath patios, no aluminum or vinyl near the wood etc, so I could spray everything, but since thats not the case you do what you have to do. Ive done decks that Ive had to use each and every way to apply sealer to certain areas.

[RPetry 564]

Mas3372,

To my surprise, the existing finish came off like a slurry and washed right away.

Enjoy the moment. Stripping can never get better and it will get worse. My first strip job was 3 layers of solid that was probably acrylic. Did not have a clue, first year. Nightmare. Three days later, a boatload of sanding, and a doubling of the original quote got the foul stains removed.

My oldest and first customer and still with me. Prepared their wood for staining this morning. There are still spots of that foul acrylic after six years. Smile as that beam of light shines down on your face because the fact is, not all of 'em are going to be so easy.

Bask in success while you can, and don't make my mistake of spending a bundle of time and $ on strippers that are far from what is advertised. Strippers, second to stains, are the worst rip off in this business.

Did not mean to rain on your parade. Congrats!

[mas3372 14]

Thanks for the input. I know my smile will be short lived once I encounter a tougher job. It was a great starter deck and the cards were in my favor.

Tomorrow I think I will roll on the sealer. Mostly deck, plus the hand rails. I should be able to roll the spindles as well and touch up with a brush as I go. Who knows, I have a sprayer on hand so thats a possibility as well.

As for strippers. After reading them all, I am think I should just invest in HD 80 since it is the strongest yet I can weaken it if need be. Does this make sense of should I have a few different kinds on hand.?