DIY Tips To Sanding Your Wooden Deck Prior- A Knowledge Base!

After performing a deep power wash on your wooden deck surface, the wooden fibres usually raise and expand with water. And as they dry out, these fibres stay raised and eventually form splinters.

It is why experts recommend sanding your timber decks after power washing and before sealing and staining it to ensure the refinishing offers better and lasting results. 

You should make sure that the wooden deck dries off properly prior to sanding it, particularly if there has been a downpour or you have power-washed recently. The wise move would be to wait for several days and then treat the surface, the railings, and its broad edges.

If you are planning to sand your wooden deck yourself, anytime soon, then here are some tips to sanding them properly.

Things You Will Need:- 

• A push broom
• Leaf blower
• Epoxy Wood filler
• inch decking screws
• Orbital flooring sander
• Hammer
• Paint scraper
• A quality detergent
• Drill
• Bucket
• Palm Sander
• Grit sandpaper- (20-, 36-, 50- 80-, 100-)
• A clean mop
• And no.2 Philips bit. 

DIY Tips To Deck Sanding:-

1. Properly sweep the deck using the hard push broom and fasten driving screws that have popped using a frill and using a Philips no.2 bit. Also, hammer in those nails which have come off due to wear and tear. As for those warped wooden boards that have warped away from the joists; look to reattach them using a 3-inch decking screw.
2. Look to sand the deck surface using an orbital surface sander. You can employ coarse 20-grit sandpaper if you have a deck is constructed using teak. Contrarily, if your deck is made of softwood, then you do not need to treat it aggressively. Notable deck sanding experts in Perth recommend employing a 50-grit paper for treating the deck surface.
3. When aiming to sand the deck corners and areas beneath the benches; employ a palm sander. Use the same grit of sandpaper used with the floor sander. Once finished, use a vacuum to dust off the surface. You can also use a leaf blower to blow away existing leaves and small twigs. If you notice any cracks, scratches or holes in your deck surface, use a putty knife to apply the epoxy filler. Give it some time to cure before proceeding.
4. Change to a finer grit paper to re-sand. This means that if you started off using 20-grit sandpaper, change to 36- or 50-grit or even 80-grit sandpaper. This will help remove the existing wooden fillers and also scratches. Once done, blow away the bust or wooden remnants using the blower. You can also choose to vacuum it.
5. The final pass should be done using the finest grit- such as 100-grit sandpaper. Once you have sanded the deck surface thoroughly, mix detergent with warm water and mop the entire deck surface. Follow that up by rinsing it with clear water.

Allow one day for the deck to dry, and while it dries, use a paint scraper to remove debris present in-between the boards.

Special Note: When planning to sand your wooden deck surface, always the weather conditions. The best time to do this would be to start the work when there is an extended dry period. Never look to do it if the forecast indicates rain. It will only raise the wood grains again, leaving you with no option but to sand it again when it dries off!

There you have it. Tips to sand your wooden deck prior to refinishing it. If you find all this to be a bit tough to manage yourself, then you can always opt for quality deck floor expert serving in Perth to do it for you.

Using their experience and knowledge, they will perform the task efficiently and ensure your wooden deck looks good and stays strong for long.