The Detroit News, GLENN HAEGE: May 21, 2005

The Handyman
Choose right products, take precaution while maintaining deck
Stripping and staining a deck is hard work. Too many people try to rush the job and wind up with poor results. Frustrated deck owners often call and want to blame the products. Most often the fault lies with the user.

Usually the problem is the user was rushed and didn't do the work at the right time, tried to skip a step or two or expected products to do what they were never intended to do.

If you just had a dull gray or unfinished deck, we covered the problem last week.

If you have a previously finished deck that has turned dull, gray and splotchy, the old finish has to be stripped and cleaned. Then the wood has to be brightened.

Finally, the deck should be sealed or stained.

Most of the major deck-care product manufacturers, such as Penofin, Bio-Wash, Behr, Duckback Superdeck, Cabot, Wolman and Flood, make an entire line of products: strippers, brighteners, clear coats and stains.

Each manufacturer tweaks his products, so they work very well together. If you are going to buy Superdeck deck stain, it makes sense to buy Superdeck strippers and brighteners. Ditto for all the other brands.

Stripping:

All deck strippers are dangerous. You have to protect yourself, your family, plants and animals. You cannot baby-sit the kids and strip a deck at the same time. Children and pets have to be kept indoors.

Your plants, lawn, trees and shrubs can't go inside. They should be drenched with water, and protected by tarps.

After stripping, wash the tarps and water the greenery again.

You should wear shoes or boots, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, goggles and rubber gloves. Some stripper manufacturers recommend wearing a respirator.

All strippers should be applied in the shade and in the cool of the morning if possible. Strippers will "boil off" or dry if applied in the direct sunlight or when the temperature is more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some of the good strippers are Behr Process No. 64 15-Minute Quik-Fix, (800) 854-0133; Bio-Wash Stripex and Stripex-L, (800) 858-5011; Cabot Problem-Solver Wood Stripper; Coronado Maxum-Prep Deck & Wood Stripper, (800) 883-4193; Flood Company Power Lift One Step Stripper, (800) 321-3444; OPW Decks Powersolve and DSI Powersolve Injectable, (866) 856-DECK; Performance Coatings Pro-Tech Wood Stripper, (800) 736-6346; Saver Systems Defy Exterior Stain Stripper, (800) 860-6327; and Wolman Products DeckStrip, (800) 556-7737.

The best technique is to clean the deck, then moisten with water and apply the stripper according to label directions.

Wait for the recommended time period. Some manufacturers want you to keep applying stripper during this waiting period; other manufacturers recommend misting the deck.

After the stripper has been allowed to work, wash the old coating off the deck. This can be done with a deck brush and garden hose or a pressure washer.

Depending on the prior coating, you may have to repeat the process 2 or 3 times.

Some coatings are so aggressive they must be removed by sanding. If you have to sand, make sure the deck is perfectly dry before you start.

When the deck has been stripped, it must be brightened with a deck brightener. This is a necessary step to neutralize the pH of the wood. The job will be ruined if you skip this step.

Every stripper manufacturer also makes a deck brightener. After brightening, wait until the deck is perfectly dry (usually 3 days) before staining.

Most decks are made from pressure-treated pine. Flood, Duckback Superdeck and Penofin make deck stains especially formulated for pressure-treated wood. Wolman, Penofin and others also make special stains for cedar and redwood.

Hardwoods: Performance Coatings Exotic Hardwood Penofin, Duckback Superdeck Exotic Hardwood Finish & Sealer or Cabot Australian Timber Oil .Extra Long Wearing Finishes: Wolman Extreme Acrylic Wood Finish, Cabot Solid Color Decking Stain with Teflon, and Defy Epoxy Fortified Wood Stain, Performance Coatings Ultra Premium Red Label Penofin, Silvertown Products, (800) 574-4662, Rhinoguard.

Composite Decking: Performance Coatings makes Penofin Knotwood for composite decking. In addition, Trex Composite Technical Bulletin lists Behr Deck Plus Solid Deck Stain (no primer needed), Olympic 1-coat Olympic Deck Primer and 2-coats of Olympic Solid Color Deck Stain or Sherwin Williams Cuprinol Solid Color Deck Stain.

Furniture Finish: Akzo Nobel Sikkens, (866) SIKKENS, is famous for their furniture-like outdoor finishes. This year they have reformulated their Cetol DEK Finish to be much more user-friendly. Other manufacturers have other specialized stains and sealers.

Read labels thoroughly. Different coatings have different preparation and application requirements. Some are one coat, some two coat, some require different base and seal coatings.

Decks are meant to be fun, but their care can get very complicated.

If you have more questions, you can read and download my latest deck book, "Deck Care Fast & Easy," free on my Web site, www.MasterHandyman.com.

When you select deck-care products, shop for quality not price, follow label directions to the letter, then brag about it!

If you have a question, call the Handyman Show with Glenn Haege at (866) FN-AM (1130) and over 150 other stations nationwide. To suggest a question for Haege's Thursday "Ask Glenn" column, write: Ask Glenn, Master Handyman Press, P.O. Box 1498, Royal Oak, MI 48068-1498 or e-mail ask glenn@masterhandyman.com.