Decks

[gim]

I’ve had a 12 x 14 deck made of treated lumber for 7 years. I pressure wash it every other year and then re stain it.  Well this time I’m gonna try sanding off the old stain instead and then re staining it. My question is are all the wood deck owners re staining their deck every couple years like I am too or should my stain last longer? I use Cabot oil based stain. I’m seeing more people shift to the maintenance free composite decking too. Chime in with your deck experience and recommendations. Thanks

[jimmyjoe]

   Yes, I re-stain every other or every third year. Unavoidable. I use Cabot. I absolutely refuse to use that composite stuff that sags, bends and warps.     jj

[DanielG]

I pressure wash each year or so but don't put anything on it. The deck by the water was put on by me and my brother in 1972. I rebuilt railing obout 5 yrs ago and just unscrewed the deck boards and flipped them over to look newer. All my decks and the ones I built for my relatives vary from 5 yrs to  50 yrs old and have never had any stain or sealer on them. We just clean them and the look good. And they get a variety of weather here in Maine.

 

Any popular sealers if you notice, puddle the water for about one month.

[lo n slo]

14 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’ve had a 12 x 14 deck made of treated lumber for 7 years. I pressure wash it every other year and then re stain it.  Well this time I’m gonna try sanding off the old stain instead and then re staining it. My question is are all the wood deck owners re staining their deck every couple years like I am too or should my stain last longer? I use Cabot oil based stain. I’m seeing more people shift to the maintenance free composite decking too. Chime in with your deck experience and recommendations. Thanks

composite decking is about three times the cost of treated lumber and if you use the stainless hardware you can spend even more. some people swear by it though, so it’s a personal preference i suppose. we’ve built our fair share of decks and we always use a high quality exterior paint. but it still requires regular maintenance as all wood/wood finishes do.

[Choporoz]

I typically go four or five years between staining/painting, but it is always at least a year too long --- As a master procrastinator, I typically put it off longer than it when it should be done

[LonnieP]

I'm a professional painter and I've done more than my share of power washing and staining decks. Staining every 2 or 3 years with a high quality stain like Cabot or Sikkens is normal and recommended. Wood decks are a lot of maintenance. 

[Bankbeater]

The deck that came with the house was torn down in 2007 and rebuilt.  It gets power washed and stained about every 3 years or when it needs it. 

[NHBull]

I have a plastic deck and it is awesome.  Pressure wash once a year and good to go.

The only issue is that they can get hot.

No warm, no fade, no worries

[CountryboyinDC]

I sometimes stain my mother's deck, and I generally power wash one day and apply the Lowes brand (Valspar, I think) stain with a roller the next. I think my brother uses Cabot.  Nothing seems to make the decks at her house last more than a decade, and we power wash and stain every year.  If you've already got a salt treated deck, I say take care of it, otherwise use composite.  If the composite decking looks warped, it's because the joists are, and no one took the time to use a hand planer or jointer to make them straight.  I have a small composite deck that was here when I moved here.  If you're really picky, you can put some Wet and Forget on it once a year. I don't.  I love the feel and look of salt treated decking when it's new.  After that it's a pain.

[gim]

We'll the sander worked a lot better than the pressure washer to remove old stain. The wood seems to have accepted the new stain a lot better now too. Grinding all that old stain off with a belt sander was a lot of work but it appears to have worked.

[Hammer 4]

11 minutes ago, gimruis said:

We'll the sander worked a lot better than the pressure washer to remove old stain. The wood seems to have accepted the new stain a lot better now too. Grinding all that old stain off with a belt sander was a lot of work but it appears to have worked.

They do make and rent Deck sanders, makes the job go much faster, and easier. I think home depot rents them. 

 

I've built more than a few decks in my time, and imho, using a composite (trek) type decking is worth the $$$$. No more staining, you can easily clean it with a low pressure power washer. If you figure in the $$ for stain, sandpaper, and your time, in the long run composite is the way to go.

 

I built trek decks 20 years ago, and they still look good.

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

Not sure if this will be helpful (or even applicable) but I replaced the cedar decking on a fairly large deck last year. At first I looked into the composite decking but besides the cost, I was told that the joists for the composite material should be 12 inches center-to-center while my joists are 16” center-to-center.  Way too much work to add the joists required.  This info was given to me so if it is incorrect, you guys with experience please correct me.  I ended up replacing with new cedar.  Can’t help with staining suggestions because I do not attempt to stain or treat the decking but power wash it every spring.  Here in Massachusetts I could never find anything that really preserved the cedar all that much.  Take this for what it’s worth ... if anything.  Good luck with your project.

[Hammer 4]

4 hours ago, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

Not sure if this will be helpful (or even applicable) but I replaced the cedar decking on a fairly large deck last year. At first I looked into the composite decking but besides the cost, I was told that the joists for the composite material should be 12 inches center-to-center while my joists are 16” center-to-center.  Way too much work to add the joists required.  This info was given to me so if it is incorrect, you guys with experience please correct me.  I ended up replacing with new cedar.  Can’t help with staining suggestions because I do not attempt to stain or treat the decking but power wash it every spring.  Here in Massachusetts I could never find anything that really preserved the cedar all that much.  Take this for what it’s worth ... if anything.  Good luck with your project.

What brand composite.? And who told you joist's have to be 12" OC...? I've always framed decks 16" OC..never had any issues. I bought my trek, and other brands from a lumber yard, and was never told to frame 12" OC. If the deck is going to support a heavy load, i.e. huge party's, then maybe, but I elect to increase the joist size first, i.e. from say 2X8 to 2 X 10, or 12..

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

@Hammer 4: The information was provided by a local contractor. Just for the heck of it I did go to eHow and look up spacing for Trex decking and did confirm it there; however, I also saw references to 16” OC spacing. I looked up “What is frame spacing for Trex Decking?” and the article said that 12” was recommended.  (Joists are 2” x 12” because the deck was originally designed to support an 8’ x 8’ spa which I was removing to expand the free area.)  Since I prefer the natural look of wood over plastic, that was all I needed to talk me out of Trex.  

 

I guess the only thing I can add is that my original post was only based on my one experience so it would be wise to consult building codes for the area in which the OP lives before converting.  I’m surely no authority.

[deaknh03]

11 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

What brand composite.? And who told you joist's have to be 12" OC...? I've always framed decks 16" OC..never had any issues. I bought my trek, and other brands from a lumber yard, and was never told to frame 12" OC. If the deck is going to support a heavy load, i.e. huge party's, then maybe, but I elect to increase the joist size first, i.e. from say 2X8 to 2 X 10, or 12..

I recommend to my customers 12 oc for any composite decks. the material is too floppy, and after some time can tend to show a sag if put n 16 oc. 

[Hammer 4]

10 hours ago, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

@Hammer 4: The information was provided by a local contractor. Just for the heck of it I did go to eHow and look up spacing for Trex decking and did confirm it there; however, I also saw references to 16” OC spacing. I looked up “What is frame spacing for Trex Decking?” and the article said that 12” was recommended.  (Joists are 2” x 12” because the deck was originally designed to support an 8’ x 8’ spa which I was removing to expand the free area.)  Since I prefer the natural look of wood over plastic, that was all I needed to talk me out of Trex.  

 

I guess the only thing I can add is that my original post was only based on my one experience so it would be wise to consult building codes for the area in which the OP lives before converting.  I’m surely no authority.

O.K. then 12" OC makes sense in that case. Also, maybe in  the last 15 years or so, trek may have changed the materials in their decking which now requires 12" OC..

[Mobasser]

I've built lots of decks over the years. As has been said, treating and staining is a good idea every two or three years. Another thing to consider if your using treated lumber on a new deck, give it some time to dry out, before you apply any finsh. Treated lumber is usually wet when you buy it. You can see moisture seep out when you shoot screws into the deck boards. Many builders don't do this on new homes in the rush to get things finished and get folks moved in.