So you finally got around to power washing your deck to expunge the layer of mildew and bird poop. But now the wood grain is standing high and you’ve been a hermit just to avoid the splinters. It’s time to sand and refinish your deck.
Follow these steps, excerpted from Sharon and David Bowers’s Shop Class for Everyone, and you’ll be able to smooth down those splinters, extend the life of the deck, and keep your home looking spiffy.
HOW TO REFINISH A DECK
Tools
Orbital floor sander (plan to rent)
Coarse to medium (P20 to P50) sandpaper
Medium to fine (P80 to P100) sandpaper
Materials
Deck finish of your choice
Steps
Clean the deck. This should come as no surprise, but you’ve got to remove all furniture, including the grill, and thoroughly sweep the deck. Start sanding the deck, and remember to hit it all evenly. Run the power sander with the grain of the wood and apply light, even pressure. If the wood of your deck is especially weathered, start with a 20-grit sandpaper. If not, start with 50-grit and then make another pass with 80-grit.
Sand the railing and balusters by hand. Use P80 to P100 sandpaper for handrails and other surfaces that people will touch with their hands.
Stain or paint your deck. There are many, many options for finishing your deck (what a wonderful world!). Consider taking a picture of your deck and talking with your local home improvement store about finishing options. They can also offer application tips.
More About Shop Class for Everyone: Practical Life Skills in 83 Projects
Did you remember your goggles?
There used to be a time when pretty much every high school offered Shop class, where students learned to use a circular saw or rewire a busted lamp- all while discovering the satisfaction of being self-reliant and doing it yourself. Shop Class for Everyone now offers anyone who might have missed this vital class a crash course in these practical life skills. Packed with illustrated step by step instructions, plus relevant charts, lists, and handy graphics, here’s how to plaster a wall, build a bookcase from scratch, unclog a drain, and change a flat tire (on your car or bike). It’s all made clear in plain, nontechnical language for any level of DIYer, and it comes with a guarantee: No matter how simple the task, doing it with your own two hands provides a feeling of accomplishment that no app or device will ever give you.
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