# Do you need to sand a deck to stain it?



## JPSD (May 18, 2013)

We have a redwood deck that is about 3 years old and a redwood fence that is about 7 years old. The fence has never been restained or sanded and the original dark stain on it has pretty much faded away into the wood. The deck however has been restained once before with a darker brown stain and it was sanded then prior to staining. The deck now has "patches" where there was a lot of foot traffic where the stain has been removed. Our person that helps with the yard said it wasn't necessary to sand the deck or the fence before restaining them and that we could just power wash them and then stain them. I had always thought you needed to sand wood before you stained it (that was what we did last time when we restained our deck). Do you know if it is OK to stain a wood deck without sanding and just power washing? I could see that maybe on the fence but not sure about the deck...Thank you for any help/tips! :yes:

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/jpsd-41309/albums/redwood-deck-fence/22063-redwood-deck.jpg

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/jpsd-41309/albums/redwood-deck-fence/22062-redwood-fence.jpg


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

We used to stain decks and fences all the time without sanding. (We being the painting crew I worked with).


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I would think that whether or not you sand a redwood deck would depend upon your feelings that it is or is not rough. If rough sand. If not rough do not sand. I would never bother sanding the fence.

I have built a redwood deck, but did not stain it. I liked the color just the way it was naturally.

George


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Most folks though use a power washer and just clean the deck prior to staining. It wouldn't hurt to sand the deck. It would make the deck closer to what it was when new to sand it.


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## JPSD (May 18, 2013)

That's good to hear, thanks for the replies. The deck is not rough at all, it's in good shape. I think we'll give it a try this time without sanding and just giving it a good power wash and see how it goes. Thanks again!


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

I would contact the finish manufacturer and ask them about surface preparation before stain application or follow the instructions on the product label. They want you to succeed when using their product. Most finish manufacturers spend quite a bit of time and money determining what works best for their product. Also, going off on your own based on internet advise could be risky and may compromise your warranty.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

HowardAcheson said:


> I would contact the finish manufacturer and ask them about surface preparation before stain application or follow the instructions on the product label. They want you to succeed when using their product. Most finish manufacturers spend quite a bit of time and money determining what works best for their product. Also, going off on your own based on internet advise could be risky and may compromise your warranty.


This is advise on staining from people who stain for a living.. I would call that expert advise. What warranty?

George


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## pk241191 (May 11, 2014)

internet is the bet option i can say


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## JPSD (May 18, 2013)

*Lesson learned - yes you need to sand before staining!*

Well thanks for the advice on here but it was not right. You need to sand a deck before you stain it, power washing is not enough people. The wood grain needs to be totally exposed so the stain will take. Otherwise the stain will sit on top like paint and just look blotchy. Sanding takes more time but it's the right way to do it. Lesson learned - time for a do over!


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## mfflannery (Apr 12, 2014)

The hardest part about sanding a deck is going to be the nails. You'll tear a lot of sandpaper if you don't use a nail set to countersink any high ones. I spent a day sinking nails on a large deck a few years back.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk


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## Bleedinblue (Mar 4, 2014)

Sorry I didn't see this before.

When we bought our house the deck hadn't been stained for probably 3-4 years and the stain was very thin. We power washed it and I knew that wouldn't be enough. Then we went to work with a belt sander, spent two or three afternoons on it. I still didn't think it was enough, so I opted for a Sherwin Williams solid color (as in non-transparent) stain. That went on and worked out fairly well. Two years later the high traffic areas have worn through and we'll be doing it again this year or next Spring.

If your stain is transparent or semi transparent, of course you can only put it on bare wood. No different than refinishing a piece of furniture, the stain has to soak into the wood's pores, and if there is old finish there that won't happen. I think solid color stains provide more margin of error.

Good luck with the sanding, it's a $$$$$.


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