Refinishing pressure treated deck

[ctfjr]

The deck behind my garage wraps around the back of the house & is over 20 years old. Time & the weather have taken their toll. It's been repainted several times. The paint doesn't seem to hold up more than a few years before the ice/snow does a real job on it.
I am considering the type of paint material they now sell similar to what is used in spray on truck bed liners. The Home Depot 'expert' was assuring me the product they have will fill all the cracks & completely seal the wood. It sounds like it should but being a skeptic and the fact they aren't giving this stuff away. . .
Does anyone have some experience with any of these products? How much prep work is there? Have you used the 'sand material' in it for floor traction? Anything I should know about tackling this project?

 

[olytdi]

I'm not entirely familiar with those new deck refinishing products. But I would focus my research, questions, and warranty review on whether or not it de-laminates, not whether it cracks, fills holes, etc. Will it lift off or peel? Will it be harder or easier to refinish again?

Also price replacement decking.

 

[kd3pc]

At 20 years old you may be looking at replacement. There are copious stories here and on the net about the "truck liner" paints. They just don't make the grade, several are being litigated and a few will be leaving the market as they failed to meet their claims.

Prep, whether a deck to paint, a car to prime, a colonoscopy, or concrete to get ready for epoxy/sealer is ALL about prep. The maker of the coating will prescribe the proper prep. If you venture away from that, your results may not be what you or the maker expects, or will stand behind. There are many stories here about this item, the prep.

Best of luck in what you choose.

 

[Kaizen]

imo that is the single most ugliest thing I have ever seen on a deck. not to mention its got to be hot as hell and reflect the heat so you'll be fried. try flipping the boards over and a dark stain? no paint just darker stain color. freshen up ever couple of years.

 

[Rookie2]

After 20 years I would look at replacement, like already mentioned ,there are plenty of horror stories about treated wood. I was amazed when I read articles about it rotting from underneath and to the core.

 

[retfr8flyr]

One of my neighbors had the stuff from HD installed last year and it looked nice. This spring she pressure washed the deck and it all came up. She is not a happy camper right now.

 

[Rookie2]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197962&highlight=pressure+treated+wood

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154884&highlight=pressure+treated+wood

 

[Joe B.]

I looked into all of the products that coat and are supposed to fill in cracks this year. (I too have a 20 year old deck outside of Chicago.) All of the available products have bi-polar distribution of product reviews. Lots of 5s and 1s and not much in between. If you look on Youtube you can find plenty of videos of the product peeling up. My general conclusion was that there is not a big difference in quality between major brands. As was stated above, I suspect the big difference in durability comes from prep and preexisting wood condition. If you have rotting/soft wood, you can't save it with any product.

I ended up going with the Cabot product that is new to the market. It probably about the same as what comes from SW, Bher, etc. I have solid wood but it does have some large cracks that I'm hoping this stuff fills in. My goal is for the kids to be able to walk on the deck barefoot. I'll let you know how it lasts in about three years!

 

[James-W]

Some people replace their deck boards with the composite boards which are made from recycled plastic jugs and bottles. Supposedly it lasts practically forever.

 

[Angelfire]

I have no experience with the type of coating you are looking into. I built a deck a few years ago and used an "ipe" type wood (tatajuba if you're interested) for the decking. After researching finishes for many hours, I came to the conclusion that with a wood deck, you need to plan for yearly maintenance. You may be able to get away with a couple or 3 years depending on your climate/sun exposure. Where my deck is located, it sees the worst of winter and very heavy UV exposure in the summer so I have to re-finish every year. I strip with citric acid and neutralize with a base (forget which one offhand). Then re-oil it. So my recommendation is to use whatever is easiest to re-finish because nothing will last for very long. Avoid those finishes that need to be completely removed in order to be refinished otherwise you're talking about full sanding every year or so as well.

 

[ctfjr]

Just a note to thank everyone for their comments - plenty of reading material

We want to sell our house this year and I would like the deck to be an attraction, not detraction

The carpenter I've been using on & off gave us a quote to replace the decking with Trex but I just can't justify the price - we will never get it back on a sale. I guess my best route will be do whatever necessary repairs the decking needs (mostly pulled screws) and then prep & repaint with a good decking paint and forget about the liner type materials.

 

[Pathfinders]

Flip the boards over. Looks a lot better and low cost.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Just a note to thank everyone for their comments - plenty of reading material

We want to sell our house this year and I would like the deck to be an attraction, not detraction

The carpenter I've been using on & off gave us a quote to replace the decking with Trex but I just can't justify the price - we will never get it back on a sale. I guess my best route will be do whatever necessary repairs the decking needs (mostly pulled screws) and then prep & repaint with a good decking paint and forget about the liner type materials.

If you're going to sell it then I would also recommend fixing any nail or screw problems and then paint it. I have used SW Deckscapes http://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...terior_waterborne_semitransparent_deck_stain/ for about 10 years on my deck and it still looks great. They will make any color you want, I have mine done in a gray. It goes on very easy and covers small imperfections. I re-coat the deck about every 3 years and I have never had any problems with it. I highly recommend it for your deck.

 

[fastjohnny]

Don't do it. Waste of money...