Deck Sanding Woes. Need Some Input.

[Skellyy]

Hello all, hoping I can get some advice on my current deck situation. Moved into the house 2ish years ago and the deck was severely unmaintained by the previous owners.  Lack of proper maintenance and poor stain application left me with a mess.

The tools:
-Rotex RO150
-Granat sandpaper (60-80-120)

I tried a test spot and the RO150 has been working well, but the process is extremely slow.  I am ripping paper often and it is often getting gummed up with debris on the pad which almost makes it ineffective.  I also need to hold the sander at about a 30* angle to remove the existing stain which significantly reduces surface area and speed.  Holding it flat doesn't seem to work very well.

This deck is kicking my .  I'm not sure if I'm going about it the most effective way and would like to get some input.

1.  Should I simply rent some sort of indoor floor sander?  I've seen the big random orbitals have a rather thick interface pad to accept some uneven boards.  My deck is nowhere near flat, but it's your typical deck with slight cupping, etc.

2.  Should I first apply some sort of stain remover then power wash the existing stain off and then use the Rotex?

3.  Should I look into a different interface pad for the Rotex?  If I can get the rotex to be more effective when it is flat I should be able to make faster progress.  Do they make a softer interface pad?

Any help would be much appreciated.  I told the wife my Rotex + C36 purchase was for the deck overhaul.  If this isn't the best solution i will be up stuff creek.

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[Sasky]

Use a pressure washer to strip the old stain off. Let dry....then sand.

 

[waho6o9]

A RAS 115 would of been my choice and then rotex it for the final sanding.

 

[Laminator]

+1 to what Waho6o9 said.  I would give the rotex a try with 40g granat as it would probably  cut a little faster than 60g.

 

[Kev]

I think I'd be breaking out the belt sander on that, after the pressure clean and dry. You're going to be doing a lot of sanding unless you want to "leave in a little character".

Do you guys get any brand of belt sander with a floating frame ... like the BS105 ?

 

[Peter_C]

Yet I would probably start at 36 grit and rip it, then come back and perform a quick pass with 80 grit to smooth it out.

I used a belt sander when I stripped my own 800sq redwood deck down and wished I had owned an RO150 at the time. Also make sure all nails/screws are sunk in some.

 

[Walk On Wood]

Rent an EZ-8 floor sander from the orange box store, start with 40g, work your way up to where you want it. I used RAS for the edges.

 

[Holmz]

I like the idea of getting the old stuff off, like heat gun and putty knife, or pressure washer.
Otherwise the speed needs to be moved down to avoid melting the material onto the media.

I think I'd be breaking out the belt sander on that, after the pressure clean and dry. You're going to be doing a lot of sanding unless you want to "leave in a little character".

Do you guys get any brand of belt sander with a floating frame ... like the BS105 ?

I had a hitachi many years ago. It was ~1200w from memory. Good if the material does not melt onto the belt.

Back to the question at hand...
What was that rotary paint stripper called? it looks like it could be step 1?http://paintshaver.com/?gclid=CPqpw_SK4MsCFUiUvQodkaMPIw

 

[Grakat]

I would go with the high pressure wash first then follow it up with the Rotex. The high pressure wash will remove most of the gunk, the remnants can be sanded, enabling you to "justify" the RO150.

 

[Holmz]

The 120 grit screens tend to rip on edges, but the thicker ones not so much.
I do not know how they do with clogging... I did a bench earlier and had a 1x2" section of melted on gunk. After I noticed it was gone, so it must have worked its way out. I was going WFO (24000 rpm), so it was too fast.

Perhaps they may be worth try?. I would go slow, and you will want a "pad saver":http://www.amazon.com/Mirka-HD61102540-6-Inch-Abrasive-Sanding/dp/B00BI2P28E

 

[sancho57]

Pressure wash, let dry get a blue pad for the RO 150 and try some crystal or saphir paper.

Festool has a lot of differ paper for many differ types of work, the crystal and saphir I think would be the best for this application.

 

[waho6o9]

"Do you guys get any brand of belt sander with a floating frame ... like the BS105 ?"

Not to my knowledge, I had to look up the BS105 and it looks to be a stout belt sander

that would be a great addition to any shop.

 

[lunchman]

[member=46803]Skellyy[/member], just to prove it can be done....

In 2013 I refinished my 16 ft x 30 ft PT (+40 sq ft bbq bumpout) deck with my Rotex 125 w/ 60 and 80 grit Granat. It took many weekends on my hands and knees w/ kneepads, but it is doable. I did think of renting a floor sander but figured the pad would be far too large to adequately sand the deck boards, particularly since the decking wasn't exactly flat after 15+ years. I think I went through three bags on my CT26 doing this.

Before:



Note that I wasn't getting everything off, so I then went back and took the entire deck down to bare wood -



And since the balusters were nailed and not spaced to code, I removed them all. I invested in a RO90, sanded them, replaced many and screwed them in place with proper spacing. I also replaced the rotted 2x6 top rail with TimberTech attached from underneath with pocket screws to avoid putting any holes through the top surface. I Dominoed the mitered ends to ensure everything stays flat, but didn't use glue to allow for movement.

After:



Do I ever want to do this again? No!!! It was a LOT of work but the result turned out to be worth the effort.

Didn't mean to hijack your thread, just wanted to show it is possible with a Rotex, but it's back breaking work!

-Dom

 

[Cheese]

[member=47668]lunchman[/member]

Wow...you are one patient person. [tongue]  After I got done with the first 2 boards (using a 125 no less), I'd be at the rental shop picking up a Hummel.

Real nice job by the way. [cool]

 

[DB10]

The end result looks like it was worth it, hopefully it will stay looking that good for many years.  Hope you had a good pair of knee pads!

 

[suds]

I have a very large deck which gets the extreme of weather from below zero to 100+.  The last 3 years I have had to sand down my deck because I made the mistake of using Penofin to finish the deck.  I tried the Rotex but as you are finding it is slow/painful going.  I finally broke down and bought the Ras 115 and that was the best investment I made for that project.  You are still going to have a sore back/shoulders etc because even though the Ras takes material off fast it has to be maneuvered the same as the Rotex.  I hope you're young and strong because you're going to get a workout.
I also had luck with the large Festool RS2.  You have to be careful with the Raz because it will gouge if you're not tender with it.  The RS2 with the right grit worked slower but no gouging. 

 

[Kev]

I have a very large deck which gets the extreme of weather from below zero to 100+.  The last 3 years I have had to sand down my deck because I made the mistake of using Penofin to finish the deck.  I tried the Rotex but as you are finding it is slow/painful going.  I finally broke down and bought the Ras 115 and that was the best investment I made for that project.  You are still going to have a sore back/shoulders etc because even though the Ras takes material off fast it has to be maneuvered the same as the Rotex.  I hope you're young and strong because you're going to get a workout.
I also had luck with the large Festool RS2.  You have to be careful with the Raz because it will gouge if you're not tended with it.  The RS2 with the right grit worked slower but no gouging.

I just want a New Zealander to read your first sentence out loud to us.

 

[suds]

I can add some misery to that for the New Zealander....we can get 3-4 feet of snow sitting on the deck for 2-3 months in a tough winter.  Last summer we had months of 95-104 degree dry heat.  Tough on decks and backs.

 

[suds]

When I used the Ras I started with 36 and then to 80 (the 2nd and 3rd year) and it worked well.  I used TWP stain and it has really worked well for when you get to that point. 

 

[travisj]

I have a very large deck which gets the extreme of weather from below zero to 100+.  The last 3 years I have had to sand down my deck because I made the mistake of using Penofin to finish the deck.  I tried the Rotex but as you are finding it is slow/painful going.  I finally broke down and bought the Ras 115 and that was the best investment I made for that project.  You are still going to have a sore back/shoulders etc because even though the Ras takes material off fast it has to be maneuvered the same as the Rotex.  I hope you're young and strong because you're going to get a workout.
I also had luck with the large Festool RS2.  You have to be careful with the Raz because it will gouge if you're not tended with it.  The RS2 with the right grit worked slower but no gouging.

I just want a New Zealander to read your first sentence out loud to us.

I laughed harder than I should have at this and the following posts.