Deck Sanding Woes. Need Some Input.

UPDATE:

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I was starting to worry about this project but I'm finally making progress.  I went to Home Depot tool rental to inquire about renting a floor sander. 

I saw on the shelf they had 6.5" hook and loop sand discs in 36 grit by Diablo.  I figured what the hell and bought one.  I went home, trimmed it to 6" and drilled dust collection holes and gave it a shot.

The results were great. It was removing material like a boss.  I am extremely pleased in how quick material was being removed.  That being said, I put in an order for 36 grit Saphir pads and they should be here Friday. I'm hoping they work even better than the Diablo discs from Home Depot.
 

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Kev said:
suds said:
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.
  He he, Oh year Bro,
 
Kev said:
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 have an older NEC that has a floating frame. Nice belt sander, really loud though.
 
Skellyy said:
...

I saw on the shelf they had 6.5" hook and loop sand discs in 36 grit by Diablo.  I figured what the heck and bought one.  I went home, trimmed it to 6" and drilled dust collection holes and gave it a shot.

The results were great. It was removing material like a boss.  ...

The devil is in the details.
 
jobsworth said:
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.
  Crystal is no longer offered here in the US, and I think Alex noted that it was being phased out in Europe too. 
 
Many years ago I agreed to do a friend's deck and used a P-C belt sander.  Never again!!!  It came out well, but killed my back. 
 
Looking good.
How long is it taking?
What will you put when it is done?

I saw some ipe, but have no idea what people coat it with for an oil??
 
I had good results with TWP.  Whatever you use don't use Penofin.  I tried it 2x and each time same result.  Within two months it started turning black and ended up having to be sanded completely to get it out. 
 
TWP ?
What is that?
(Not Thompson's water seal, which is a Kiwi Deck thing)
 
Kev said:
suds said:
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.

Nek minnit cuzzy

The stain is the reason its hard to sand
Personally I would spray it with deck stain stripper, then clean it off using a pressure washer with lower pressure nozzle. The higher the water pressure the more gouging and furring, hence lower pressure nozzle. Then if you think it needs sanding it will be a heck of a lot easier to sand.

This method also works very well on outdoor timber furniture.
 
suds said:
Whatever you use don't use Penofin.  I tried it 2x and each time same result.  Within two months it started turning black and ended up having to be sanded completely to get it out. 

You have to be careful you're not using a vertically applied product in a horizontal application. Some Penofin and Sikkens products have both been known to have these issues.
 
Yes, I've tried two of their products. Verde worked beautifully on my oak kitchen floors but if it's going to be outside forget it. I used their cleaner and their brightened and scrubbed it on and you then need to sand the "fuzzy" stuff off.
When you power wash you will create the fuzzies so be prepared to contend wit that. I'll see if I have some before and after shots of my deck.
 
Pressure washer 1800 psi and (you can get some pressure washer soap) will lift it the residue as others have commented. Then hit it with the rotex with a course grit #40 then jump to 80gr. The floor sander might work. I've done vg fir floors before, I think I started with a 26 grit. But if the planking is not level it might not be so time saving but worth a try.
 
Update:

So I decided to prioritize my sanding and focused on the front covered porch deck.  Saphir 36 grit is working really well.

Quick question for yall.  36 has some descent sanding marks (cannot be seen at standing height).  I would like to sand with a higher grit to remove the swirl marks.  What would you guys use next?  Hopefully I can sand one more time and it be ready to stain.View attachment 1[attachimg=1]
 

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