Festool RO150 to sand deck

[Brian Livingstone]

Hi,

I am in the process of rehabbing a 20 year old pressure treated deck.  I had it pressure washed last week, and am going to sand it as close to new wood as possible this weekend.

I am assuming the RO150 is the right tool for the job, with 60 grit sandpaper.

Thanks.

Brian

 

[cpw]

Hi,

I am in the process of rehabbing a 20 year old pressure treated deck.  I had it pressure washed last week, and am going to sand it as close to new wood as possible this weekend.

I am assuming the RO150 is the right tool for the job, with 60 grit sandpaper.

Thanks.

Brian

I don't know if the RO150 is suitable, but I used an angle grinder with 3M sandblaster disks when I did mine a few years ago and it worked out well.

Charles

 

[live4ever]

It will definitely do the job, it's just a matter of how much material you need to remove and how fast you want to do it.  Certainly of all of Festool's sanders this is the second-most aggressive and probably most suitable if you're dealing with close-to-raw or stained wood.  The front auxiliary handle is a good accessory to have for better control.

The RAS115 would be the most aggressive option with its high torque (basically a grinder-sander), but has the risk of gouging the wood.  It would be a better option if you had layers of paint/coatings you wanted to eat away quickly.

 

[Peter_C]

Pressure treated deck? That sounds horrible! Splinters, splits, and poison right at your feet.

Either way the fastest, smoothest, and probably cheapest way is going to be to rent a floor drum sander from a local rental yard. True Value Just Ask Rentals, or most any rental yard will have what you need. The deck will be smooth and you will be working standing up, not down on your knees. Time will be about 1/8 vs sanding with an RO150, which is definitely not the right tool. Wear a good quality dust mask.

Didn't actually watch the video but the idea is correct.

 

[antss]

Those are available at just about any tool rental place. Home Depot even has them at many stores.

Problem is, those machines are VERY hard to control and learn how to use.  Especially for someone first time out.  In the hands of someone experienced, sure.

I disagree Rotex is the wrong tool for the job.  It's not the most efficient and your back and knees won't be happy with you.  But, it'll do the job pretty well and the learning curve is real short.  Plus those drum sanders throw a lot of dust without a collector which is another thing to rent and transport and they ain't small or light..

The rotex can be hooked up to a vacuum you probably already have which is light and small and can be used elsewhere, as can the sander.  You're not going to use the drum sander for anything but floors.

 

[nickao]

Pressure treated deck? That sounds horrible! Splinters, splits, and poison right at your feet.

Either way the fastest, smoothest, and probably cheapest way is going to be to rent a floor drum sander from a local rental yard. True Value Just Ask Rentals, or most any rental yard will have what you need. The deck will be smooth and you will be working standing up, not down on your knees. Time will be about 1/8 vs sanding with an RO150, which is definitely not the right tool. Wear a good quality dust mask.

Didn't actually watch the video but the idea is correct.

You cant rent those to sand decks. Every place around here excludes decks in the rental agreement and if you destroy the sander from nails or screws in the deck you are buying the drum sander,.

If you decide to use one for a deck and the rental agreement does not exclude decks  make sure you first know how to use the drum sander and second you countersink every single screw or nail or you will be buying loads of sandpaper or worse destroy the sander.

I just love people that use a drum sander for the first time on something they care about and realize to late they should of paid a pro after their floor or deck is destroyed. I dont advise using a drum sander or a sander at all on a deck, most pro deck companies do not sand decks to start, sanding is the last thing they do.

They use deck stripper and a hose a couple times. Try it you will be very surprised how well it works. Then just sand what is left and it won't be much.

I have sanded plenty of decks, once I tried the deck stripper I never went back to sanding. I strictly sand to rejuvenate decks after I have used the deck stripper a couple times, it's so much less work using the deck strippers and cleaners.

If the deck board are in such a shape you are sanding to repair damage as opposed to removing finish you may want to consider flipping the board upside down or replacing them altogether.

Me, I would use the deck stripper two or three times, then the cleaner, then sand.

 

[Skellyy]

Brian,

I did my porch deck with the ro150.  Came out great. If you search my post history I made a similar thread with pictures.

Send me a message if you have any additional questions.

Kevin

 

[Brian Livingstone]

Thanks everyone.

Kevin, the porch looks amazing !

Brian