I bought my dream house, now I need to sand it...

[Ron B]

So I spoke to the original owner.  The wood is heart redwood from 1980

WOW!  That redwood is definitely worth saving.  Please test sanding it carefully as an aggressive sander will cut into that redwood quickly.  I sure would try to use a translucent stain to show off that wood.  How thick is the decking?  At 33" o.c. even locust or white oak would be bouncy at normal decking thickness.  It would cost a fortune to build that deck today. 

 

[richkline]

So I spoke to the original owner.  The wood is heart redwood from 1980

WOW!  That redwood is definitely worth saving.  Please test sanding it carefully as an aggressive sander will cut into that redwood quickly.  I sure would try to use a translucent stain to show off that wood.  How thick is the decking?  At 33" o.c. even locust or white oak would be bouncy at normal decking thickness.  It would cost a fortune to build that deck today.

The boards are 2" x 6"  I was just under the lower deck (not easy to get to) and he actually stained (translucent) the bottoms to protect the wood.

What festool sander / grit would you start with?  this redwood, is much denser than I'm use to

 

[Ron B]

I am new to Festool and have not used Redwood in over 20 years, so do not feel qualified to recommend sander, grit, etc.  I just know redwood is very soft, that you can make a finger nail indention in it easily enough. Hopefully someone else can give you proper direction.  It should be relatively easy sand, outside of the dust.

I have used One Time Deck stain before, which is suppose to last seven years (it does not) but you do get more than one  year.  My main reason I like it is I have allergic reactions to it as I get boils and my throat tightens from using it.  Therefore My wife had to do the staining. i do not like their tints-I mix cedar and natural together as the cedar is too red otherwise-in my opinion the tints are all too dark. One time should be able to soak into redwood rather easily for a longer lasting stain. 

 

[Vtshopdog]

I went all in on part of my mid 80's redwood deck a couple years ago and pulled then planed down boards from one section.  This was a ton of work and only went this route as I needed to replace framing.  If you want the beauty of the redwood your are stuck doing maintenance on a fairly frequent cycle.  I like Penofin red can, (some sort of rosewood oil) will last 2-3 years in my sunny Utah climate. 

I.M.O. paint type coatings on a deck will never last, expansion will crack it and then water will peel it.  Also, a neglected oil coating will still look ok while peeling paint will look bad.

Thread link here:https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/home-improvement-other-projects/how-to-save-early-90's-redwood-decking-rotting-framing-rusting-screws-stuck/

For maintenance I've had good luck with gentile power washing then scrubbing with commercial deck cleaner (Penofin again) followed by sanding with 60 or 80 grit. (Makita Rotex knockoff or my ETS 150)  If you go this route getting the paint off will be major bit of back breaking work, but you have full suite of Festool sanders so at least you won't be all dusty. 

 

[richkline]

thanks for all the help here.  I really enjoyed reading [member=68668]Vtshopdog[/member] post. I might steal some ideas!

 

[Bob D.]

Anyone used the Diamabrush attachment for your angle grinder from Sherwin-Williams?

I was in SW the other day picking up some paint and spied a brochure on the counter for this tool and it made me think of this thread. I looked online and found the 4.5 and 7 inch versions are for sale at HD and they have the large floor maintainer size for sale and rent.

www.diamabrush.com


There is even a version to fit large floor maintainers.

 

[Walter Cronkat]

Congrats on the house, amazing view!
I'm a carpentry contractor in Reno, NV, and do a fair amount of work in Tahoe also. If you are going to try to refinish, I would use RO 125 (RO150 would be better) and 80 grit Granat paper. I would caution you that I have yet to see a wood deck in Reno or Tahoe that is in good shape, the weather here is just so intense. I would go the timber tech route, of course the framing would have to be redone. Honestly you should any way with the snow loads you get. Depending on the condition of the deck boards, Id just do a good powerwash and paint, to buy a year or two to save up for a new rebuilt deck..

 

[richkline]

Congratulations on your dream house on Lake Tahoe! It sounds like a unique and beautiful place. Since you're concerned about the paint flying into the woods, you might want to consider using a paint stripper or an environmentally friendly alternative to remove the existing paint instead of pressure washing. You could then sand the deck using your sanders to achieve a smooth surface.

Thanks!  Welcome to Fog, and I'm not doing anything until I get the 4' of snow off the deck...  Which will get piled onto the 16' that's on the ground.

 

[Sparktrician]

Thanks!  Welcome to Fog, and I'm not doing anything until I get the 4' of snow off the deck...  Which will get piled onto the 16' that's on the ground.

Sounds to me like you have a great place to store your beer until August...  [big grin] 

 

[Dane]

I just went through this process with some similar vintage redwood with many layers on it.  Tried the RO150, tried the RAS, even have one of those Porter Cable Restorer things. They all took forever because the finish just gummed everything up.  I ended up with the Dimabrush on a grinder.  Wow, what a difference.  It does leave a rough surface, but it’s a small price to pay for the time savings.

 

[waho6o9]

Congrats on your new home!
https://www.festoolrecon.com/collections/oneanddone/products/copy-of-diamond-grinder-rg-130-e-plus

How about a Festool diamond grinder on the recon sale?

Best

 

[RJNeal]

Congratulations on your new home.
I would also look into the viper scraper offered by Oneida dust collection people.
It’s a scraper with a dust collection attached.

 

[Dirk D]

depending upon how much work your up to spacing the boards is good but another thing most deck builders don't do is build the deck with a small pitch so that water does not sit on it. 1/8-1/4"/ft pitch.