Stripping Deck stain With RAS115

[agarwalsa]

I am trying to refinish my cedar deck. Tried the deck stripper liquid but it hardly did anything. Not wanting to power wash it, as it can cause more harm than good, I am considering taking off the stain using the RAS115. Please let me know if that is a crazy idea! If I do so, What sandpaper would you recommend for this application - the Rubin 40 or Saphir 50?

 

[greg mann]

Is it a solid color stain (paint) or a transparent stain? Cedar is pretty soft. Those coarse grits might be too aggressive. Saphir won't clog as quickly if you are removing a film but a transparent stain would probably allow you to use Rubin.

 

[agarwalsa]

It is a solid color stain. I tried with Rubin 40 and Saphir 24. The Saphir 24 leaves a rough surface, Rubin 40 is pretty smooth. I am wondering if Saphir 50 would be better - faster/less clogging with similar surface quality?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Saphir 50 is faster than Rubin 40, but it will leave a rougher surface which needs to be sanded further to smoothen it.

I mostly use Saphir 50 or 80 with the RAS but always sand after it with the Rotex 150 in random orbit mode using 80 and/or 120.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Saphir 50 is faster than Rubin 40, but it will leave a rougher surface which needs to be sanded further to smoothen it.

I mostly use Saphir 50 or 80 with the RAS but always sand after it with the Rotex 150 in random orbit mode using 80 and/or 120.

Is it hard to get an even surface with the RAS 115 and Saphir 50?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Is it hard to get an even surface with the RAS 115 and Saphir 50?

As long as you keep the RAS flat and move in the right way you can keep the surface even, it is not wobbly like you have high and low spots. You have to use the sander in such a way that you only skim the surface and not gouge in.

But it is all scratched up. Saphir 50 leaves pretty big scratches, which you have to sand out again with a finer grit and a RO sander.

 

[waterloomarc]

I have a hard time imagining a pressure washer could do more harm any faster than a RAS115 and 50 grit. How big is the deck?

 

[Steve-Rice]

Personally, I would never consider sanding down a deck with a hand held electric sander.  I've always rented a big 24" x 18" pad sander for that job.  Instead of spending hours on your hands and knees, you stand comfortably erect and breeze through the job. The rental cost is well worth the time savings and avoiding any back strain.

 

[Cheese]

...I've always rented a big 24" x 18" pad sander for that job. 

I'll second this idea, they're only around $50-60 a day + abrasives. That way you can still use the RAS as an edger.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Personally, I would never consider sanding down a deck with a hand held electric sander.  I've always rented a big 24" x 18" pad sander for that job.  Instead of spending hours on your hands and knees, you stand comfortably erect and breeze through the job. The rental cost is well worth the time savings and avoiding any back strain.

Sounds like the right tool for the job, still have go carefully over the deck and check screw or nailhead protruding. Personally If not had an experience with using that type of sander, so maybe a practice run on some section of flooring that's going to be removed anyway is something I should try... [big grin]

 

[Dan Clark]

I have 900 sq ft of cedar deck and have stripped it twice.  First, I would never attempt stripping using my RAS115.  It's aggressive and cedar is soft.  I think there is a good chance of gouging the boards.

I agree with others - a 24 X 18 pad sander is by far the better choice for the flat surfaces.  The cost is well worth it.  And DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY get every screw and nail slightly below the surface! 

Depending on your exact situation, you may have to "detail" the deck after stripping the flat surfaces.  First of course is the gaps between the boards...

If the gaps are nasty (dirt, mold, mildew, etc0) and filled with old sealant, you'll probably want to clean that out.  Light pressure washing and/or cleaning with cleaner followed by a scrub brush to get down into the cracks and the rounded edges of the boards may get rid of most of the old stuff.  If not, you may need to sand down the gaps.  An LS130 may work using a custom-molded plate, but did not work for me.  My Multimaster didn't work much better.  Hand sanding worked best for me.

For the corners and edges, you'll need something else.    For edges, my RO150 and Mirka Ceros 150 worked fine.  I used my RO90 with delta attachment for the corners.  It was slow, but dug out the remaining gunk.

FYI...  I'm not refinishing my cedar deck again.  I'm replacing it with Ipe.  It will be very expensive and a major pain to install, but I think it will reduce the maintenance hassle.

Good luck and regards,

Dan.

 

[Shane Holland]

I agree with Dan. The RAS is too aggressive for cedar. I've used it on some cedar siding and it's easy to gouge.

The Rotex would be better suited.

 

[AIPDX]

I'll second Shane's comment. I sanded my desk, to strip off paint, twice in the past 8 years. Both times my main tool was a belt sander (they usually cost under $100 at home improvement stores). After a run with the belt sander, I would use the Rotex to put finishing touches. I have a RAS and I used it in some occasions to flatten subfloor during my remodeling project. RAS is good when you need to remove several mm of wood. Not only it is too agressive for just paint removal, but also, when you use it flat to the floor (or deck) a small disbalance of downward pressure would create uneven removal or circular marks. Ordinarily, you would not use RAS to sand with the full sanding disk area.

RAS is not the right tool for this task.