Anyone restore a weathered deck?

[Pumpkinfish]

I have lived in my house for 4 years (house is 15 years old) and the deck is ready for a restoration., When I moved in, I had a guy power wash it and stain it about a year after moving in, but it hasn't held up like I expected. The boards are faded, tiger striped and some are cupped. I was watching youtube videos and it seems there are a variety of methods of restoration. I have seen some strip the deck then power wash, some just used a 5" orbital sander and a few guys even used a floor sander. I'm not sure where I should begin? I don't know exactly when the homeowner built the deck, but he left behind the stain he used. It was Wolman oil base stain in a 5 gallon bucket and I believe there is enough left to redo it. I am thinking there is better stains on the market that will hold up longer, just don't know what they are. I usually go down to Sherwin Williams and buy their paint. Here are some photos of how the deck looks now. Each part is 16'x16'.

Looking forward to suggestions on the best way to go about this project.

 

[R7r5]

One option to look at is the composite veneer that I have seen at Lowes I have never personally used it but people tell me it's a nice product

 

[Rangersfan]

Make sure you get nothing water-based for a stain or else it won't last. Behr makes good deck stains that last but you're going to have to sand that all down to get a good result. Replace any boards that are starting to cup or split or they'll get worse over time.

 

[mfergel]

If you sand just make sure all the screws/nails are low enough. Looks like he used screws everywhere that are countersunk so probably just a matter of checking them to make sure that none of them have backed out. Looks like nice, solid construction.

 

[War Horse]

This is what/who I use on my deck. They are coming out again tomorrow for the redo after 2-3 years of their product lasting and looking good. I replaced a few boards that were cracking because our deck faces south with no protection from the sun all year. Other wise I would have waited until next spring. I know they are here in Illinois only but there product is sold individually and the site has some good info on the process.

http://www.decktechinc.com/residential

 

[rayS197]

Here is another option and what I used on my deck after failed stains for years. I ran across this product while doing inspections. After two years of Mother Nature, it is holding up very well. Home Depot has it. They can mix hundreds of colors so you can choose any color you like. Another plus is the texture. If the deck is wet, you wont slip and bust your ass. Here are a few pics from this morning.

 

[Pumpkinfish]

I decided to take the long road on this project and sand everything down and refinish it. It took countless hours of power washing and sanding with the plate sander and hand held belt and orbital sanders. My wife was on the fence with the new color combination but I think it looks leaps and bounds better than before. The deck color is semi-transparent Amber.

Here is the deck after powerwashing and sanding the horizontal surfaces.







A couple of shots while the stain was wet





And finally the finished product

 

[2006BlackGT]

I think it looks great!

 

[walker2t]

fantastic job.. well done! can't believe it's the same deck

 

[RunnerInTheNight]

Sweet! If this house was mine and not a rental i'd be outside with the powerwasher and sander right now!

 

[saleenman]

Awesome job. Looks 100 times better

 

[Pumpkinfish]

Thanks guys. It was a lot of work getting this thing to this point. I wonder if I could redo a Fox Body as good as I redid the deck, lol!