Sanding Your Wood Deck: When And Why To Do It
For wood decks, the refinishing process generally includes 3 steps: Cleaning the wood, Sanding the wood, and Staining the wood. After thoroughly cleaning your wood deck, you may wonder if step 2: sanding your wood deck is really necessary. The answer is yes! Sanding is an important part of the refinishing process and should not be skipped.
Benefits of Sanding Your Wood Deck:
- An Opportunity to Fix Loose Nails or Screws
- Removing Splinters
- Removing Old Stain/Prepare for Staining
1. Fixing Loose Nails or Screws
Before sanding your deck, you should check for any loose nails or screws that have popped up on your deck. Finding these nails and screws is important to ensure the sanding process is safe and to preserve the life of your deck. At NW Surface Cleaner we countersink nails and screws to ensure a smooth sanding.
2. Removing Splinters
Next, sanding helps preserve the wood by removing splinters and smoothing out the surface of your deck. Over time as wood weathers, it also splinters. A good sanding will smooth out splinters and allow you to get more time out of your investment. Additionally, the feel of the wood will be nicer for you and your family and friends to enjoy.
3. Removing Old Stain/Prepare for Staining
Finally, although some of your old stain may come off your deck with a good pressure washing, sanding is usually necessary to completely remove the old stain. Removing the old stain will create a smooth surface and allow for more even coverage when the new stain is applied.
At NW Surface Cleaner we recognize every deck’s situation is different, so our approach is custom to your deck’s needs based on our experiences. For example, if the wood is deeply grooved and has a lot of old built-up stain in it we start with a coarse grit to really clean up the wood as much as possible. Then we work up to a fine grit for the finishing touch before stain is applied.
NW Surface Cleaner is a family-owned and operated business that has been providing deck refinishing services for the Portland, Oregon Metropolitan area for nearly 40 years. NW Surface Cleaner follows current state-recommended COVID-19 guidelines. Our crews wear masks, keep their hands sanitized, and maintain a safe social-distance with customers at all times. We also do not enter our customers’ homes at any time during estimation or while performing services. Click here for more information about our deck services or to request a free estimate.