"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:IxG4k.29777$gc5.10374@pd7urf2no...
Scott wrote:
I'm cleaning my 10 x 12' cedar deck. Two years ago, I washed it with
bleach. It cleaned up fairly well. I stained it with one coat of Sikken
Cedar stain. Now the dark grey film has returned with a vengeance. There
are trees coming right up
to the deck, and it gets the morning and midday sun (the deck faces
east). With my portable belt sander, I'm able to sand down to bare wood,
but it's slow going. After several hours, I've cleaned 1/3 of the deck. I
looked at a large vibrating sander (the size of a big buffer) at Home
Depot to rent ($41.00 a day), but I'm not sure if a vibrating sander,
even though it's a big one, is going to cut through that film very
agressively.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Scott in Minnesota
Hi,
Good pressure washer will do the job.

a "good" pressure washer will make a cedar deck look as hairy as a wookie
from Star Wars.

Cedar is too delicate for pressure washing except at the very lowest
pressure seting and holding the wand far away from the wood. I have seen
people ruin a beautiful cedar deck with pressure washers. It sure got the
dirt off too.