Hello, Im about to strip & stain my deck..and just had a few questions.



I have some cracks in the wood that are about 1/8 inch think and about 1 inch deep in
spots. Only like 3 or 4 boards are affected like that. The rest have even smaller
cracks. I took a pic of one of the 1/8 inch cracks here -



http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5994/deck1j.jpg



Should I get a tube of wood cement and just fill in those cracks before staining ?



2 coats of stain seem recommended on most sites.. Some even say 2 coats of stain and
1 coat of paint on top. Any thoughts on that ? Seems like a little too much since
most decks need to be re-stained once every 3 to 4 years anyway.



Also, about the stripping.. Has anyone used a pressure washer trying to strip a deck
before ? Decent results ? Im debating whether or not to rent one out.



And not sure if I should put the paint stripper material on first before pressure
washing . maybe a lot will come off without needing paint stripper ?



I remember when I used normal stripper last time and just used a garden hose, certain
woods seem much harder to remove the stain from. Like these posts that support the
deck -



http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3527/deck2q.jpg



Its like the stain gels into there forever.. Its been 5 years and it still looks like
that. If I cant remove the stain from those posts, should I just paint over it ? Im
planning on using a lighter colored paint this time. Light brownish.



An overview of the big task at hand -



http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7353/deck3t.jpg



any help is much appreciated.. you guys have always been a big help in the past.



John

Should decks be stripped every time they are to be painted ? It just took me 3 days
to strip mine with a powerwasher and I really dont want to do it again.

What if we just paint it every 2 years...is that fine ? What qualification makes
it that we have to strip it ?

On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:56:26 -0400, "john"
wrote:

Should decks be stripped every time they are to be painted ? It just took me 3 days
to strip mine with a powerwasher and I really dont want to do it again.


No.

What if we just paint it every 2 years...is that fine ? What qualification makes
it that we have to strip it ?

Yes. None.

Old paint is scarped/feathered at the edges. New paint will go on
smooth.

On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:56:26 -0400, "john"
wrote:

Should decks be stripped every time they are to be painted ? It just took me 3 days
to strip mine with a powerwasher and I really dont want to do it again.

What if we just paint it every 2 years...is that fine ? What qualification makes
it that we have to strip it ?


You should prep the surface per instructions on the can. Not all
finishes are alike.

"john" wrote in message
...
Should decks be stripped every time they are to be painted ? It just took
me 3 days to strip mine with a powerwasher and I really dont want to do it
again.

What if we just paint it every 2 years...is that fine ? What
qualification makes it that we have to strip it ?

Why on earth are you "painting" it instead of staining it? Stain just fades
over time, it doesn't peel. No need to strip, ever,.