Hi, I will begin deck construction this weekend, with any luck. I know certain metals will corrode when in contact with one another. I will be using ACQ lumber, so my fasteners will be all HDG. I have aluminum siding on my house, that will be removed for the ledger. Is there any problem using galvanized flashing behind the ledger, which will be tucked directly under the alum. siding? In other words, will Aluminum on Gal. steel corrode? Thanks! andy

My deck's previous homeowner stained and sealed the deck using Sikkens Cetol DEK system. Unfortunately, the undersides of the lower and upper levels were not sealed and over time the finish started to peel and crack. I just bought the place and looks like no maintenance has been done in the past 8 years. I used a sealant/stain remover, scrubbed, then power washed the deck. I was able to get the finish off but the wood doesn't look too great. I'm assuming that I'll need to restain with the same dark color that was on there to hide blemishes? I don't really want to reapply Sikkens because I can't get underneath the lower deck to seal. What would you recommend I use to hide the irregularities in the wood? When the wood is wet it looks nice, no spots or hints of leftover stain. When it is dry it looks pretty bad, I notice all kinds of blemishes. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!