Deck After Olympus Deck Cleaning

I bought my house 4 months ago so I don't know the history of my deck other than it appeared to be neglected for the 1st 10 years of its life. It is 26' X 10' and appears to be pressure treated pine that might have been previously stained a redish color as the wood has a red tint to it after I cleaned it. I used a 2.5G of Olympic Deck Cleaner including using a scrub brush and power washer which removed a lot the dark stains, mildew, etc. but it still seems dreadful. One rail is a bit curved and only one board appears to be lifting but there are dark stains in the wood, various scrapes/scratches, various splits in the railings, erc.. Given the condition, I was planning to use a Benjamin Moore Cougar Brown semi-solid or solid stain to cover up a lot of the imperfections. Can someone tell me by looking what the wood species is? What condition the deck is in? Do I need to stain the deck prior to staining?

Before Clean
Image Viewer

After Clean
Image Viewer

 

It looks like PT pine to me also which is usually southern yellow pine.

I'd reclean the deck using a bleach/water solution. I mix bleach with an equal portion of water [never, ever stronger!] and put it in a pump up garden sprayer. I'll then wet the deck with water and spray on the bleach/water solution, let it set but not dry and then rinse well.

After cleaning we'll be able to tell if semi-transparent will do ok or if you need to switch to solid stain.

huh ???

 

How do you quote? I can't even see an option to quote a post. Anyhow, I edited my original post. I meant to say do I need to sand prior to staining? The local BM guy told me to use 80 grit attached to a pole and give it a light sanding to smooth it out for walking and to remove any of the black stains. Does the deck still look dirty? I used 2.5 GALLONS of deck cleaner and a stiff brush and scrubbed the entire deck. The cleaner definitely has bleach in it because it ruined my clothes. What condition would you say the deck is? I didn't think I could use semi-transparent given it was neglected for 10 years. I am fine with semi-solid or solid stain.

 

At the end of the bar on top of the quick reply box is a quote button. Click on it and 2 quotes will pop up - paste your quote in between them.

Was the wood still wet when you took the pics? I know some of it's the old stain but some of the raw wood looks dark like it needs more cleaning. From the pics, it looks to me like the deck needs a little more cleaning BUT pics can be deceiving. Your deck looks like it was coated with a semi-transparent stain. If it's clean enough, you might can use semi-transparent again as long as the color is close to the same. I have never heard of a semi-solid stain. Solid stain looks like a thin coat of paint and will hide a multitude of sins. I usually wait until a deck is at the bottom half of it's life span before I switch to solid..... but a solid stain can be used at any time if that is the look you want.

I rarely ever do any sanding on a deck. I'll sand the hand rail if it's rough and the rest of the deck if someone got over ambitious with a pressure washer and chewed up the wood - but generally sanding isn't needed.

 

Odd, I don't have a quote button. The pictures were taken 36 hours post cleaning. I agree that it looks like it needs more cleaning. The wife insists it is clean given I even scrubbed the dark spots twice. She wants to complete the project Saturday so I supposed I could reapply cleaner to the dark spots tomorrow and it would be dry for staining on Saturday morning. Benjamin Moore offers semi-transparent, semi-solid, and solid (Exterior Wood Stains—Colors and Finishes—Benjamin Moore). I am leaning away from semi-transparent given the condition of the wood (10 years of neglect). I was thinking of a semi-solid to hide the imperfections of the wood. I am just concerned the stains will show through. I mentioned sanding as the local BM store and their online videos suggest sanding should be done (How to Remove Deck Stain & Prepare a Deck for Staining). I was hoping I could avoid it for obvious reasons.

Also, how long should the deck last?

 

Thanks for the link. It looks like semi-solid is either something new or maybe just a BM choice. Apparently it's a cross between semi-transparent and solid. I think it would be a good choice for your deck. The prep you've already done should be sufficient for both the semi-solid and solid stains. While sanding never hurts, it really isn't needed on decks unless they are too rough to be acceptable.

It's hard to say how long a deck will last. A lot depends on the materials used, how well it was built and how well it's maintained. The environment it's exposed to can also play a part. I've seen 10-15 yr old decks that really needed to be torn down and 20+ yr old decks that still had a LOT of life left.

 

Thanks for the update. It sounds like you think the semi-solid would cover up any of the dark stains. I am still torn about cleaning it again (as mentioned, I already scrubbed it twice). I might give it a light scruff just to remove any roughness from the surface. It should help the stain adhere as I have read a lot of peeling horror stories.

I am hoping it lasts another 5-10 years which is why I am cleaning/staining it. I do live in NJ which gets plenty of snow so I have my fingers crossed.

Should I be concerned about the cracks in the wood? The knots? I am not sure if that is considered damage or just typical wear-n-tear. I took plenty of pictures showing this as I am concerned.

 

Wood splits as it dries/weathers, there isn't a whole lot you can do about. I'd probably put latex caulk in the bigger worst looking cracks. If you have a wet rag or sponge handy you can fill the crack and then remove any excess that gets on the face of the wood. That gives the best looking repair and should hold up fine.

I looked at your pics again and I believe the darker spots of raw wood is just where it was still damp. When I clean a deck with a bleach/water solution the raw wood typically comes out lighter than what you have but since you are using a semi-solid stain - that shouldn't be an issue.

 

Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated.