Painting my 30 year old deck


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Old 06-07-15, 05:49 PM
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Painting my 30 year old deck

Hello,
I am finally getting ready to paint my deck. I hired someone to do it for me and I will help as well. So we are basically going to power wash the deck. Then clean out any of the places where the paint is pealing. I know the proper way is to remove all the paint but thats very expensive and I really do not want to spend that much on a 30 year old deck. Most of the paint is holding good except for the cracks. I used Sherwin-Williams last time but I did alot of research and found that Benjamin makes better paint. I have about 450ish SF to cover my deck porch stairs.

Few questions I had
Do we need to prime over the current paint or just the visible woods?
How long should I wait between coats?
How should I fill the cracks?(some of the wood we will replace)
How long does it usually takes for the paint to dry?Its been raining randomly.
I was told to use brush to paint instead of roller. Is that really that better? and wouldn't that take for double the time?
Any other recommendation?
I was planning on just power washing without using any chemical.
 
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Old 06-08-15, 03:31 AM
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Will you being using paint or solid stain? What is currently on the deck?

The coating can label will give the recoat info. That and weather conditions will determine how much time is needed between coats. Some waterborne stains have a specific recoat window where the 2nd coat needs to be applied. A 2nd coat applied outside of that window can have adhesion issues.

The only advantage to using a brush instead of a roller is getting up close and personal might cause you to do a better job of applying the coating evenly. Sometimes a brushed on coating will look nicer than rolled on [lack of roller stipple]

If there is any mildew on the deck it's best to use a bleach/water solution prior to pressure washing. TSP is used if there is ground in grime that needs to be removed. My SOP for cleaning a deck is; wet the deck with water, spray on the cleaning solution with a pump up garden sprayer, let it set but not dry then rinse with the PWer. Stubborn areas might need a 2nd treatment and/or scrubbing with an old broom. Too much pressure or too close with a PWer can damage the wood. While a PWer makes the job easier/quicker - a water hose does a good job.

Generally it's best to leave the cracks in the wood alone. Most fillers will pop out before the coating fails. If I must fill a crack - I'll use caulking.
 
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Old 06-08-15, 10:16 AM
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I will use paint and the deck already have paint. I have not seen any mildew.
Would I still need any kind of chemical?
Any advice what will help remove the current paint easier?
 
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Old 06-08-15, 12:35 PM
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It's always a good idea to clean first. If no mildew, use TSP and rinse well [laundry detergent would also work] If you are repainting the deck you don't need to remove the existing paint, just scrape/prime as needed and then repaint.
 
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Old 06-08-15, 01:53 PM
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The places I scrape. wouldnt it look uneven after I prime and paint? Compare to the places already painted.
 
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Old 06-08-15, 04:19 PM
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Those edges/ridges can be sanded down so they won't be noticeable. Most customers aren't willing to pay the extra charge to do so. It's up to you if you want to do the extra work
 
 

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