How do I cover deck boards without stripping old paint off?

Hello Su. If you are planning on using another product on your deck you will have to remove the old paint. After years of fighting bubbling peeling deck products I finally found a product that doesn't bubble or peel and works extremely well for the cold snowy icy climate that I live in. I spent a grueling 3 days removing old deck products from 2 decks and used this product. FINALLY! No more peeling or bubbling! Armstrong Clark makes a deck stain that penetrates the wood rather than having the product sit on top to bubble and peel in extreme weather conditions. I have used it on my decks and now after 3 years I will need to reapply because it is losing it's water repelling ability and starting to fade. BUT...I have no bubbling and peeling and it will be easy to reapply using a brush and roller and it will soak into the deck wood. I am extremely happy with this product. It is not available in every area but you can order it online and have it sent to your home: www.armstrongclark.com

Here is some other helpful information: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/why-penetrating-deck-stains-are-best/

Can you turn the boards over? You may have a good surface that will clean up nicely. Avoid paint and use deck stain it will hold up better on horizontal surfaces that collect moisture. I imagine a rug over outdoor wood could keep the boards from drying out after it rains.

Boy do I understand your problem!

We have a gianemorous deck that was built in 2015. We made the choice of using a solid stain which is much like a paint. The product container rated it to last 7 years. Figuring with this rating this would be the best alternative for our deck that has a heavy sun exposure -offering lots of protection and product longevity.

This finish has been failing every year also requiring REapplication-after experiencing adhesion troubles and mildew over the past two years.

Our problems were with the BEHR product. But this year -we called the customer support line with our frustration and we were provided with individualized detailed cleaning surface prep advice with application instruction support and complete product replacement of deck cleaner and stain was shipped to our home.

It might be worthwhile to give your sealers company a call and see if they can offer any assistance or compensation to assist with your product adhesion problem.

I hope this helps.

The only way to stop the bubbling is to thoroughly strip and clean the deck, then depending on the wood’s age use an appropriate stain/sealer. Otherwise you’ll keep repeating yourself every year and the expense will pile up. I just did this and you can see what I did here: https://www.flippingtheflip.com/2018/08/the-deck-redux-part-i.html?m=1