Asked on May 14, 2014

Sanding deck with cracks and splinters?

I need to Re-store my 10 year old deck that has cracks and splinters in it. I've cleaned it already but it's still a bit grey. Should I sand it before I apply a new finisher and sealant? I was told at Home Depot that it would be better to re-paint with a solid color because it would seal in the cracks, but I want to maintain a natural look on the deck and just re-seal it and stain it. Is that possible with an old deck?
  5 answers
  • Funnygirl Funnygirl on May 14, 2014
    I have the same problem.If you have splinters,staining it will not address the splinter problem.If you want to keep the original color you should rent an orbital sander,which Is a lot of work then apply a protective sealer or paint the deck with the new deck paint that is thicker and will protect you from the splinters.They have several brands on the market.Depends how thick you need to apply based on the condition of your deck.If you want the same gray color then paint it the light grey paint color of your deck Cheaper and best results and least amount of work
  • Andrea Rodriguez Andrea Rodriguez on May 14, 2014
    Thanks. I was checking out Deck Over from Behr, but didn't want the run the risk of it peeling later on down the road. The sanding would fix the splinter problem, no?
  • Funnygirl Funnygirl on May 14, 2014
    Yes,with a orbital sander.Home depot rents them but they are quite large and powerful.Rents for about 100.00/day.you can always use the orbital sander if the deck over doesn't work out.Behr usually makes a good quality product.Rustolium is thicker but more expensive than Behr
  • Before you go through all that sanding, do what I did- flip the boards over! Yes the boards underneath are like new! Then clean and stain and seal. Your done.