Giving your deck a new coat is the best way to preserve the timber and keep it looking fresh and feeling like new. Staining the deck is the easy part and as with most paint jobs the better the preparation, the better the finished job.
Today was are testing Johnstone’s hardwood tannin and oil remover and deck oil. We’ve opted for an oil with a merbau stain to give our merbau deck a deeper richer feel. We allowed for two days to complete the project, one day to prepare and the second day to apply two coats.
To restore this deck, which is five years old, and cops a load of traffic from children, we pressure washed the surface to open up the pours of the timber. Next a light sand was applied to remove scratched and ensure our new layer of oil sticks to the timber. We used an orbital sander for this job. We next applied a coat of Johnstone’s hardwood, tannin and oil remover with a stiff decking brush and scrubbed it in. This product worked very well in removing black stains which are pretty common with merbau timber, especially if your deck, like ours, is partially exposed to the elements. Johnstone’s hardwood, tanning and oil remover is designed to brighten and rejuvenate weathered, coated and new hardwood timber including decking, windows, doors, bi-folds, fences, gates, weatherboards and cladding. It worked a treat.
Old stain stripped back, cleaned and now ready for a fresh coat of stain.
With the decks cleaned and our paint thoroughly mixed, we began by using a paint brush to “cut in” or stain the edges and the corners. After the cutting in, it was time to get serious and using a lambs wool applicator. The key is to dip your lambs wool applicator into the paint tray, making sure there is a moderate amount of stain with each dip. By using long, even strokes to stain the timber, blending in as you go, you should end up with a nice coat without any drip marks. Remember to finish on an open edge so you don’t paint yourself into a corner.
Decking oil does more than add beautiful color. It can help protect your deck in the long run. Johnstone’s deck oils protect against water, rot, mold, and other pesky problems. How much time you’ll need to devote to this project depends on the size of your deck. Most can be stained in one weekend, plus a few days of dry time. Our deck is 20 m2 so we were able to apply a second coat in one day.
Designed for superior speed, Johnstone’s deck oils recoat in only 1 hour+ and touch dry in 30 minutes, allowing any decking project to be completed from start to finish in only a day. Suitable for both exterior new and weathered timber decking, the deck oils are available in 5 pre-tinted semi-transparent colours, allowing you to enjoy the pure beauty of the woodgrain, whilst entertaining friends and family all summer long. Whether you’re staining a deck for the first time or touching up an existing stain job, these simple steps will help your deck look its best.