For any deck refinishing job to look its best, you’ll need to sand the surface before refreshing the finish. Choosing the right sander for your deck refinishing job will make the difference between a job that looks like a professional did it, or one that looks like a homeowner tried to cut corners.
There are several types of power sanders. Some are better suited to sanding decks that others. Let’s look at the pros and cons of the different sanders available.
Palm and Vibratory Sanders
Palm and vibratory are the least likely to cause gouging or other damage, and are a good choice for amateurs. Because of their small size, however, the job can take a very long time. They can also cause cross-grain marks in the wood if too much pressure is applied. Consider using a palm sander for final finishing after using a disc or belt sander.
Disc Sanders and Large Angle Grinders
Disc sanders and large angle grinders are Crowder Painting’s choice for most sanding jobs we encounter. We often use a coarse buffing pad to quickly remove the old finish. If this doesn’t work, we use sanding disks. The primary risk with these types of sanders is the speed at which you can damage the wood if used improperly. If you are inexperienced, you’ll either want to practice using a disk sander or angle grinder, or avoid this type of sander entirely. A good deck can be ruined rapidly if a disk sander gets out of your control.
Belt Sanders
Belt sanders are best for the flat tops of railings. They can also be used on the deck floor, but they’re hard to control when used this way. Once again, practice is important before you decide to use a belt sander on the deck floor.
Commercial Floor Sanders
On very large decks, you may be tempted to use the big sanders available at rental outlets. These use either drum sander or orbital sander designs. These are primarily used for refinishing hardwood floors, and, while they can work for decks, there are a couple important things to keep in mind.
Because decks are exposed to snow, rain, wind, heat, and cold, they are prone to warping. Twisted or bowed boards are not easy to sand with a commercial floor sander. The sander takes off the high points but fails to sand the rest of the board.
In addition, these large vibratory/orbital sanders are very heavy—often more than 100 pounds. This makes them hard to transport and haul up steps. On the upside, they are easy to use if the surface isn’t heavily cupped or warped.
Drum sanders are not a good choice for amateurs. They remove a lot of wood very quickly and can cause severe damage to your deck. Avoid this option unless you’re an experienced user.
New decks which haven’t been exposed to much weather and hardwood decks, which are less likely to warp than their softwood counterparts, are the best candidates for commercial power sanders. Our preference is the orbital sander because it’s so much easier to control when compared to a drum sander.
If you do choose to use a large commercial sander, you’ll only be able to use it on the deck floor. You’ll still need a smaller tool for railings, benches, and planters.
Floor Edgers
Floor edgers are lighter and smaller than the other two types of commercial sanders. They are designed primarily to work along the edge of the floor along a wall. This type of sander is usually difficult to control on uneven deck surfaces.
It’s possible to do a very professional sanding job with the sanders available to you at the hardware store. There’s no need to rent a commercial sander. You can achieve excellent results with rectangular vibratory/orbital sander.
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Deck Sanding | By Jason Rowe
If you want to sand your deck and you were wondering how long it would take…
Then this guide will help you to work that out…
Let me explain:
In general, it will take you 8 hours to sand a deck that is 25m2, using a belt sander. But there are a few factors that can affect the time it takes to sand your decking.
There are 3 main things that will affect how long it takes to sand your deck…
These are:
- The condition of the coating on your deck
- The type of sander you’re using
- The size of your decking
The Condition of the Coating on Your Deck
If the current coating on your
deck is in pretty good condition like this…
Then it’s actually easier and quicker to sand your decking.
If your current coating is like this…
It’s actually a lot harder to sand…
When
you sand a decking with a coating that is in good condition you’ll find that it comes off easily and you’re left with timber that looks brand new…
But a decking that is faded and missing in spots has two layers….
You’ll sand off the top faded coating then you’ll be left with a grey or black coating which is damage from the weather…
You’ll have to sand this off as well, but it takes a little more “working the sander around” to remove this grey damage.
If you
don’t sand it off properly then your deck will look black and blotchy.
You can see what I’m talking about from the photo below…
If your decking looks like this, it’ll take you more time to sand your decking back properly.
The Type of Sander You’re Using
If you’re going to get down there yourself and sand back your deck, then you’ll probably be wanting to use a belt sander for the bulk and an orbital sander for the edges…
Not all sanders are created equal…
The sander you use can drastically affect the time
it takes to sand your decking…
I recommend this belt sander from Makita…
You can pick one up for $500 from Total Tools…
But if you don’t want to spend that much I would recommend checking out something like this Ozito for $99
Something like the Ozito could be fine for a one off small deck but it would be a lot quicker with the top range Makita sander.
I’ve found these cheaper tools get the job done but they’re not as effective as the Trade quality tools…
You could always hire a stand up Orbital sander to get the job done…
The problem with the bigger, stand up sanders is that a lot of the times your decking boards will have slight cupping…
Or decking boards that are sitting uneven…
You probably won’t even notice it until you start sanding…
It’s hard to sand these boards properly with these big sanders. It’s a lot easier and more effective to use a
belt sander…
Or you could use a combination of the two…
The size of your decking
Of course the size of your decking will affect how long it takes you to sand your deck.
I’ve found that I can sand about 25m2 of decking in a day…
So if your decking is 50m2, it could take up to 2 days…
But if you aren’t used to sanding deckings, it can be a painful task that will have your knees aching… your back screaming… and your abs
cramping…
You may need more regular breaks to allow your body to recover…
It could double the time it takes you to sand your deck…
If you do sand the deck yourself, make sure you get some knee pads…
The cheap ones will work pretty good if you’re using them just for your deck…
If you’re thinking that maybe this sounds too hard and you should call a Deck Restoration Company…
Or maybe you need a little more advice before you do it yourself…
There’s something you should read first…
The 8 Things You Should Know Before Choosing A Deck Restoration Company
In this report you will discover…
- The 8 insider secrets that only the very best Deck Restoration companies know. By asking your decking company about any of these 8 secrets, you’ll instantly be able to tell who is a “Decking Expert” and who is a “Decking Wannabe”…
- Why it’s a terrible idea to only pressure clean your decking before you oil it…
- How pressure cleaning your deck can leave your decking like it’s been coated in sand… and the only way to fix it…
- Why your “decking expert” should never sand your decking smooth… like he would with your inside timber floors… and what he should do this instead…
- The exact sanding method your “Decking Expert” should use to open the surface of your decking so the oil won’t sit on the surface and peel off…
- When you can oil on top of your current coating and when you need to sand it back…
The number 1 reason why an impatient Decking Expert will cause your deck to bubble and peel…
- How to tell from your first meeting if your decking expert will be patient or potentially cut corners and rush your decking…
- The best time of the day to oil your decking… Get this wrong and the oil will form a film on the surface, waiting to peel off… This is why you need a patient decking expert…
- Why you should only oil your deck when it is “thirsty”…
- And the cool little trick to tell if your decking is thirsty and ready to be oiled…
- Why you should steer clear of a decking company that uses a “lambswool applicator” to coat your decking…and what they should be using instead…
- Plus much, much more…
Before you think, “What is this guy trying to sell me?”
I don’t make money from ebooks or giving away my advice.
I actually restore decks for a living. That’s what I do…
And if you don’t live in Melbourne, Australia, there’s nothing for me to sell you.
So why would I give you my advice for free?
Well these articles help my website get in front of the people who will use my service.
And if you like my guide, If you find value in it, there’s one thing that you can do for me…
You can go over to Facebook and like my business page.
And, if you find value in the information I give you, maybe you’ll feel inspired, to leave me an honest customer review for my ebook.
But honestly, you don’t have to do any of that.
You can download the book for free and you’ll never hear from me again.
To get your hands on this free guide, enter your email address into the form below and I’ll send it over to you…
That’s all from me,
Jason – The Deck Restoration Man
FAQ’s
How can I sand my deck fast?
If you want to sand your deck fast, here’s what you need to do. Get a Makita 9403 Belt sander and some high quality 36 grit sanding belts. If you have a 25m2 deck then get at least 20 sanding belts. If you have a lot of belts, you won’t have to keep sanding when the belts are worn down. If you’re sanding with worn out belts, it can take you twice as long.
Should I sand deck before staining?
You will most likely have to sand your deck before you stain it. If the surface is in a bad condition then you’ll want to sand it no matter what. But if you only need to pressure clean your deck it’s also a good idea to give it a really quick once over with an 80 grit sand paper after you’ve pressure cleaned it because pressure cleaning can damage the surface of your boards, causing little fibers to “fur” up on your deck which makes it feel like it’s covered in sand.
Do I need to sand my deck after pressure washing?
9 times out of 10 you’ll need to sand your deck after pressure washing. Pressure washing causes these “little fibers” to stand up on the surface of your deck which makes it look like it’s been oiled with a brush covered in dirt. Not only does it look bad, it’s also a point of weakness that’ll lead to your deck peeling and fading.
Can you use a belt sander on a deck?
Using a belt sander on a deck is one of the great ways to sand your deck. So ‘yes” I would definitely use a belt sander on a deck. Just make sure you go in the direction of the timber. Don’t sand across the timber or you’ll leave huge divets and scuffs all over your deck.
How do I sand my deck?
Here’s how I recommend to sand your deck. Use a belt sander with 36 to 40 grit belts for the bulk of your deck, and an orbital sander with 40 grit for the edges. Any tight spots you can hit with a detail sander. Once your deck is all stripped back with the 36 grit, go over it once more with an 80 grit sandpaper just to smooth it out. Don’t go finer than an 80 grit sand paper.