That looks like it's going to be a nice place to relax.

Very nice, Rick. Good timing to get her near completion before the real heat arrives!

Marv - thanks for the head's up on the TWP - I'm always doing wood projects and have never been happy with most of what's out there for preservatives.

I'm re-doing my outdoor shower deck this weekend. It's not a huge area ((10) 5/4"x6" boards, 8' long) and was looking at composite but holy mackeral way too expensive! So I will be using the weathershield lumber from HD.

Thanks guys yeah I am looking forward to being able to just chill on the deck 😁 . Baz I am sure you know but just in case you don't new pressure treated wood has to weather some before staining . It has to dry out so the oil/pigment of the stain goes INTO the wood vs. sitting ON the wood .

Not sure about your situation but our deck gets the morning sun and then is mostly shaded by the house roof in the afternoon . But just the morning exposure has dried out the deck boards in the few months they have been down . My plan is to give the deck boards a light sanding with some 80 grit then hit it with some deck wash .

In a perfect world I can get two weeks of no rain , that would allow a couple days of drying after the deck wash . Then a day or two to dry after the first coat and a day or two to dry for the second coat . That is the game plan but mother nature has to play nice for this to pan out 😁

Yup I'm aware of that, thanks. Just thinking ahead a bit. I'll do the demo work today and then hit HD tonight when traffic isn't as bad here or in the store.

Will do the install tomorrow. Like I said - not a big job like yours but way overdue.

Didn't realize HD would be closing this early (they changed it to 6pm as of yesterday). Glad I checked before leaving. I've always preferred going there between 7-9pm.

Oh well....guess I'll go in the morning.

T.N.N....

Hey guys today I finished the construction phase of this deck restoration man it feels great :D . Today I installed the hand rail cap boards I ended up using 2x4x12' pressure treated . By using 12 footers it cut down on the butt seams and ended up with very little waste . After installing the caps my wife and I ventured out to Home Depot and purchased solare post lights . Came home and got those installed so all 12 posts have a solar light on them . Not expecting greatness on the lights just a little mood lighting :D

So really all I have left on this portion is to sand/wash/stain which I will do sometime in the next two months . I say this portion because phase two will be extending the deck behind the parking garage I am building . My vision is step down two steps and the portion behind the parking garage will be where the gas and charcoal BBQ grills will reside along with a fire pit . Our youngest son bought us the wood burning fire pit for Christmas about 5 years ago time to put it to use :D . Here are three pics of today's progress .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg

I'm really enjoying this project, looks great, Rick, thanks for the distraction :cool:

Cap I hope you and Mrs. Cap are staying safe on your side of the pond :D

Thanks, we are save over here, hunkered down and keeping busy, hope you guys are save too :)

Yesterday when I installed the solar post lights it was around 3:30 so they didn't have a full day to charge . Around 9:00 last night it was dark out and I walked the deck , all 12 lights were lit and for an advertised claim of 9 lumens they were quite bright . I actually was surprised . What surprised me more when I got up this morning at 6:00 they were all still lit and looked to be as bright as they were last night !

It is now almost 7:00 and I checked again and they are all still lit , two are dimmer than the others . These lights are nothing fancy , they were purchased at Home Depot and are made by Hampton Bay . For $19.95 a twin pack I am impressed :D . Will be interesting to see how they perform tonight after a full day of charging . SmileWavy

Hey guys I'm back :D . So now my thoughts are getting ready for stain . I'm going to wash down the house first as the vinyl siding needs it . But then the deck . So what do you use to clean the deck ? Just some soapy water ? A mix of bleach ? Deck wash from big box store ? The woods seems dry to the touch so it's ready for the stain , just need to know how to clean .

The stain we have narrowed it down to TWP oil based semi transparent . I will apply with a roller do I use a foam roller cover or traditional style ? And what nap thickness ? I plan on applying two coats either the same day or back to back days . Any other tips ?

Yesterday my wife and I went to the local lumber yard to pick up the deck stain , we ended up buying 10 gallons of TWP oil based semi transparent color # 120 pecan . Guy there said of all the stain brands they sell they get the best feedback on TWP so I am expecting greatness :D . Have to wash the house first then the deck so it will be a while before I post pics .

Ladies and gentleman I think we can stick a fork in this one ................ she's done :D . My wife and I started at 9:00 yesterday morning and got all the stain applied we finished around 5:00 man are we beat :( . This morning I just had to do the outside of the posts as it was too hard to reach through the hogs fence . Weather was picture prefect yesterday and today high 70's to low 80's and a breeze . We ended up using TWP oil based semi transparent in color # 120 pecan . So another project checked off the list now going to concentrate on the new parking garage . Thanks to everyone that chimed in with suggestions and comments , it was very helpful . And on to the pic's :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg

That looks great!
Good contrast to the pics you posted in #106 above.
Tell your wife she done good.

Scott I told my wife what you said , she said " well that was nice of him " :D Appreciate the comments . SmileWavy

Wow! What a major and beautiful addition to your home. Did you end up using the foam or knapped rollers? It always feels go good to get a big project behind you. Congrats!

I applied the stain with a standard 10" wide lambs wool applicator . To me I thought that the applicator would be fairly quick/easy and it worked the stain into the boards. I did have 1/2" thick standard style roller covers on hand but didn't use them . I was surprised the applicator pad only caught on a wood sliver only twice on the entire deck. On a rougher deck surface a roller would be the way to go .

Nicely done. I like the semi-transparent stain and wish I'd gone with that. The Cabots Australian oil I used is beautiful for the covered porch but on outside exposed wood it flakes up in spots and lasts only a few years before looking ratty again.

John I couldn't decide between semi or solid for a while , I ended up with the semi after talking to some locals and just doing internet research . Our oldest son lives in the same town and his deck is also PT wood . He used solid stain ( don't know the brand ) and he has peeling issues in spots . Time will tell how long this lasts but my hope is 3 years . Any more would be a bonus 😁