Last year, we sold our hot tub, which helped fund our small renovation project. We had no use for a hot tub. I don’t like soaking in water for lengthy periods (pruney fingers - eeeeeewwwww!) and Mr. M doesn’t like the energy bills. Neither do I. But it’s really more the pruney fingers (EW!).
After selling the monstrous hot tub, we were left with an empty wood deck desperately in need of TLC. See exhibit A below.
Yes, my friend! Those dark boards are not stained. Oh no, no, no… that’s them thing they call “dirt.” And mighty loads of it! And you can see the natural wood where the hot tub once sat. Honestly, I thought the deck was stained! It wasn’t until we started to clean it that we realized there was a lot of black stuff coming off and the wood was getting whiter after every rinse.
Here’s the deck all clean! See what I mean about the white boards? Man, that was a lot of dirt built up!
After cleaning it, we sanded down any loose wood and fibers. They were especially prominent around the outline of the hot tub.
Seeing as the hot tub still left its mark after we cleaned the deck, we had to stain it. The idea was to find a stain to match the color of the surrounding fences. We didn’t get the color matched exactly - you can see the deck has a greener tint and the fence has a more purple tint. This doesn’t bother me, though! That deck will be covered in an area rug and furniture soon and you won’t even be able to tell the difference. (That much.)
If you’re looking to clean your dirty decks as well, you can follow our process:
Supply List
• Push broom
• Hard bristle hand brush
• 5 gallon bucket
• Deck cleaner - we used 2 of this one
• Hose with high spray setting
• 80 grit sandpaper
• Sponge paint roller with extension
• Paint tray
• Paint brush
• 1 gallon tinted stain
Step-by-Step
Step 1
Scrub the deck with a push boom and a bucket of water and deck cleaner. You will be tempted to use a pressure washer to remove all the dirt and grime, but I caution you in doing that. During our research into cleaning wood decks, we learned that pressure washing wood can damage it and shorten the lifespan. Since we’d like to not pour more money where it’s not needed, we chose to put in more elbow grease in order to have a longer lasting deck.
TIP: Avoid using a pressure washer to lengthen the lifespan of your wood deck.
If your decks are nearly as dirty as ours, you will eventually need to get down on your hands and knees and scrub away with the dirt with your hands. That’s where it’s handy to have a hard bristle hand brush - NOT a wire brush. The push broom, while effective for overall cleaning, just does not get into the smaller spots.
Step 2
Spray down the deck thoroughly and let dry overnight. It is best to use a sunny day (but hopefully, not too hot) to do this project.
Step 3
After the deck is thoroughly dry and somewhat bleached by the sun, quickly sand down the deck with a low grit sandpaper. We had some leftover from the time we refinished our hardwood floors, so I used that to pick up any loose splinters. Sanding was really fast. I didn’t bother spending too much time on this step as my main focus was getting rid of the splinters and loose fibers.
RELATED POST: How To Refinish Hardwood Floors
Step 4
Lastly, stain the deck with the color of your choice. We used Behr solid stain from Home Depot because it came with a 10-year guarantee. We paid only $15 extra to get this extended guarantee. (The cheaper stain is only good for 5 years.) Trust me, that added cost is so worth the investment when you think about the amount of work you’ll be saving yourself from in 5 years time. Staining will require 2 coats. My husband did the second coat and even did some detail staining with a paint brush to cover all the board edges.
Here’s a comparison shot of all the major stages in this project. I gotta say that I’m quite embarrassed about the state of the deck before we cleaned it. Somebody please tell me they can relate!
I’m still shopping for furniture. Temporarily, we’ve got a dining table and chairs set on it, which makes a lovely dining area for BBQs and evening meals. My dream is see this deck outfitted in a comfortable sectional from edge to edge. I want it to be a place where I can lounge, read a book, blog, take naps, entertain friends, and dine with them. Stay tuned for I will be sure to update you as soon as I’ve got it looking all purdy!
PROJECT SUMMARY:
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Total Cost: We got all our materials at The Home Depot. Total of supplies came out to roughly $85 for 2 bottles of deck cleaner, the hand brush, and one gallon of stain. This covered a 12’x12′ wood deck.
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Total Time: The total time was one weekend. Our deck is roughly 12’x12′. We spent all of Saturday scrubbing the deck. It’s a lot of muscle work when you’ve got a deck as dirty as ours. So take a ton of breaks or alternate help. And hose down A LOT. Sunday was sanding and staining. The second day went by a lot faster. If you start early, you should be able to relax and put up your feet by lunch time.
I’ve linked up this project at these parties here.
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