On Saturday, we power washed our deck: How to Power Wash Your Deck - SPRING CLEANING
On Sunday, we power washed our fence while I started staining our deck after lightly sanding it and then blowing off all the dust from the sanding.
As I was staining the deck with a brush...SOMEBODY was down below complainig that I was dripping stain.
SOMEBODY almost got a can of stain dumped on his head.
The stain we chose was Flood Transparent - Cedar. It was $28 per gallon at Home Depot. At Walmart...it was $18 per gallon. I bought 5 gallons for the deck and the fence.
This dude I know tried to use a sprayer to stain the fence...but it never worked so he had to use the brush and roller as I did on the deck.
I rolled the first coat on the deck floor but I used a brush to do the second coat so I could get in the crevices. I learned pretty quickly that you need one of these to do it without killing yourself:
I'd seen one at TJ Maxx earlier and bought it for $4.99. I'd seen knee pads too but they weren't there when I returned from them. The knee pads would have made it easier I think. Getting the pad was too late to save my back however...and I still strained my back. Ultra Light Kneelers Knee Pads
Birds kept taking a crap on the deck as I was staining it and I had some pretty horrid thoughts about bird torture as I was wiping up bird crap. I would never harm a bird, of course, but I will say I pictured myself dressed in cammo with twigs coming out all over hiding and popping them off one by one with a pellet pistol.
The ultimate test for if the stain is working is how water acts on top of it. It rained overnight and this morning we had evidence that the water simply sat on top of the stain instead of being absorbed in the wood.
GO ME!
Things we learned?
1. Don't use a power washer less than 2,000 PSI.
2. Start staining early morning and then stop when the sun is direct. Then start back up when the sun isn't overhead and stop when it's too dark to see clearly.
3. A cloudy, warm day with no sun or rain is the perfect day to stain.
4. Start off with one of those knee boards or knee pads to do the floor. It will save your back.
5. Let the deck dry for at LEAST 24 hours before you stain.
6. Let deck dry for at LEAST 24 hours before you put furniture with feet on it.
7. Let deck dry for at LEAST a week before you put things without feet on it (planters, umbrella stands, etc.).
8. Doing the outside of a raised deck contorts your body in ways it's not meant to be contorted. I'm talking you will hit some Cirque de Soleil poses trying to get it done.
9. You can do this yourself but seriously...why would you? Our neighbor says they paid $1,000 to get theirs done. I'm starting to think that was well worth it.
10. If you do the deck while your husband does the fence...there will be no cussing. Promies. :)
