How to Strip Your Deck

There’s nothing more Australian than enjoying a BBQ and a few beers on your deck on a nice summer’s day. But your deck does require maintenance, especially since it’s got to withstand Melbourne’s temperamental weather conditions.

It pays to routinely inspect your decking for any weather damage or paint cracking/chipping. In some cases, you may need to call in the professional painters to strip, recover, weather proof and repaint the entire surface for your peace of mind.

What You Need

But there are many products available at your local hardware store that enable you to take care of this yourself. With only a few tools necessary to fully strip the paint and weather proofing on your wood, you can return your decking to its former glory in no time at all.

One of the great products on the market to help you strip paint and weather proofing finishes is in the form of professional grade decking finish and paint stripper. This solution will enable you to easily remove the unwanted layers of paint and weather proofing, and allow you to get down to the natural wood to inspect and protect further.

Preparation

Remember that you’ll need to remove furniture and cover up plants and other items on the decking to ensure that no damage is done. Also, you should make sure that you have fully read the safety warnings on your wood finish and paint remover to avoid any potential disasters. Wearing a safety mask, gloves and goggles will protect you from any harmful chemicals that may be contained in the paint stripper.

Applying the Solution

Apply the layer of paint stripper to your decking with a paint brush or hardened brush in a smooth action and in one direction. You do not want to have to walk over a section you have just applied the paint stripper to, so think about the size and shape of your decking before you apply the solution. Many of these paint stripping solutions require that they rest on the material for a set period of time to ensure the chemicals have been absorbed by the paint or finish and can then be easily removed.

Removing the Solution

After this period of rest, the chemicals will soak into the paint and you’ll be able to remove the solution with a high pressured hose. For more difficult areas, you can use a simple plasterers’ knife or specialist paint stripping tool. Again, you’ll want to be wearing personal protective clothing while you are performing the removal of the paint, and ensure that the paint that is removed is disposed of in compliance with paint/chemical disposal requirements in your local area.

Repaint!

After the removal process has been completed, your decking is now ready to be repainted. Ensure that you apply a coat of weather proofing paint to the surface to ensure longevity of the finish, as well as giving your decking a great base to apply any polishing resins or specialised paints that bring out the grains in the wood. A full repaint with weather proofing can lengthen the life of your decking by up to 10 years, so it’s definitely worth doing the job properly!