I’m a Home Editor Who Refinished My Deck This Weekend—Here’s What I Wish I’d Done Differently

Refinishing the peeling orange-red 490-square-foot deck overlooking my backyard was a project that had been on my list since we closed on our somewhat fixer-upper. I could already picture myself sipping coffee on Saturday mornings, sitting on the deck, enjoying the fruits of my labor and the view of my newly purchased acreage.

Mind you, I'm not an experienced DIYer, so when I envisioned the actual labor of the project, my fiancé and I were swiftly removing the stain with a few sweeps of the pressure washer followed by a quick hour of applying the new stain. I even planned to get it all done the week we moved in—along with the unpacking, furniture deliveries, and removal of our '90s popcorn ceilings. Overly optimistic is an understatement. In the end, this project took us about 30 hours of labor and was full of trial and error. Learn from my refinishing mistakes if you have a deck of your own to redo.

The Pressure Washer Attempt

A week or two after move-in, I asked my fiancé to simply pressure wash the deck, as we planned to stain it the next day. Thirty minutes later, he came back inside visibly defeated. The pressurized water barely made a dent in the years of layered stain, plus it had started to ruin the wood. After looking closer, we concluded that the previous owners had originally used a semi-transparent stain, but eventually covered it with a solid stain. After the pressure washer removed random pieces of the solid top layer, two different shades of stain were exposed all over the deck, which was not exactly what I was going for.

The Chemical Stripper Attempt

My next great idea (that led to yet more frustration) was using a deck stain stripper. After watching countless videos on how others removed their existing deck stain, I decided this was the next best course of action. We made what felt like our 50th trip to The Home Depot after weeks of renovations, and purchased two bottles of BEHR PREMIUM wood stain and finish stripper.

We sprayed the deck with a hose prior to applying the stripper, per the bottle's instructions. We then used roller brushes too apply the stripping liquid, keeping it wet as we rolled, and scrubbed with a deck scrub brush after about 30 minutes. Large chunks of the solid stain and even the semi-transparent stain beneath it did lift in some areas, especially in the shaded portions. The sun was hot and beating down on the backyard by the time we reached the scrubbing stage, drying up some of the sun-exposed stripper despite our liberal water-spraying efforts throughout the process. Regardless, the stripper only got us about halfway to our goal.

If all you need to do to your own deck is remove an old semi-transparent stain, using a deck stripper might very well do the job for you. It's important to note that the product is full of harsh chemicals, so be sure to wear thick rubber gloves and a mask, and protect your plants by covering them with a plastic sheet. After scrubbing, use a pressure washer or hose to spray off the loose stain and chemicals. To neutralize the leftover stripper, apply a deck cleaner with a pump sprayer, then scrub and rinse one more time.

The Deck Sander Attempt

After three attempts (I also tried removing the stain with a metal scraper—still unsuccessful), there was little progress made. I resorted to my final idea: a deck sander. I called around to local hardware stores for a rental. I located one at a mom-and-pop shop about 20 minutes away and scheduled the pickup date. I was hopeful despite my trail of failures, and beyond ready to have this project written off as a lesson learned.

When the day arrived, I watched as my handy dad used the bulky deck sander with ease. Before he started, he hammered down any rogue nails to avoid tearing the sandpaper. Five hours and 20 sheets of 60-grit sandpaper later, the base of the deck was sanded (thanks, Dad!). I should note that the rails have been untouched throughout the entire process, as they were in much better condition than the rest of the deck.

With our spirits high from a (finally) successful attempt at removing the existing stain, my fiancé took the extra step of using a belt sander on the edges of the deck where it met the house and the top board of the railing where there was remaining peeling stain. While we could have sanded down each side of the 99 square rails, we decided our impending marriage was more important.

The Final Step and Lessons Learned

With the deck down to its bare bones and a few rotten boards replaced, it was finally time to stain the deck. We chose a solid stain for the rails and a semi-transparent stain for the floorboards. After sweeping and ensuring we had a dry day ahead, we set out to finish the tedious job we started weeks ago. The use of solid stain on the railings did a great job of covering the original red. Since the wood was bare on the floorboards, the semi-transparent stain let the wood grain come through beautifully. We used a paintbrush for the rails and an exterior stain pad attached to a long handle for back-saving purposes.

An entire day and a few arguments later, it was finished. It's far from perfect—there are still plenty of imperfections. There are still some peeling spots on the rails that we just painted over, and the previous owners got stain on the siding, so repainting the house is now a springtime project. After all, you have to choose your DIY battles.

Looking back on my deck refinishing saga, I wish I had skipped all of my other attempts at removing the stain and just sanded from the start. We would have saved money and quite a bit of time.

What I don't regret is the decision to jump in headfirst to this monstrosity of a task, as my motivation for DIY projects is fleeting. Trial and error is never ideal, but you'll always find a solution in the end. And now I have coffee and a backyard view to enjoy.