When sanding a deck, there are actually three approaches that you can consider. The first approach is the traditional, more manual approach, which is by using handheld sanders. You can purchase a sander and then scrub your deck by hand, thereby giving your deck a polished finish. Obviously, this manual approach takes considerable effort – and a lot of time to finish as well. But despite the time and the effort exerted here, seeing that this is manual labor, chances are you might still miss a spot.
And then, there’s the more modern approach of using the flooring drum sander. The flooring drum sander uses power so you don’t have to do any manual labor here, other than directing the sander where you want it to be. However, even if you do this as gently as you can, there will still be the risk of scratching your deck, even damaging its woodwork in the long run.
Thus, the approach that offers more promising results is the flooring orbital sander. And you can also better the results by washing your deck before you use the flooring orbital sander. By doing this, you can significantly reduce the amount of grunge and dirt that your sander has to process. Thus, you get better results with significantly minimal effort.
Before we proceed to discussing about how to use this tool, watch this video which gives a brief discussion of what an flooring orbital sander is and understanding its uses.
Now, on to how to use it on your deck. First, make sure to sweep your deck using a push broom with hard bristles. If there are any misplaced fasteners, make sure to reset them. If there are any misplaced boards as well, make sure to reattach them.
Next, prepare a solution of detergent and warm water. Use this to mop your deck. After mopping, rinse your deck with clear water, then give it a drying period of 24 hours. While your deck is drying, use a pain scraper to remove any debris between the deck boards.
After 24 hours, you are ready to sand your deck using an orbital floor sander for the first pass of sanding. The type of sandpaper to use depends on the wood. If you have hardwood, like teak, use 20-grit sandpaper. If your deck is made of softwood, just use 50-grit sandpaper. You don’t need to be aggressive with softwood, after all.
If you have any benches on your deck, make sure not to miss the benches’ corners. Even the areas under the benches need sanding as well. For this, you can use palm sander; use the same grit that you previously used for your floor sander. After all that sanding, remove dust using a vacuum cleaner. And if you see any cracks, holes, or deep scratches, you can fill them with epoxy woof filler. Make sure to scrape the filler flat and let it cure before proceeding.
For the second pass of sanding, you now need to use paper of finer grit. If you previously used 20-grit paper, then you can now use 36-or 50-grit. But if you previously used 50-grit, then use 80-grit for the second pass. Proceed with the sanding, thereby removing any missed scratches, and the excess wood filler that you used before, if any. Once done, vacuum the dust off your deck again.
After that second pass, make a third and last pass using the next finest grit. Sand the deck as thoroughly as needed, and then vacuum the dust off again. When you’re done with the third and final pass, seal your deck with finish right away. Immediately after sanding, the grain is still a lot more open, allowing the sealer to penetrate the surface better.
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