# Using Planer on Refreshing Outdoor deck.



## jjbesq (Aug 25, 2010)

I have considered running deck boards through planer to remove weathered flat sides. Is this a good idea. What size planer. How many blades.

jjbesq63


----------



## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi , welcome to the forum


----------



## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Greetings and welcome to the router forums, we are glad to have you join us. 

Sounds good to me. If that is all you will ever use it for and want to get one fast and cheap, Ryobi, sells one for 229.00 at HD http://www.homedepot.com

If however you plan to use it for other projects in the future and can wait I'd check Craig's list. I picked up a DeWALT 733 for a 100.00 and a Ridgid 1300 for 150.00. I use the DeWALT for rough planing and the Ridgid for finish planing.


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Have you dismantled the deck yet? A pressure washer and some deck cleaner will strip the old gray moldy looking color off without removing the deck boards. You can then let it dry and then apply deck sealer or other deck finish. If you have any rough areas, a sander with 60 grit paper will usually clean up these spots.

Charley


----------



## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Belyt sander would be a better approach IMHO. It would allow you to do the work in situ

Regards

Phil


----------



## stuartwatson (Jun 13, 2011)

Hi jim 
sounds like a good belt sander would do the job as is mate 
hope goes well 
stuart 
england


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

I will 2nd Charley post,,dismantled is a PITA a good pressure washer will do the trick,,not say anything about getting the screws/nails out or sanding off the heads by doing it the sanding way..

======



CharleyL said:


> Have you dismantled the deck yet? A pressure washer and some deck cleaner will strip the old gray moldy looking color off without removing the deck boards. You can then let it dry and then apply deck sealer or other deck finish. If you have any rough areas, a sander with 60 grit paper will usually clean up these spots.
> 
> Charley


----------



## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

I've thought of planing my deck wood also. As said, it would be a real PITA, but it is doable. I think a floor model planer such as a Powermatic would be the best to use. A bench/portable would do it, but expect to do a knife change when done. Especially if there is any dirt in the wood.

A pressure washer works, but not if you use high pressure. That digs out soft wood and leaves a mess.

We used 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup Arm and Hammer washing soda, and a gallon of water to scrub the deck with a brush. Wow, did that do a good job.


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

The washer I have (2500 lbs.psi ) it came with many tips, you can use it to wash the car or take the paint off the car..  I have one tip that will cut concrete.....so to say they must be used with care.. last week my son used it to clean off a motor and I said take care, it will take the skin right off your hand and it did.. 




===


----------



## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> not say anything about getting the screws/nails out or sanding off the heads by doing it the sanding way..


Well, Bob, I was assuming that the heads would be down in the grooves :blink:. Round here it is so wet that plain decking boards are downright dangerous after the winter, so everyone installs the grooved variety. I was also making the assumption that these boards had gone beyond the pressure wash stage.......... 

I've always found that the difficulty with taking stuff up is that the screws may not want to come out, especially after a few years in situ, so there's a risk of shearing the heads off. There's also the joy of replacing every last screw - I very rarely re-use screws as that seems to be asking for trouble - and of getting the boards back in exactly the right place which may not be so easy on diagonal cut boards, for example

Regards

Phil


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Phil

Well in the states you don't see the groove boards the norm..plus in the states we put a 1/4" gap or more in the boards, on the deck on my mountain house we have 5/8" gap in the boards because we can get 4 ft. of snow on it with just one snow storm not to say anything about the rain we get..
Photos of the huge winter snow storm moving across the US | Plog — World, National Photos, Photography and Reportage — The Denver Post

==



Phil P said:


> Well, Bob, I was assuming that the heads would be down in the grooves :blink:. Round here it is so wet that plain decking boards are downright dangerous after the winter, so everyone installs the grooved variety. I was also making the assumption that these boards had gone beyond the pressure wash stage..........
> 
> I've always found that the difficulty with taking stuff up is that the screws may not want to come out, especially after a few years in situ, so there's a risk of shearing the heads off. There's also the joy of replacing every last screw - I very rarely re-use screws as that seems to be asking for trouble - and of getting the boards back in exactly the right place which may not be so easy on diagonal cut boards, for example
> 
> ...


----------



## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Gapping boards is the norm here, generally 5 to 6mm. The temperate climate means that grooved boards are a necessity to clear rainfall

Either way in a flat board I'd install with the screw heads sunk slightly under - which would allow me to sand off if pressure washing failed. Taking up boards strikes me as a bit like taking skirting boards (baseboard) off walls to clean it up - somewhat overkill. But then I'm trying to make a living knocking bits of wood _together_

Regards

Phil


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Phil

"grooved boards " just one more thing to hang up on with a snow shovel,we have flat decks the norm in the states, I don't think the grooved boards would help with the water thing..it would be a dam at the end of the boards the norm..with the end caps " skirting", the norm..
The new thing in the states is the plastic decking that will last forever, made from old plastic bags the norm..

====



Phil P said:


> Gapping boards is the norm here, generally 5 to 6mm. The temperate climate means that grooved boards are a necessity to clear rainfall
> 
> Either way in a flat board I'd install with the screw heads sunk slightly under - which would allow me to sand off if pressure washing failed. Taking up boards strikes me as a bit like taking skirting boards (baseboard) off walls to clean it up - somewhat overkill. But then I'm trying to make a living knocking bits of wood _together_
> 
> ...


----------



## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> The new thing in the states is the plastic decking that will last forever, made from old plastic bags the norm..


We've had that stuff here for 12 to 15 years now on intrusion process and more recently on extrusion/pultrusion. I believe the first manufacturer was in the Netherlands in the early 1980s. It's not really caught on for domestic use, but I've used it a few times on public body works

As to the grooves trapping stuff, well it doesn't, at least not when installed by a joiner who knows what he's doing :no:

Odd what you say about the grooving, though. I'm told the idea for that came from the USA.

Regards

Phil


----------

