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So you’re looking out your sliding door with coffee in hand admiring
Spring’s new bounty when your eyes come to rest on that wooden eyesore
you call a deck. Now is the time to make that vow to return that deck
to its former glory! Oh, but the backbreaking sanding and scraping
just fills your heart with dread! Well, not to worry, with the right
tools, this job should no longer be so arduous.
You are going to need some powerful tools: a pressure washer; an
orbital sander; a steel wired brush; and last but not least, a
chemical stripper.
A new generation of water and soluble deck strippers can be
environmentally responsible as well as effective; a company by the
name of Napier Environmental Technologies markets such products (see
www.biowash.com). These products
are designed to soften the surface coating in about 20 minutes, then
you remove the coating with a garden hose, but using a pressure washer
instead will speed up the work and help remove the coating from the
nooks and crannies where sanding and scraping is too hard to get at
with the wired brush.
While a pressure washer is a powerful tool it does have a drawback -
the force of the water creates a sort of fuzzy/furry wood surface –
but the loosened fibres can easily be removed with the next member of
your team, the sander. Just remember, the sanding has to be performed
when the deck is completely dry. When you’re finished sanding –
“Viola!” a new smooth deck!
When purchasing your new deck finish, whatever you do, do not be cheap
or thrifty! You’ll be stripping again before you know it! Make sure
the deck is dry and clean, and apply a good, quality finish. You’ll be
enjoying your ‘new’ deck for seasons to come!
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And a brief note . . . As of May 2007, a new federal
law lowers the level at which mortgage insurance is required. For
the last 40 years homebuyers were required to buy mortgage
insurance, if their down payment was less than 25% of the purchase
price. Now mortgage insurance will be required when the down payment
is less than 20% of the purchase price - a savings of approximately
$2500 on a home purchase price of $300,000.
If I can be of any help to you, your friends, relatives
or associates, please do not hesitate to
contact me. Your referrals are greatly appreciated. |
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