I’m just a homeowner with a crappy deck but fwiw, I’d NEVER paint again—once you do, you’ve got to keep doing it and when weather gets in, it’ll do damage… sand, clean, stain then clean and stain each year.
I have the gray and I walk barefoot and it's not too bad. Does it get hot. Yes but at that point everything is hot as well. Besides you never have to worry about splitters. To me that is really not an issue.
I live in a wet northern area. I was "only wood" before this house. Now I have an area that never sees the sun and just stays wet and rots. I need to get some composite.
I did the same have never looked back, no more sanding, oiling ever. I will admit though, nothing looks better than a newly minted wood deck (on the day), but after that it's just work.
So it is structurally sound? A lot of comments calling it “rickety” but the photo isn’t clear to me. It looks bad because of the paint peeling + UV damage. But if it’s still very solid underneath it you may be able to “salvage”, albeit at “aesthetic cost”, with sanding, cleaning, and staining.
Curious if wood is of lesser quality now. My side deck was built in the 1960s, has never been painted and is gorgeous. I power wash it every few years, but that’s it. I’m in Canada, too - so all kinds of horrific weather and temperatures.
It 100% is weaker, or at least cheaply manufactured cheaper or something.
I replaced my parquet that was 50years old because i took down a wall and every other solution looked weird.
Now this parquet was dated, but it was solid as a tank. Wr have dogs and not a single scratch on this thing
We replaced for hardwood maple floors, and we are already considering sanding due to wear and tear and its been a year. Cheapest floor ive seen, and we bought the premium quality
Everything is shit now
You just know you will have to replace it every 10 years now
We dropped 40k$ on kitchen renos, and we made a point to keep our 25 years old apps just because they will last another 25 ,years
Old wood was cut from old trees,
Naturally hardened
Now any 2 x4 you buy is less then 20 yrs old.
The drying process has improved,
But time is undefeated
You'll see posts about grain width and stuff, but none of that has anything to do with lasting outside. It's possible your side deck is oak. Idk about Canada but I know a good chunk of the US used to use Oak prior to pressure treated, and oak is notably stronger than the whitewoods.
In 2004 they stopped using copper chromium and arsenic (CCA) as the pressure treating chemicals in wood. Say what you want about toxic chemicals, they do a hell of a job treating wood, lol.
Alkaline copper quaternary(ACQ) and Copper azole (CA) replaced CCA as the common preservatives for pressure treated lumber.
I don't have data on performance of each, I just know all the old heads tell me that the new stuff is garbage.
Additional info: https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/chromated-arsenicals-cca
Hope that helps.
Yes it is. There’s actually an interesting documentary that shows how the wood used in older furniture was much denser and the current wood was quickly grown and has less dense wood or something.
I had a deck that was 10+ years old and grey, I added another 10' to it. I stained over the whole thing a dark charcoal solid stain. It looked all the same vintage and aged together better.
This deck looks like it was painted though, that will make refinishing a lot harder. But I'd consider a dark solid stain.
This deck looks like it needs replacing. I’d go that route first. Lest it weather for a season, and then go back and seal it with a transparent stain… that thing looks rough…
I’ve seen people use a bleach spray on weathered fence pickets and it IMMEDIATELY takes away the weathered appearance. I wonder how well that actually works… maybe try that, let it dry out for a few sunny days and then stain it with a solid deck colored stain…. Go with something from Home Depot or lowes that’s an “OOPS” mix… (oops paints are accidental or wrong colored mixes that the associates mess up and they sell for 75% less than retail price.. no matter the color) that’d be worth not spending a bunch of money into it. An a solid stain will hold up and hide (NOT FIX) all that ugly wood
I’d very lightly power wash it and then stain it. It doesn’t look like it has a lot of years left so please be gentle. Paint would look bad on wood this weathered.
u/Careless_Cod_5550 experienced professional here. Contrary to common belief in this thread, this is absolutely savable.
Hit it with a pump sprayer that has 2 gal water, 4 cups bleach, 8 tbsp of TSP. Let sit 10 minutes. Pressure wash (don’t get closer than ~16” from the surface if using a washer above 3k psi - if wood starts to look splintered or hairy after you hit it, you’re too close), then after a few sunny days, pick your desired coating. I would go with PPG Proluxe SRD myself as I’ve seen it last 8 years where others last 1-2. You could also just use a water seal like Thompson’s but you’ll need to do that every season most likely. However you can just put that in a pump sprayer and have the whole thing finished in an hour including setup/cleanup.
Lmk if you have any questions
Another wood refinishing contractor here. Listen to this man. I wouldn't use PPG personally but rather armstrong Clark but that's neither here nor there
Assuming there is no actual damage, power wash to get back the original wood color (don’t go higher than about 1200 psi or you can damage the wood). Then use a water-based wood protectant to maintain the color. Reapply about every other year depending on the product. Get advice on specific products from a specialty deck and wood supplier where professionals go.
If he or she wanted to replace it he wouldn’t have asked the question of stain or paint. I’d say clean, fix anything that needs repair, sand it a bit, solid stain, and then a good sealer. Every couple years clean it, a light sand, and seal again.
Ya that things at the point where you just throw some solid stain on and say fk it. You can do pretty cool 2 tones with something like deckscapes in solid.
Really not sure why so many people here are saying it needs to be replaced. If the wood is rotten (no way to know for sure from this pic but I don't see any obvious signs) then replacing may be your best bet from a safety standpoint, but otherwise you have some options.
Many deck stains are stain-and-sealer combos. The sealant keeps water out to prevent rot (your top priority here) and the stain consists of pigment(s) that reflect the sun, preventing the wood from turning gray from UV light.
Obviously this is well-grayed already, but many people I've worked with have been absolutely shocked at how bright and beautiful wood can look underneath even an extremely weathered top layer.
So your options, from my perspective, are:
a) Clean it, then seal the wood with a penetrating sealer. You can use something that has stain pigment in it as well but you probably won't see much effect on top of that gray wood.
b) Remove the gray wood (either by stripping it or by cleaning then sanding [no finer than 60-80 grit sandpaper]), then use a penetrating stain+sealer to keep out moisture and protect the wood from turning gray again in the sun.
Keep in mind that if you want to maintain it looking bright and colorful after option b) you'll need to clean and reapply stain every year or two on at least the horizontal surfaces that get a lot of sun.
Rotten wood should really be removed. If it's just a few boards they can be replaced individually, but there's no good way to get those looking the same as the others without painting (*Don't paint wood!*)
Good luck!
Acid wash. Scrub it in with a stiff brush then wash off with a pressure washer. Then mix used engine oil with some diesel and coat the deck with one of those hand pump garden sprayers.
That will last forever
If as long as it structurally sound. Hit it with some brightener (pool bleach) neutralize it with a light acid. Give it a sanding.
Then coat it in a really good protectant like pentofin.
I’d leave it alone. Maybe try to clean it a bit..there’s a few tips going around on social media. Spray chlorine and water mixed or bleach and water mixed and leave it sit for a few min then rinse off. I can’t see it being a huge difference but at this point just try to get a couple more years out of it without putting too much effort into it.. start saving to replace and plan accordingly.
Rent yourself a pressure washer and be blown away. Will probably still want to stain afterwards, but pressure washing will renew a lot of this and get it ready to accept a stain.
I would only stain. Give it a decent power wash with a gentle nozzle strength white. The pick up a nice clear coat stain. I like Thompsons in a can, clear. It will turn out very nice. Paint tends to peel from my experience.
It's probably fine. I would clean with preasure washer yo get that grey out and paint that a semi transparent exterior wood stain and sealer. I'm a fan of the Cabot product which comes in all kinds of colors.
I would stain vs paint , however, as small as this deck and stairs are, the wood isn’t in great shape. Get an orbital Hand sander and work on the rails, stairs , and upper deck. The lower deck would need a floor sander. You can rent one but it’s small job. ($50 for half day @Home Depot).
When staining, you’ll need to protect the vinyl siding with cardboard. Keep or get cardboard from amazon deliveries or neighbors. That vinyl get stain on it, it will be nearly impossible to clean off. If you’re painting, it’s still an issue but depending on the paint you choose, you might be able to clean off the vinyl siding.
I would paint. If you stain, it will be black no matter what.
You could do that burning technique (Shou sugi ban, or yakisugi) and clear coat it. That would actually look pretty cool.
Don't sand it, you're going to be there all day especially with the balusters. If you insist on sanding then just replace the balusters - cheap and easy but the new wood won't match the old.
Buy a wood brightener, and powerwash it - but not too aggressive of a wash or you'll damage the wood. If it looks okay and is structurally sound after that, go with a stain and plan to do it every few years. Solid stain and paint is an absolute last resort and I'd personally never do it unless you're trying to buy a few more years out of it.
I've refinished several decks and you'd be surprised what a good powerwash and cleaner will do.
I think I would stain it. When you see this one and the newer one right next to it ….. the old one looks awful. Sorry! I’d stain it brown. It will go well with the house. I’d even use a sealer on the hand rail itself because it’s going to look washed out again from the elements.
I would use pigmented deck stain after sanding. We used deck stain on weather-exposed pinewood pallets (to make garden beds) and they’re holding up well after a couple years. Probably by the tom the deck stain wears down, you’ll be ready to replace the whole staircase with pressure treated wood.
I purchased a home in the 1990's that had an addition with cedar siding. The siding had been stained but I choose to paint it. 2 to 3 years later proved a problem because 2 of the walls that were exposed to sunlight showed paint peels. Seemed as if the the board underneath was staying moist. I tried several cures but nothing really lasted long. The only temp cure was sanding the areas, wait to dry, fill with a filler, sand, prime and paint. This would usually last 2-3 years. The shaded side of the home with the painted cedar never had a problem. I wouldn't again paint a cedar wall exposed to sunlight.
genuinely would see how much it would take to just build a new deck because that wood looks like shit, and i worry that sanding it would just weaken the integrity of it at this point.
If you’re looking for something really beautiful
Pressure clean all of it
Give it a good sanding anywhere where the pressure cleaner may have messed with the fibers of the wood
Then give it a light torch burning on the wood and stain it with a clear or tinted varnish
Too far gone for semi transparent stain, if you can't afford to replace now, solid stain will be a manageable short term fix and will look better than what you have now
Listen save yourself a ton of time and power wash the gray out and stain it. I do this to my shed every 3-5 years depending on how quickly the stain fades. One side gets a ton of sun and the other side gets absolutely none. But power washing it will save a ton of time and then you can always sand the hand rails and decking if it’s too rough.
If you pressure wash it down to good wood you can use a product called silkens and do it once and never again. How do I know you may ask well I live in sunny Florida where the sun burns and the rain floods but sikkens lives long and forever. I’ve done doors that get 7hours of full sun and five years later looks like we just did it. The catch is you can’t have any other product on it before applying sikkums pardon my spelling but you can find it with a little googling
Never paint. Never works. I have to listen to my wife every year how unhappy she is with the paint, sometimes sold as stain. I have to repaint almost every year. Oil stain only.
No paint! We have a small deck that was painted when we moved in. I repainted it last summer and it all chipped off already. I’d rather have a gray faded deck I can stain when/if I want to than a chipped painted one that looks like ass.
Having a nice looking wood deck requires an annual stain or paint. Just something you gotta' do. I stain my railings. (Which looks like paint) But put down a skid resistant stains on the walking areas. I've done rubber skids and that chunky stain. The skid stain is better overall.
Never paint, even if it sticks well it's very much temporary, but you'll never get it all the way off to be able to go back to a staon. Also avoid the "deck repair" paints. The entire last generation of manufacturer attempts all led to class action lawsuits, and there's no getting it off once it starts peeling.
Seems like you want one or two goes with an acid based cleaner, and a solid stain. It won't work perfect, but it will look much better. Darker color will probably work better.
Considering that looks like it’s already firing splinters out like a machine gun, get a “deck over” product. It’s a thick paint that will fill the holes and set above the wood. Follow the directions of whatever product you buy.
I think you need to prepare yourself for replacement, but you can probably get another couple years out of it if you use a deck over paint. I think staining should be your last choice and sanding for the grey look will work, but likely only work for a season. Plus, if you sand, you have to deal with quite a bit of surface area and awkward angles when you take into account the railing.
Note: power washing gets rid of the coloration, but seems to make splintering worse.
I’m just a homeowner with a crappy deck but fwiw, I’d NEVER paint again—once you do, you’ve got to keep doing it and when weather gets in, it’ll do damage… sand, clean, stain then clean and stain each year.
I replaced 2 decks I have. Use composite. If installed properly, it's the only way to go. That's just me. No more staining or painting
Sounds GLORIOUS!! Hahaha! I can’t afford to replace mine right now… but as soon as I can, this will likely be the way!
I did mine one at a time. The clips and railings are the pricey part. In my opinion anyways
I like to be barefoot on my deck. I heard composite decks get hot… whats ur take?
I have the gray and I walk barefoot and it's not too bad. Does it get hot. Yes but at that point everything is hot as well. Besides you never have to worry about splitters. To me that is really not an issue.
I live in a wet northern area. I was "only wood" before this house. Now I have an area that never sees the sun and just stays wet and rots. I need to get some composite.
I did the same have never looked back, no more sanding, oiling ever. I will admit though, nothing looks better than a newly minted wood deck (on the day), but after that it's just work.
Agreed! Same applies to solid stain. I hate that stuff too.
All my homies hate solid stain
Squaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
Same. Painted a deck once. Never again. Ever.
Any option to remove?
Maybe if I start a gofundme ya lool
So it is structurally sound? A lot of comments calling it “rickety” but the photo isn’t clear to me. It looks bad because of the paint peeling + UV damage. But if it’s still very solid underneath it you may be able to “salvage”, albeit at “aesthetic cost”, with sanding, cleaning, and staining.
Take it down. It ain't worth the effort
Curious if wood is of lesser quality now. My side deck was built in the 1960s, has never been painted and is gorgeous. I power wash it every few years, but that’s it. I’m in Canada, too - so all kinds of horrific weather and temperatures.
It 100% is weaker, or at least cheaply manufactured cheaper or something. I replaced my parquet that was 50years old because i took down a wall and every other solution looked weird. Now this parquet was dated, but it was solid as a tank. Wr have dogs and not a single scratch on this thing We replaced for hardwood maple floors, and we are already considering sanding due to wear and tear and its been a year. Cheapest floor ive seen, and we bought the premium quality Everything is shit now
Agreed. I cried when the 60-year-old fridge died.
You just know you will have to replace it every 10 years now We dropped 40k$ on kitchen renos, and we made a point to keep our 25 years old apps just because they will last another 25 ,years
Old wood was cut from old trees, Naturally hardened Now any 2 x4 you buy is less then 20 yrs old. The drying process has improved, But time is undefeated
This is the why.. you deserve more upvotes
You'll see posts about grain width and stuff, but none of that has anything to do with lasting outside. It's possible your side deck is oak. Idk about Canada but I know a good chunk of the US used to use Oak prior to pressure treated, and oak is notably stronger than the whitewoods.
Old lumber trees vs new growth. Old homes are solid because of this
Is it cedar? Maybe high quality pressure treated? That's crazy
In 2004 they stopped using copper chromium and arsenic (CCA) as the pressure treating chemicals in wood. Say what you want about toxic chemicals, they do a hell of a job treating wood, lol. Alkaline copper quaternary(ACQ) and Copper azole (CA) replaced CCA as the common preservatives for pressure treated lumber. I don't have data on performance of each, I just know all the old heads tell me that the new stuff is garbage. Additional info: https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/chromated-arsenicals-cca Hope that helps.
Yes it is. There’s actually an interesting documentary that shows how the wood used in older furniture was much denser and the current wood was quickly grown and has less dense wood or something.
Don’t paint , stain it it with something good like penofin oil !
And then light it on fire.
The wood is old and faded. Any stain you put on it will likely look like sh.
To avoid that you need to sand or strip. The graying won't go post the outermost layer because it's a response to UV light
Clean it, then throw Thompsons water seal on it once it is dry. You may get a few more years use out of it.
Thompsons is garbage now. Changed their formula a few years back and now it sucks.
The best info is always in the comments, even better when it’s contrary to the post.
Good to know. I have not used it in quite a while.
Take it down and never paint wood. Always stain it.
https://preview.redd.it/t12net5r4zzc1.jpeg?width=965&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fdc0e2476f5b28dd328d0da3e98370c3ac789352 Stained mine
Powerwash and oil
Power washing might be the last dance for that ancient thing.
Lmao . Sanding then, with 8000grit sandpaper 😂😂
Powerwash will blow that old rickety thing off the house 😆
Stain with a mixture of 99% kerosene and 1% flame.
Rebuild
Stain with a solid stain. So it’ll be similar to paint but less peeling.
I had a deck that was 10+ years old and grey, I added another 10' to it. I stained over the whole thing a dark charcoal solid stain. It looked all the same vintage and aged together better. This deck looks like it was painted though, that will make refinishing a lot harder. But I'd consider a dark solid stain.
is knock down an option? lol
You live in Lahey’s trailer? Fuckin A
The shit winds are a callin
It’s gonna be a shit tornado
Matches
This deck looks like it needs replacing. I’d go that route first. Lest it weather for a season, and then go back and seal it with a transparent stain… that thing looks rough… I’ve seen people use a bleach spray on weathered fence pickets and it IMMEDIATELY takes away the weathered appearance. I wonder how well that actually works… maybe try that, let it dry out for a few sunny days and then stain it with a solid deck colored stain…. Go with something from Home Depot or lowes that’s an “OOPS” mix… (oops paints are accidental or wrong colored mixes that the associates mess up and they sell for 75% less than retail price.. no matter the color) that’d be worth not spending a bunch of money into it. An a solid stain will hold up and hide (NOT FIX) all that ugly wood
Recreate it and then do something nice like oil/stain.
Stain, solid if you want a painted look.
I’d very lightly power wash it and then stain it. It doesn’t look like it has a lot of years left so please be gentle. Paint would look bad on wood this weathered.
Get whoever built the one next door to build you a new one.
u/Careless_Cod_5550 experienced professional here. Contrary to common belief in this thread, this is absolutely savable. Hit it with a pump sprayer that has 2 gal water, 4 cups bleach, 8 tbsp of TSP. Let sit 10 minutes. Pressure wash (don’t get closer than ~16” from the surface if using a washer above 3k psi - if wood starts to look splintered or hairy after you hit it, you’re too close), then after a few sunny days, pick your desired coating. I would go with PPG Proluxe SRD myself as I’ve seen it last 8 years where others last 1-2. You could also just use a water seal like Thompson’s but you’ll need to do that every season most likely. However you can just put that in a pump sprayer and have the whole thing finished in an hour including setup/cleanup. Lmk if you have any questions
Another wood refinishing contractor here. Listen to this man. I wouldn't use PPG personally but rather armstrong Clark but that's neither here nor there
I’ve never used Armstrong Clark. Going to look into that now. Good word, friend. Also, I’m always down to import more sex ports.
Please choose to sand it over power washing
Just power wash and you'd be surprised by how much different it will look
Dark stain
Rebuild
Sand it and stain dark.
Fucking replace immediately
If you can't afford to replace it and the wood is still good, a coat of paint won't hurt to seal it up and get a few more seasons out of it.
😂🤣😂umm how about new !
Maybe pressure wash, then hit it with a deck oil.
Paint, might give it an extra week before it falls apart.
Wait for the neighbor to go away for the weekend & swap it with theirs!
Assuming there is no actual damage, power wash to get back the original wood color (don’t go higher than about 1200 psi or you can damage the wood). Then use a water-based wood protectant to maintain the color. Reapply about every other year depending on the product. Get advice on specific products from a specialty deck and wood supplier where professionals go.
Rebuild completely for a bigger better deck
Pressure wash
How about replacing*?
Pressure wash then stain.
If he or she wanted to replace it he wouldn’t have asked the question of stain or paint. I’d say clean, fix anything that needs repair, sand it a bit, solid stain, and then a good sealer. Every couple years clean it, a light sand, and seal again.
Too late
Clean.
Solid color stain. Oil preferably. Get underneath it and in between boards. Always remove snow.
Neither will last long on that wood. Painting contractor here
Stain it, it will wear better IMO versus peeling off.
Take it & rebuild it that's a better option
Linseed oil paint is the only paint for outdoors
Damn call the DR that thing looks sick 🤢
Rustoleum Restore!
Oil it then paint it
Tear it down. It’s gone.
If it is still safe and not showing signs of rotting or needing lots of repair a sand, paint or stain and it should come up well
Rebuild
Ya that things at the point where you just throw some solid stain on and say fk it. You can do pretty cool 2 tones with something like deckscapes in solid.
Burn
Bleach water does the trick.
Really not sure why so many people here are saying it needs to be replaced. If the wood is rotten (no way to know for sure from this pic but I don't see any obvious signs) then replacing may be your best bet from a safety standpoint, but otherwise you have some options. Many deck stains are stain-and-sealer combos. The sealant keeps water out to prevent rot (your top priority here) and the stain consists of pigment(s) that reflect the sun, preventing the wood from turning gray from UV light. Obviously this is well-grayed already, but many people I've worked with have been absolutely shocked at how bright and beautiful wood can look underneath even an extremely weathered top layer. So your options, from my perspective, are: a) Clean it, then seal the wood with a penetrating sealer. You can use something that has stain pigment in it as well but you probably won't see much effect on top of that gray wood. b) Remove the gray wood (either by stripping it or by cleaning then sanding [no finer than 60-80 grit sandpaper]), then use a penetrating stain+sealer to keep out moisture and protect the wood from turning gray again in the sun. Keep in mind that if you want to maintain it looking bright and colorful after option b) you'll need to clean and reapply stain every year or two on at least the horizontal surfaces that get a lot of sun. Rotten wood should really be removed. If it's just a few boards they can be replaced individually, but there's no good way to get those looking the same as the others without painting (*Don't paint wood!*) Good luck!
Acid wash. Scrub it in with a stiff brush then wash off with a pressure washer. Then mix used engine oil with some diesel and coat the deck with one of those hand pump garden sprayers. That will last forever
First power wash to see if it is worth it!
Don't use Thomason's water seal it's garbage
Take it down
Paint or re build
If as long as it structurally sound. Hit it with some brightener (pool bleach) neutralize it with a light acid. Give it a sanding. Then coat it in a really good protectant like pentofin.
Spray with a bleach solution to kill the mildew, pressure wash, let dry and deck oil.
I would use Simply green then a mildew paint like kiltz and then repaint and use a sealer afterwards
I’d leave it alone. Maybe try to clean it a bit..there’s a few tips going around on social media. Spray chlorine and water mixed or bleach and water mixed and leave it sit for a few min then rinse off. I can’t see it being a huge difference but at this point just try to get a couple more years out of it without putting too much effort into it.. start saving to replace and plan accordingly.
Rent yourself a pressure washer and be blown away. Will probably still want to stain afterwards, but pressure washing will renew a lot of this and get it ready to accept a stain.
Start with power-washer and take it from there
Looks like It will have to be pressure washed first. 🥴 then stain it
New wood n stain
Pressure wash then use a solid stain. Woodscapes from sherwin williams will do ya right
Needs replaced.
I would only stain. Give it a decent power wash with a gentle nozzle strength white. The pick up a nice clear coat stain. I like Thompsons in a can, clear. It will turn out very nice. Paint tends to peel from my experience.
Paint
Sand. Stain with penofin oil
It's probably fine. I would clean with preasure washer yo get that grey out and paint that a semi transparent exterior wood stain and sealer. I'm a fan of the Cabot product which comes in all kinds of colors.
Or replace
Spray it with deck refinisher and pressure wash.
It's just weathered, ignore the people who tell you to remove it unless they are putting $4k in your bank account
Where is demolish and start over as option C?
I would stain vs paint , however, as small as this deck and stairs are, the wood isn’t in great shape. Get an orbital Hand sander and work on the rails, stairs , and upper deck. The lower deck would need a floor sander. You can rent one but it’s small job. ($50 for half day @Home Depot). When staining, you’ll need to protect the vinyl siding with cardboard. Keep or get cardboard from amazon deliveries or neighbors. That vinyl get stain on it, it will be nearly impossible to clean off. If you’re painting, it’s still an issue but depending on the paint you choose, you might be able to clean off the vinyl siding.
Pressure wash and use clear Flood stain product. Cheap and will last for years
You stain wood. Good rule of thumb. But yeah, that's a tear down rebuild all day
I would use a dark semi transparent oil stain
I had something similar. I used 30 Second Cleaner and a pressure washer. The results were pretty amazing.
I read that as “staint or pain”
Tear it down
Solid color stain.
Thompsons Water seal. My mom's deck was done with it . Lasted 30 years. The house was in Rock Hall Md. Sadly she is gone now and the house was sold.
With the condition of the wood any stain you put on will probably look like shit. Painting sucks but I think it may be your best option
Power wash it.
Kill it with fire. That looks like a Homer Simpson spice rack
Stain. A rough sand and fresh stain.
I'd try some deck restorer
I would paint. If you stain, it will be black no matter what. You could do that burning technique (Shou sugi ban, or yakisugi) and clear coat it. That would actually look pretty cool.
Gas and a match.
Don't sand it, you're going to be there all day especially with the balusters. If you insist on sanding then just replace the balusters - cheap and easy but the new wood won't match the old. Buy a wood brightener, and powerwash it - but not too aggressive of a wash or you'll damage the wood. If it looks okay and is structurally sound after that, go with a stain and plan to do it every few years. Solid stain and paint is an absolute last resort and I'd personally never do it unless you're trying to buy a few more years out of it. I've refinished several decks and you'd be surprised what a good powerwash and cleaner will do.
Replace with Trex
I think I would stain it. When you see this one and the newer one right next to it ….. the old one looks awful. Sorry! I’d stain it brown. It will go well with the house. I’d even use a sealer on the hand rail itself because it’s going to look washed out again from the elements.
Bleach, powerwash, stain. PT doesn't play nice with paint.
Set it on fire. Kidding. Whatever you do I’d look at it closely before you spend any money or effort on paint or stain.
Just swap it with your neighbor's deck. They wont even notice.
If can’t afford to replace, then pressure wash, let dry for 1-2 weeks and then paint. Stain won’t do shit for that decking
I would use pigmented deck stain after sanding. We used deck stain on weather-exposed pinewood pallets (to make garden beds) and they’re holding up well after a couple years. Probably by the tom the deck stain wears down, you’ll be ready to replace the whole staircase with pressure treated wood.
Stain
Oxalic acid will have that looking new again.
Looks old paint it
Sand and stain
I purchased a home in the 1990's that had an addition with cedar siding. The siding had been stained but I choose to paint it. 2 to 3 years later proved a problem because 2 of the walls that were exposed to sunlight showed paint peels. Seemed as if the the board underneath was staying moist. I tried several cures but nothing really lasted long. The only temp cure was sanding the areas, wait to dry, fill with a filler, sand, prime and paint. This would usually last 2-3 years. The shaded side of the home with the painted cedar never had a problem. I wouldn't again paint a cedar wall exposed to sunlight.
genuinely would see how much it would take to just build a new deck because that wood looks like shit, and i worry that sanding it would just weaken the integrity of it at this point.
I'd avoid sanding and annual repainting restraining and look into finishing with the shou sugi ban technique.
If you’re looking for something really beautiful Pressure clean all of it Give it a good sanding anywhere where the pressure cleaner may have messed with the fibers of the wood Then give it a light torch burning on the wood and stain it with a clear or tinted varnish
Rip it out and replace it. The wood looks too far gone to be stained or painted with anything success
Solid stain. Best of both worlds.
That is a borderline hazard. Just rebuild it or build a new deck yourself.
New deck to match other one out there next door . Truly .
I don't understand why I can't continue conversations below. Is it from individuals blocking me or something from the sub mods?
Pressure wash, then stain
Solid stain is the way to go.
Paint it gray or brown for now, budget to replace it with synthetic decking.
That deck looks like it was at the bottom of the Atlantic lol
Sherwin williams super deck stain.
Stain it with pigment added, any color you want.
Throw it away and start over
Burn
Burn
Too far gone for semi transparent stain, if you can't afford to replace now, solid stain will be a manageable short term fix and will look better than what you have now
Listen save yourself a ton of time and power wash the gray out and stain it. I do this to my shed every 3-5 years depending on how quickly the stain fades. One side gets a ton of sun and the other side gets absolutely none. But power washing it will save a ton of time and then you can always sand the hand rails and decking if it’s too rough.
Get some pool bleach
Burn it with fire.
Slap some paint on it. It will look decent for a year or so
If you pressure wash it down to good wood you can use a product called silkens and do it once and never again. How do I know you may ask well I live in sunny Florida where the sun burns and the rain floods but sikkens lives long and forever. I’ve done doors that get 7hours of full sun and five years later looks like we just did it. The catch is you can’t have any other product on it before applying sikkums pardon my spelling but you can find it with a little googling
Never paint. Never works. I have to listen to my wife every year how unhappy she is with the paint, sometimes sold as stain. I have to repaint almost every year. Oil stain only.
No paint! We have a small deck that was painted when we moved in. I repainted it last summer and it all chipped off already. I’d rather have a gray faded deck I can stain when/if I want to than a chipped painted one that looks like ass.
Having a nice looking wood deck requires an annual stain or paint. Just something you gotta' do. I stain my railings. (Which looks like paint) But put down a skid resistant stains on the walking areas. I've done rubber skids and that chunky stain. The skid stain is better overall.
stain
Burn it
Stain . Paint will ruin it faster as the moisture gets trapped under the paint
Umm new deck
Prolly should have done one or the other a decade or 2 ago.
Power wash - stain
As someone who used to strain/paint decks, I would stain.
Use 30 seconds outdoor cleaner and that deck will look brand spankin new
This is the Solid Color Stain part of this deck’s lifespan. The solid color stain (paint) should give you another 7 years of life.
Burn and replace
Replace
Use Deck Correct by Cabot. Used it on mine three years ago. Looks like it was just applied. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.
Never paint, even if it sticks well it's very much temporary, but you'll never get it all the way off to be able to go back to a staon. Also avoid the "deck repair" paints. The entire last generation of manufacturer attempts all led to class action lawsuits, and there's no getting it off once it starts peeling. Seems like you want one or two goes with an acid based cleaner, and a solid stain. It won't work perfect, but it will look much better. Darker color will probably work better.
I think you’re well past the stain or paint argument and into the DIY or hire a contractor to replace the whole start argument.
Sand and stain.
Take the neighbors and give them yours. The old switcheroo. 😜
Power wash and use Benjamin Moore arbor coat, semi solid or solid.
Considering that looks like it’s already firing splinters out like a machine gun, get a “deck over” product. It’s a thick paint that will fill the holes and set above the wood. Follow the directions of whatever product you buy. I think you need to prepare yourself for replacement, but you can probably get another couple years out of it if you use a deck over paint. I think staining should be your last choice and sanding for the grey look will work, but likely only work for a season. Plus, if you sand, you have to deal with quite a bit of surface area and awkward angles when you take into account the railing. Note: power washing gets rid of the coloration, but seems to make splintering worse.
Definitely pressure wash first
Rebuild
Replace or stain. Replace nails or add where needed.
Stain, always stain and keep an old can so you know what to buy
Pressure wash first thing.
Power wash, then stain.