Help! - New deck ruined??

[pedro]

Brand new PT deck I built myself. After much agonizing, I went with Wolmans Durastain semi (red cedar) and now wish I had not. Stuff is so

thick and viscous, came out almost solid and I don't like the color at all. Wolmans says strip it or change color to different Durastain, but

can't recommend using any other product because of adhesion.

Wolmans says stripping now is better than waiting. I have read horror stories about stripping these acrylic type stains. If I put on another (darker) Durastain, and I hate that too, I may never get it off. But is by far the easiest course, if I can live with the new color. I just applied yesterday, and it poured rain about 16 hours later. Also I only did deck and stairs, no rails or lattice etc, thank Jah. Wish now I had gone with the oil toner.

Please help. Advise and experiance about stripping Durastain (days old)? My labor of love, which was perfect, is now driving me nuts.

[Travis Jordan]

It isn't your life partner or a pet we're talking about here - it is a chunk of assembled wood. Durastain is a good stain. I'd just live with it.

[Paul]

[Ether Jones]

Apply a generous solution of trisodium phosphate (or sodium metasilicate) and sodium percarbonate. You can buy the trisodium phosphate (in states where it's legal) in most paint or home improvement stores. Where it's not legal, they'll sell sodium metasilicate instead (somewhat less effective but still good). The sodium percarbonate you can buy in a pool-supply store (oxygen shock). After applying, wait 10 minutes, then scrub thoroughly, and wait 10 more minutes. Do not let the solution dry out. Finally, gently power-wash. Most of the stain should come off.

If you can't find the chemicals listed above, a somewhat less effective solution is to use ordinary automatic dishwasher powder and hot water.

Or you could simply wait 2 or 3 years. By then, the stain will probably no longer be water resistant (assuming the deck is exposed to sun and rain). Then just gently pressure wash it and start over.

Get yourself a copy of (or go to the local library and borrow) the July

06 issue of Consumer Reports. They have results of many deck stains and paints they just completed testing.