Deck stain/treatment application

[Rich Hare]

We are in the process of applying a tinted deck preserver (Flood UVP) to our old deck. Done this many times before, but this time around we've got a new problem.

The deck is 30 years old, surface is pressure treated 2x4's. Gaps between boards are nominally 3/16", but sometimes varies (wood doesn't always grow straight or stay straight!).

The issue is that we need to 'stain' the SIDES of most of the boards. They are close to natural-old-pine colored in most cases, except where the walnut-colored stain has run down on them. Some gaps are larger;

1/4" or slightly more, and a few boards have warped very slightly, exposing their side such that the sunlight catches it.

I made an attempt yesterday to touch up some of them with a sponge-brush. Seemed to work, but was very slow and difficult, and quickly tore up the brush I was using after three 12 ft boards. I've got three decks totalling 1200 sq ft to do, so I'm hoping for a better method.

In retrospect, I should probably have done the sides before I did the top surface, but I didn't know I was going to do the sides until I saw how dark the top is turning out.

Any suggestions from the group?

Rich

[Sonny]

Though you may waste a lot of product, maybe use a garden sprayer on the fine-mist setting. Thin the product and spray twice or more?

Sonny

[Phisherman]

A little time consuming, but I'd use a small long-hair brush. Best to keep deck sizes to around 500 sq feet, to keep maintenance time/costs down.

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 22 May 2010 18:38:35 -0400, Phisherman wrote the following:

Rich, spray them with a 1- or 2-gal garden sprayer with fine misting nozzle.

Decks should be limited to 200 s/f or smaller for sanity. ;) NOBODY needs half their yard decked.

-- Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal

[Rich Hare]

Well, for the record, just in case someone else decides to face this problem...

I decided to use an edging pad. You know, one of those pads that fits a plastic holder with rollers for indoor painting. I just used the pad, and cut off a couple of stiffening curls at each end.

The pad held a good amount of stain/sealer and was stiff enough to press well against the board sides. It was thin enough to work into all but the very smallest cracks, so it did the job well. Pad held up well for the first 600 sq ft deck. I might even re-use it, but they are cheap enough to throw away after each use.

Back-breaking work; kneeling down doing each gap a foot at a time, but I can't picture anything that would have done the job better. A couple of Harbor Freight padded knee caps helped a big bunch.

Rich