DIY Deck Project - Step 3

Okay, we are now moving onto Step 3. Can you tell how sick and tired I am of this deck? Pretty sick of it. The good news is it is now halfway done!

Again, to refresh your memory, here is what the deck looked like after the last step (you can read about Step 2).

Now onto Step 3 - Sanding the Deck!

1. Buy your supplies I am sure you are sick of me saying I got everything at Lowes, so I'm gonna change it up a little. I actually got my supplies at WalMart, okay and Lowes!

Here is what I bought: a hand sander with extra sand paper and two sanding blocks, medium coarse.



You will also need a hammer, but I already had that, a really cool Steelers hammer! It works really well, but it is pretty heavy.

Anyway, the amount of sandpaper and sanding blocks will again be determined by how big your deck is. I used all of my supplies, and probably could have used another sanding block, but I made due with only two.

2. Check nails Look over your entire deck and see if any nails are sticking up. I had several that were. Hammer them all the way down so they are flush with the boards. Keep an eye on the wood while you are hammering it in. If the wood looks like it is starting to split, stop hammering. I also noticed a piece of wood that was starting to pull up. I used a few long nails to set it back down.

3. Sand the deck I won't lie to you, this sucked! I will tell you that having an electric sander of any kind will help immensely. It will take the pressure off of your arm and hand. But even with the sander, it was pretty rough. Two words of advice: 1) Make sure the deck is completely dry. You don't want to electrocute yourself with the electric sander. 2) Wear sunblock! I got a pretty nasty sunburn on my neck. I think it was from bending my head down while sanding.

Just like Step 2, I started with the railings and then onto the floorboards and steps. Again, I did not do the trellis. I think it would be best if you spaced it out over several days. I did the railings and steps one day and the floorboards the other.

Here is the sanded deck!

Doesn't look too different from the spackled deck, except that it is missing more paint and is now a lighter color.

The next step requires no rain, at all, so we'll have to see how the weather wants to cooperate. I can only do Step 4 over the weekend, so hopefully I will be able to work on it over Memorial Day weekend. I'll post it as soon as I can.