How to Refinish Railings for Your Deck in Prescott - Decktek Coating

Decktek has expert advice for restoring a wood railing for your deck in Prescott.When restoring a deck in Prescott, it’s just as important to prepare the railings for refinishing. If the railings were painted, are they flaking or peeling? We recommend a thorough stripping before completing any of the railing’s restoration. At Decktek Coating, we believe that a restored deck without restored railings is the same thing as putting good over bad.

There are different ways to remove the old finish.  It can be done through the use of chemical strippers, power washers or sanding. It’s possible that any combination of the three could be used. However, if there are multiple coats of product, then stripers will help speed things up. One coat of an existing product may only require a thorough sanding.

Here are some tips on how to sand and strip the railings of our home’s beautiful deck.

  • Sometimes railings have balusters that are constructed closely together. To sand between them would make the job impossible to complete.  It’s easier to disassemble the railings, separating the railings from the balusters, before beginning to prepare them for refinishing. Now the railings can be completely sanded on the top and the bottom where the balusters are attached. Next, the balusters can be stripped (if necessary) and sanded separately.
  • Railings can be as long as 10 feet and they can take up to 3 ½ hours to disassemble and sand completely. Add two hours to paint them and another hour to reassemble the railing. You can speed up the process with the use of an inexpensive palm sander. A smaller sander known as a mouse sander will help you get into those tighter areas.
  • If the old finish looks like it’s easy to remove, then start with 80 grit sandpaper. It will save time from using multiple grits of sandpaper. If the old surface doesn’t come off easily, then the 80 grit is only slowing down the process. Start with 40-50 grit instead to speed things up, and loosen up the old finish. Switch to 80 grit to finish out with the smooth surface you’re looking for.
  • Decide which sandpaper is best for the job. Depending on the condition of the wood it may be necessary to start with sandpaper as course as 30 grit to save even more time. Keep in mind that course sandpaper (30-50 grit) will leave deeper score marks than the finer sandpaper (80 grit).

We hope you find these tips helpful. We wish you best of luck with your railing project. If you find that it is too challenging, get in touch with an expert such as Decktek Coating. For a consultation call 928-899-3255 or visit http://decktekcoating.com/ for more information about restoring outdoor wood surfaces in Prescott.

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Wood Railing Repair in Prescott
Prescott Wood Railing Repair
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