Staining my old deck

[Maarkr]

The topside of my pressure treated deck here in Maine is grayed out and won't hold a finish well. The wood is still pretty sound though, so I pulled off some boards and the underside looks good. I'm thinking of flipping the deck boards and staining the other side instead of spending $$$ for composite material. I was researching some stains and a Consumer magagazine rated Cabots solid #1400 series was about the best. Would you do this? Any way to assess the utility of pressure treated materials for staining, other than just staining it?

[Cole]

Have you tried to pressure wash it?

[Maarkr]

Did the cleaning, treating, and sealing thing two years ago, and the next year put on a solid oil-based stain...it didn't last a year. Haven't tried to pressure wash it, but the top wood fibers probably couldn't take much pressure. The back side of the boards look like new, but you can dig a fingernail in them if you push hard.

[Cole]

Ok, I think flipping them over vs the RCPL is a great idea.

RCPL= Recycled-content plastic lumber

Unless you want to spend some money?

[VALENT]

Have you tried sanding them with a belt sander? Then you can refinish them however you want. There is work in countersinking the fasteners, though.

[montytx]

Flipping is a pretty good path. Youll have a lot of nails to knock out. Make sure you get some good ring collared nails for the renail.