Sanding Decking

Decko

I am in the process of installing cedar wood decking....I have about 750sq ft to cover....the wood itself is fairly clean but could do with a light sanding to remove boot marks, chalk marks and some markers from the supplier.

Question I have is what type of sander to use ? Should I use the standard handheld orbital sander [6"x3" roughly] or should I rent one of the larger sanders which cover 18"x12" roughly ?

The second will obvisouly be quicker but I was wondering if that was too severe for what I need to remove ?

Also, has anyone else put down cedar wood recently ? I have been warned to get it treated within 2 weeks or it will start to retrun to its natural colour of grey/silver..

Cheers.

kadman

Decko wrote:

I am in the process of installing cedar wood decking....I have about 750sq ft to cover....the wood itself is fairly clean but could do with a light sanding to remove boot marks, chalk marks and some markers from the supplier.

Question I have is what type of sander to use ? Should I use the standard handheld orbital sander [6"x3" roughly] or should I rent one of the larger sanders which cover 18"x12" roughly ?

The second will obvisouly be quicker but I was wondering if that was too severe for what I need to remove ?

Also, has anyone else put down cedar wood recently ? I have been warned to get it treated within 2 weeks or it will start to retrun to its natural colour of grey/silver..

Cheers.

Hi Decko,

Incidentally cedars natural colour is reddish brown, long exposure to weathering will turn it silver grey. Cedar's natural characteristics are a soft brittle timber, that is very durable . Avoid the heavy floor sanders unless you are expert at using them. They will eat into cedar timber before you realise that the harm has been done. If you must use a large floor sander, then work with grit sizes from about 240-320 upwards, and try a test area first, and keep the sander on the move, with the grain. Definitely do not use a coarse grit paper . The higher the number paper, the finer it is. 60-100 coarse, 150-240 medium, 320 upwards fine.

kadman

mad m

To clean my decking i used a water based cleaner that you can buy in most diy stores.Just put it on and rub in with a yard brush then rinse off.Might be alot less hassle than sanding.