Let's talk about my deck...

Here's an unsolicited deckpik:

As you can see, I've been beating my deck for years, and it shows.  It's certainly worse for wear and not something I'm proud of parading in front of the neighbors anymore...

What should I use to clean it before I re-stain it red again?

Are there any cleaners and stains that don't suck a deck nowadays?

Oh, and the goal is to help the deck survive 5-10 years.  It's not soft or bouncy anywhere, nor are the boards curling.  I know I'll have to replace it at some point, but I'd like to get a few more things out of the way before that happens.

I used this stuff to clean my deck:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-1-gal-All-In-One-Wood-Cleaner-06301N/203200559

And boy was it potent. I was impressed with how clean my deck got, it was cleaner than it had been in years. Parts that never dried out (due to lots of shade) got nice and dry. Once it was all nice and dry, I coated it thoroughly and it looked 100% better. Your deck is in better shape than mine - I must have beaten my deck just a little too hard and for too long - and I bet it looks like new after using a similar cleaner and coating it.

Follow the instructions! That stuff was no joke.

In reply to WonkoTheSane :

Whatever problems you are having with your deck and keeping it clean are a personal matter you should discuss with your wife. 

I’ve never stained my deck. Most stuff washes off with a little elbow grease. 

Don't get bedliner on it.

What is on there looks like the stuff I did my gates with (don't remember brand).  It's more like a paint than a stain and it (as you can see) essentially peals off.  The other stuff I have used soaks into the wood (more like a stain) and worked much better.  Sadly, I don't remember what distinguishes them.  I am pretty sure the where different brands, and I think the crappy one was the brand they sell at Home Despot and the good one was the brand they sell a Lowes.  It may not just be the brand though, it may be the type.  Being in CA, we may not be "allowed" to use anything that actually works anymore...

SVreX said:

In reply to WonkoTheSane :

Whatever problems you are having with your deck and keeping it clean are a personal matter you should discuss with your wife. 

Well, the missus has brought it up, which was embarrassing enough in its own right, so I figured I better grab the bull by the horn and deal with it.

dculberson - Thanks for the recommendation!  I'll pick some up :)   Yeah, this isn't actually too bad yet, and I'd like to keep it that way!

aircooled - Yeah, I'm not sure...  it seems to have held on better than some of the "latex stain" I've used with other projects, and the only areas that really look bad are pretty high-use.

Spoolpigeon - This one came pre-stained/painted with the house, so I think that horse has left the barn.  I don't feel like trying to sand this stuff all away and just seal the boards.  It's not worth that.

I just finished executing the "ignore it until it's rotten, then pay somebody a bunch of money to replace it" method.

The new one got two coats of Thompson's water seal. I have no idea if that stuff's any good or not, nor do I know if it's a good idea to put it on that thickly, so don't take this as an endorsement. I'm posting here to follow the discussion so I can avoid replacing the new one too soon.

Thompson's is junk, AFAIK. I put it on our deck a year after we built it, and it was gone a year later. My routine since then has been to pressure wash it every few years and put a coat of Cabot deck stain on it. It'll be 19 years old on the 4th of July, and while it does look somewhat weathered, it's still in excellent condition.

I like Superdeck's stains.  I use a solid red stain very similar to OP's on my redwood deck. It's held up for about 10-12 years. I powerwashed the deck beforehand, that's all.    Of course now the whole thing is 40 years old and needs to be replaced..

My deck is starting to rot and fall off. I suspect I'll need to replace it soon, but I've been saying that for about 10 years, so....

From my current experience, don't put that Rustolem Restore stuff on it.

PO painted the entire deck with it and it hasn't held up worth a damn. Worse than that, it's trapping moisture under the latex type as water leeches in where the material failed, and is accelerating degeneration issues. I now need to heat gun it all off and put some actual wood sealing penetrant on it.

In your case get real comfortable with a belt sander to get rid of the current stain to prep it and have at it. I'd personally put a clear/satin penetrant on it so you just power wash it once a year mop on more.