Thread: Re-Coating Merbau With Integrain DWD

Hi Guys, 12 months ago i coated my new Merbau deck with Intergrain DWD, Done the pre treatment then 2 top coat's of DWD.
I then done a third coat with the grip additive as i had it that smooth it was very slippery. I prepped the timber too 240grit. Then smoothed it between top caots, It looked good!

Now i want to re-coat it before it wears to bad and this time i dont want to use the grit as it went on terrible it ruined the look, very uneven and hides the grains in the timber. I was thinking of sanding with a heavy paper and then putting on 2 coats and leaving it.

But this stuff clogs up the paper after about 10 seconds. I've tried various types of paper, non clog, for paint, for raw timber there all the same.
Both with machine and by hand.

What's the best stuff for sanding this back? I want to take it back a fair way to eliminate all the grit.

Welcome to the forum. I often have to sand Intergrain DWD off from decking timber. If I understand what you are asking you only want to sand off the anti-skid grit. As I can't see your finish, I am not sure how aggressive you will need to be to get where you want. When I sand a use several types of abrasives. With my handheld Festool Rotex I use a 150mm sanding pad 40 grit from the company called Klingspor. I also use Festool Brilliant 40 grit . These papers are designed to remove paints and can clog but what is really beneficial is good dust extraction as a lot of the coating is sucked away. Avoid sanding in direct sun at noon as it can be a little more gluggy. With my large sander I use a 40 grit zirconium paper from SIA. All of these papers are available but not at your local hardware or Bunnies. You will need to seek out shops that sell special sanding gear.
If you have a look at my website you can see an example of sanding.

www.restore-a-deck.com.au
jimj

Thanks Jim. I guess i just want the top coat off as it has the grit in it. It went on with lots of lines and very patchy. I may not of done it right.
I will investigate a new sander as i only have a cheap random orbital (rectangle type) without dust extraction.

It xseems that you are caugt in a tricky space as sanding enough to get rid of the grit but not too much as to get to bare timber. I can't be deinite but I would think that once you are finished with the sanding and if it looks patchy that it might still look patchy after the recoat. DWD is a stain and stains are designed to let us see some of the features through it. It can't work out what looks good and bad. It will usually reveal both.
I am not sure what your sun exposure is like in victoria but DWD where I live in total sun blisters,bubbles,peels and delaminates especially when water seeps under it. It stays fine if it is under a roofline so it is the sun that causes the damage along then with water. when it goes off it does in a very big way. I was told that it was nearly impossible to sand it.

Well it can be sanded fairly easily with the right tools and abrasives. If you can hook up a vacuum cleaner hose in some way to your sander and the abrasives need to have holes that match the sanding pad you may have more luck. Sanding over coating that has been removed but is just sitting there prevents the abrasive from reaching the coating that you are now trying to get off. Along with the mess and dust swirling everywhere. IMO good dust extraction is crucial to the story.

good luck,

jimj