looking to paint a wood dock - suggestions

[thcole]

I recently purchased used steel truss dock and want to refinish the woods decking. The wood is pretty rough 2x6. I pressure washed the decking and it cleaned up decent.

I am looking to paint or stain with something that will help it not look so weathered. Has anyone used that restore paint or something like it.

I was also thinking about something that would not hold the heat as much.

Any suggestions.

 

[Belleville_Boater]

For the wood decking I have heard good things about the Restore paint which i believe gives more of a Trex deck feel but I honestly never used it to say for sure.

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/03450715?src=pla&cid=PLA-Google-PLA+-+Test&CS_003=7867724&CS_010=03450715

 

[Murf'n'surf]

http://reviews.behr.com/6794/10102050000500000-I/reviews.htm
Have not used it but I like Behr products.

 

[soggyshoes]

When I used to do woodworking on cruse ships I the painters seemed to always have Sikkens products. I have also used West Systems epoxy and then a clear UV inhibitor coating on decks and railings that worked very well. Most of that was now 15 years ago so there may be some cool new stuff. You might want to head to your local West Marine and ask them.

 

[thcole]

I was thinking about talking to the home Depot or lowes people. Never thought about west marine. I will look into them

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Are your deck boards whitish grey but smooth or are they splintered and rough?

Whitish-grey and smooth, you need to power wash more to burn the weathered material off. The proper fan nozzle should help. Follow this up with a deck stain and seal from Thompsons.

Splintered and rough, you need to wash it and coat it with a deck renewal coating like the Behr product I listed above. This product is almost like a spray in bedliner that protects with a thick layer.

Sikkens makes wonderful products that stand upntonthe sun and weather. I've used many of their gel wood stains for exterior doors and their clear polyurethane products on teak railings. I think their products are more aimed at decorative wood not decking.

 

[soggyshoes]

Sikkens makes wonderful products that stand upntonthe sun and weather. I've used many of their gel wood stains for exterior doors and their clear polyurethane products on teak railings. I think their products are more aimed at decorative wood not decking.

I am no painter but when I was doing doing woodworking on ships like the Queen Elizabeth II they were using Sikkens on all the decking. I think Sikkens has very specific products for different applications.
That said, it does sound like Murf n'surf knows what he is talking about. My family has a beach house on the Oregon coast and we have used Thompsons water seal for years. The deck is over 30 years old and is in great shape. The key has been that we religiously apply a fresh coat every year.

 

[xoomer]

When I was a contractor we occasionally came across a deck that needed to be painted or stained. The problem with painting a deck is that it takes a direct beating from the sun--something that most paints are not made to do. Also, unless you paint the underside of the deck you can have moisture rise up through the wood and cause the paint to peel--I've seen it happen more than once. I think a decking stain would be a better way to go but then you will have to repeat the process in a couple of years.

The best way to go, and of course the most expensive, would be to remove the wood and install something like Lumberock that will not rot, split, or ever need painting or staining.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

@soggyshoes No doubt Sikkens has an epoxy based wood coating but not readily available in every corner hardware store.

Sounds like you have had lots of fun on that big ship! Those must be some good memories.

 

[thcole]

Thanks for all the replies. The decking is pretty rough with cracks and splinters. I pressure washed it pretty well already.
I am looking to get a couple years out of the old boards before I replace them with nyloboard or something. The decking is on 24 inch centers which makes new decking a little more interesting. I would also like to try to keep it as light as possible.

 

[soggyshoes]

@soggyshoes No doubt Sikkens has an epoxy based wood coating but not readily available in every corner hardware store.

Sounds like you have had lots of fun on that big ship! Those must be some good memories.

It was pretty interesting. Sometimes it was frustrating because the ship would stop at a lot of ports or even be dry-docked somewhere cool but I never got to see much because I was always working. I spent over a month in Barcelona but worked 100 hour weeks. Going to a drydock was great because only crew members were on it and your could request whatever you wanted because they were clearing out the food storage. You could have lobster at every meal! One of the times we went across the Atlantic the baker would take my order at night and then I would get fresh made bagels or croissants every morning!

The Sikkens they were using might have been commercial products.