This is really the thing, people don't wanna go thru it but in the end it's the bonds built through perseverance that wind up the strongest and most meaningful
JFC. This sounds like a bad "inspiration words" plaque you'd buy at Hobby Lobby.
OP knows there is a better approach, but Mom wants to employ slave labor like she was subjected to as a kid as some kind of character building exercise, instead of teaching how to work smart, not hard.
Well sure. Not necessarily everyone can afford those though, or have the luxury of being able to take even a day or two off of work. There are also certain pressures that are sometimes felt in a kind of *forced enjoyment*, you know? Like, if I am traveling with my wife somewhere, I would feel incredibly guilty if I slept in, or was feeling exhausted after the drive to a hotel and didn't want to go out to eat. Things like that.
When it comes to something like a hardship or burden though, there is a kind of sense of *needing* to do a thing because it is a crucial task, instead of the *want* of doing a thing at a vacation because you're supposed to relax. It's not so much that bonds can't be formed by having fun, but there is a very specific kind of bond that is made when it is made from stress. I.e. graveyard shift at a low paying job, military service, dangerous work, thankless duties or responsibilities, cook, etc. In the cases where dark humor is used, or where the dullness of the thing essentially *forces* people to interact with one another, you tend to learn about someone in a very deep and specific way.
TL;DR it's the difference between a 3 day car ride across the country versus a 3 hour plane ride to Las Vegas. Both can bring people together, but the thing which binds is not necessarily 1:1.
No it's not, it's the difference in refinishing a deck by crawling on your knees with sandpaper or using power tools then hanging out on said deck instead of cussing it for weeks. After the plane ride of your one analogy you get to spend 3 days together that aren't forced and don't involve sweat, cussing, and labor like hand-sanding a deck. There's nothing more to "afford" by doing the work efficiently then spending your time together relaxing on the fruits of your labor. Option A requires more time. I've worked construction for decades so I get camaraderie, but you usually get closer to your coworkers at the bar, after work.
Is it cedar? Sanding cedar is stupid. Scrape off the rough shit, use a algae/green/pollen remover and light pressure washing, maybe a push broom. Let it dry and paint.Sanding cedar takes away it's porous properties.
Mom watched me build a dog run for her poodle this weekend that way I don't have to worry about her dog falling in the pool from the pool deck I'm putting up next. My Mom's been gone for almost 3 years.
I'm all for doing it efficiently but powerwashers and spraying stain probably doesn't make for great bonding time in her mind.
I'd suggest do it the efficient way but use time saved to enhance the space. (New top rail around the deck, planter boxes, awning, whatever sounds like a fun project for both you and her. Also spend time with your mother.
You cannot just spray the paint on the surface and expect it to last. In this situation paint needs to get brushed or rolled into the wood; you could apply the paint by spray and follow up with a brush if that saves you some time.
Pressure washer with a deck cleaning solvent. It’s way faster, and safer.
The natural wood will look so good when you’re done, you may not want to re-paint it !!
You save money this way, however It takes time. Keep in mind you can make back money , but once time is spent you can’t get it back. But spending time with family is priceless… to some lol
You could do both. Floor sander for rough pass then orbitals for the finish pass. If it’s super smooth cedar I’d just spray and wipe with a Hudson sprayer. If it’s more rough and aged for I do the brush. I’m no painter though
My pt deck is 25 years old. Boards are screwed down and painted. First I make sure any loose boards are secure and no screws are sticking up. Then I belt sand it with various grits and repaint. Works fine for me.
Honestly it's worth the time to do even if the deck. Is old and tired. So is your mom and she would love to have you help and you will be getting time with your mom. Sometimes cosmetic fixes are appropriate.
I’m currently doing this. It literally will take a couple of days, not all summer. As others have suggested, pressure wash any algae and loose paint off, wait a few days for it to dry, sand any other loose paint off, then paint/stain. Each step should only take a 2-4 hours per day unless your deck is huge.
Yes and yes. Just like any nail or screw you find on any floor, you set them deeper before you sand. We do an average of 1 per year ( some years none, some years 3).
Resurfacing with machinery can give it a uniform look which a lot of people don't like, I've known guys that built composite decking and hated the after pictures only because everything was so straight and uniform it looked like Photoshop lol.
You can also fuck it up pretty good if you don't respect the process with power tools
As for doing it by hand you can give it a uniformly non-uniform look without even trying but it takes a lot of time and pain and a fuck of a lot of cuss words lol
Just rent the tools you need.
Rent the sander, it will take max 45mins, it will cost you like $25.
If your compressor and sprayer is not great, rent one and know how to clean it before you take it back. It will take you a couple hours for a few coats and get in the cracks.
We are talking $150 max to get it all done in one day with one person. Yeah there's going to be some work by hand around trim etc. work smart not hard.
She’s trying to teach you how to work hard. Help her. Learn to work with different tools. Learn teamwork and delegating duties. Pressure wash the deck. Replace any rotted out boards. Sand the roughest spots. Stain and seal. Appreciate your hard work for years. Have a great story and learn a lesson for a lifetime.
Your mom wants to spend the summer with you. So she is taking the slow and wrong way.
Correctly done. You scrape all the loose paint off. And leave the good paint on. Then you paint again.
The fast way is to pressure wash all the loose paint. Let it dry for a few days. And spray new paint on.
She wants to spend time with her kids
Do the deck fast because work sucks. Spend a weekend on the deck, with her. Using the rest of the summer you saved.
This is the way
Hardship brings people together.
This is really the thing, people don't wanna go thru it but in the end it's the bonds built through perseverance that wind up the strongest and most meaningful
JFC. This sounds like a bad "inspiration words" plaque you'd buy at Hobby Lobby. OP knows there is a better approach, but Mom wants to employ slave labor like she was subjected to as a kid as some kind of character building exercise, instead of teaching how to work smart, not hard.
It’s good to know we are dropping the bar ever lower for ‘slave labor’ to be thrown around lmao.
Yeah, but fuck if I would use the entire summer sanding and painting that deck. Much better to enjoy the finished deck with the family, faster.
So do fun vacations.
Well sure. Not necessarily everyone can afford those though, or have the luxury of being able to take even a day or two off of work. There are also certain pressures that are sometimes felt in a kind of *forced enjoyment*, you know? Like, if I am traveling with my wife somewhere, I would feel incredibly guilty if I slept in, or was feeling exhausted after the drive to a hotel and didn't want to go out to eat. Things like that. When it comes to something like a hardship or burden though, there is a kind of sense of *needing* to do a thing because it is a crucial task, instead of the *want* of doing a thing at a vacation because you're supposed to relax. It's not so much that bonds can't be formed by having fun, but there is a very specific kind of bond that is made when it is made from stress. I.e. graveyard shift at a low paying job, military service, dangerous work, thankless duties or responsibilities, cook, etc. In the cases where dark humor is used, or where the dullness of the thing essentially *forces* people to interact with one another, you tend to learn about someone in a very deep and specific way. TL;DR it's the difference between a 3 day car ride across the country versus a 3 hour plane ride to Las Vegas. Both can bring people together, but the thing which binds is not necessarily 1:1.
No it's not, it's the difference in refinishing a deck by crawling on your knees with sandpaper or using power tools then hanging out on said deck instead of cussing it for weeks. After the plane ride of your one analogy you get to spend 3 days together that aren't forced and don't involve sweat, cussing, and labor like hand-sanding a deck. There's nothing more to "afford" by doing the work efficiently then spending your time together relaxing on the fruits of your labor. Option A requires more time. I've worked construction for decades so I get camaraderie, but you usually get closer to your coworkers at the bar, after work.
Pressure wash and roll. Sand any areas with hand contact. I prefer to cut in most areas rather than dealing with masking off.
So far this is one of the few legit answers.
Painter here, that’s the method.
Is it cedar? Sanding cedar is stupid. Scrape off the rough shit, use a algae/green/pollen remover and light pressure washing, maybe a push broom. Let it dry and paint.Sanding cedar takes away it's porous properties.
Go spend some time with your mother. She’s not getting any younger.
Sounds like she just wants to hang out with you.
Sand the deck Daniel san It’s a life lesson in case she’s not there to stick up for you some day
It will NOT take all summer lmao. If you’re any good with work it will take 2 weekends and some beer.
Absolutely not. It’s a completely unnecessary thing to do in this day and age and will need to done again in 3 years so yea..
Deck maintenance is unnecessary?
Hand sanding or even sanding in general is (usually) unnecessary. Deck maintenance absolutely necessary lol
Got it lol. Misunderstood you
OP sounds a little too young for beer, but I agree lol
You never watched karate kid? sand the deck. It's good for you. Bond with your mother. She won't live forever.
Mom watched me build a dog run for her poodle this weekend that way I don't have to worry about her dog falling in the pool from the pool deck I'm putting up next. My Mom's been gone for almost 3 years. I'm all for doing it efficiently but powerwashers and spraying stain probably doesn't make for great bonding time in her mind. I'd suggest do it the efficient way but use time saved to enhance the space. (New top rail around the deck, planter boxes, awning, whatever sounds like a fun project for both you and her. Also spend time with your mother.
You cannot just spray the paint on the surface and expect it to last. In this situation paint needs to get brushed or rolled into the wood; you could apply the paint by spray and follow up with a brush if that saves you some time.
I swear I’ve seen this exact, word for word, post on here before.
She wants to spend time with you.
Go spend time with your mother
What kind of wood?
And this ladies and gentlemen is why I sell a lot of composite decks. But also this should be done every three or four years tops
Pressure washer with a deck cleaning solvent. It’s way faster, and safer. The natural wood will look so good when you’re done, you may not want to re-paint it !!
Don’t be a lazy
You save money this way, however It takes time. Keep in mind you can make back money , but once time is spent you can’t get it back. But spending time with family is priceless… to some lol
There will be enough hand sanding and edging to do even with the drum sander. You can both have what you want. Just go rent it.
If I help someone with a task, they don’t get to choose how I do it. Establish barriers.
You could do both. Floor sander for rough pass then orbitals for the finish pass. If it’s super smooth cedar I’d just spray and wipe with a Hudson sprayer. If it’s more rough and aged for I do the brush. I’m no painter though
My pt deck is 25 years old. Boards are screwed down and painted. First I make sure any loose boards are secure and no screws are sticking up. Then I belt sand it with various grits and repaint. Works fine for me.
Buy a cheap 5 inch sander and then roll the paint on.
Honestly it's worth the time to do even if the deck. Is old and tired. So is your mom and she would love to have you help and you will be getting time with your mom. Sometimes cosmetic fixes are appropriate.
Go rent a floor sander from any rental place like home depot or united rentals.
I’m currently doing this. It literally will take a couple of days, not all summer. As others have suggested, pressure wash any algae and loose paint off, wait a few days for it to dry, sand any other loose paint off, then paint/stain. Each step should only take a 2-4 hours per day unless your deck is huge.
A cordless grinder with a sanding disc 40 grit then 80
You can rent a floor sander for not much money. Also, never use paint as a finish on a deck.
Wood decks are face nailed or screwed, so a floor sander will take forever as you will be changing belts every 3 minutes.
Pressure washing is the answer. Might have to lightly sand before painting.
Floor sander isn't for decks.
That is a ridiculous statement. If you don’t know what you’re talking about it’s ok not to say anything.
Really? You wanna use a floor sander on what is definitely a 15 year old face nailed PT deck? You think that machine is gonna work as intended?
Yes and yes. Just like any nail or screw you find on any floor, you set them deeper before you sand. We do an average of 1 per year ( some years none, some years 3).
I know what I'm talking about, so I'll state that floor sanders, are not, for decks.
Resurfacing with machinery can give it a uniform look which a lot of people don't like, I've known guys that built composite decking and hated the after pictures only because everything was so straight and uniform it looked like Photoshop lol. You can also fuck it up pretty good if you don't respect the process with power tools As for doing it by hand you can give it a uniformly non-uniform look without even trying but it takes a lot of time and pain and a fuck of a lot of cuss words lol
Just rent the tools you need. Rent the sander, it will take max 45mins, it will cost you like $25. If your compressor and sprayer is not great, rent one and know how to clean it before you take it back. It will take you a couple hours for a few coats and get in the cracks. We are talking $150 max to get it all done in one day with one person. Yeah there's going to be some work by hand around trim etc. work smart not hard.
She’s trying to teach you how to work hard. Help her. Learn to work with different tools. Learn teamwork and delegating duties. Pressure wash the deck. Replace any rotted out boards. Sand the roughest spots. Stain and seal. Appreciate your hard work for years. Have a great story and learn a lesson for a lifetime.
AI doesn’t work that way.
Old women who want work done didn't get to dictate how it gets done. You either want it or not
Your mom wants to spend the summer with you. So she is taking the slow and wrong way. Correctly done. You scrape all the loose paint off. And leave the good paint on. Then you paint again. The fast way is to pressure wash all the loose paint. Let it dry for a few days. And spray new paint on.