Stripping tint from decking

[skara]

Hi Guys,

looking for some advice, I have about 50m2 of Merbau decking that when installed was oiled with a tinted finish which kind of destroyed the detail of the timber. I didn't know it was going to be tinted at the time and actually didn't mind it until it cam time to re-coat and now it looks pretty average. What I want to do it take it back to a natural state then use a simple non tinted oil to finish it so that I can apply re-coats as needed with out having to worry so much about the build-up of tint in various areas that doesn't see a lot of traffic.

Any ideas or is it going to be a weekend on hands an knees with a sander stripping it back?

Thanks

[soundman]

To a certain extent the horse has bolted.

Bing oil it penetrates into the timber, and being merbau there are chemical changes in the timber with exposure to water, oil light and heat that irreversably darken the timber.

There are decking cleaniers and bleaches intended for this purpose that have variable results.

many just pressure clean.

Oxalic acid is popular as a decking cleaner...not sure of the side effects on merbau & kwila.

A stiff detergent and scrub, followed by a pressure clean I think will be a reasonable option.

Checking out the available decking cleaners would be a reasonable option.
If you chose one..it would be wise to test it in an out of the way corner before having at the whole thing.

Remember this is an outdoor weather exposed surface.....it will darken.....remember Mearau and kwila are used because they are cheap and hard wearing and for no other reason.......do not expect the same as you would from any indoor surface.

cheers

[Bob38S]

For detergent use Napisan or similar, make it warm and leave and agitate with scrubbing brush for about 10-15 minutes - do not let it dry on the surface.

By all means use a pressure cleaner but not on the highest dirt blaster setting as you can damage the surface lifting fibres etc. The floor cleaner attachment at a below max setting works well and quickly.