The back deck was just the beginning. ARyk and Bob set to work on the front deck and steps next. They got a little help from kaylee the cat as they stripped, sanded and stained the deck a beautiful mahogany brown.
Prep Work: Stripping and Sanding
The boards were naked and unprotected by the time Bob and Aryk were done powerwashing, then sanding off the old stain. Kaylee the cat helped.
Kaylee helped so much
Staining
It’s a big deck and took several days, but the stain was a major transformation that woke up a tired deck.
The finished deck
The finished product. Isn’t it beautiful?
Footnote: Escaping Disaster
Bob wadded up the used rags from staining and tossed them together under the deck, by the wood pile. We were disturbed by a horrible burning smell hours later. We searched all over for the source, but then a neighbor knocked on the door frantically, crying, “Your rags are burning!” We quickly put them out, and discovered that the linseed oil in stain can cause spontaneous combustion in wadded-up rags. We learned to always lay the rags out flat to dry. We are lucky we didn’t burn the house down! Lesson learned: Always read the can for safe disposal information.
Don’t do this! 
Do this!
Up next … Part 3, Repainting the House
