Tim,
I have a pressure treated pine deck(not yet sealed) that is now a year old, and yes the wood has some warping and edges curling up on the flooring a bit which tends to hold water in pools after a rain. I want to prepare and seal this deck, but in addition to cleaning it the way your website suggests, I thought I might use a floor sanding appliance to level the surface where the warped edges are. Then I would proceed to clean and seal it. GOOD or BAD idea? Additional suggestions welcome.
Thanks so much for your reply,
Jere Ellis
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In a perfect world, you should have sealed the decking boards on all sides and edges before they were installed. This is not easy, but is might have prevented the cupping. It is not a bad idea to sand, but I am afraid it may be a short-term fix. The wood may cup again due to moisture from the ground entering the underside of the decking. This is the primary reason wood cups on decks. The moisture content of the underside of the decking is far greater than the top side where the sun and wind quickly dry the top layers of the wood. this dry on top and moist on the bottom create lots of stress within the wood that leads to cupping. Be sure to use oxygen bleach to clean the wood and Epoxy Defy to seal it.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
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