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1. 
   NickNukeEm | Sep 24, 2004 01:38am | #1

   I recently had to strip an 8x24' front covered porch with Ipe decking that the owner had applied polyurethane on last year; it was peeling like a bad sunburn.  (That and the cedar rails and balusters - 85 of them, columns, and 12x12' deck out back.  Ran thru a LOT of sandpaper.)

   To get the decking on a level plane, I set all the SS screws (replacing the 'shiners', those that the original builder had stripped prior to the screw countersinking) and rented a floor sander.  Started with 26 grit and worked up to 100.  Nice, smooth deck.  They thought it looked better than when first installed. 

   They chose an oil based solid color decking stain by Cabot called New Redwood; it's the color of real old pennies.  Looked great against the yellow vinyl siding.  I used a roller, and had to apply a second coat to get rid of lap marks.  It's only been a few weeks, so only time will tell. 

   The solid stain does hide almost all characteristics of the wood, though not as much as paint will.  It seems a crime to cover such beautiful wood, but...  Just make sure it's what you want to do before dipping the brush into the can.

   I never met a tool I didn't like!