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Deck Restoration


Smolenski7

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So with this winter weather we're having in southern New England, I couldn't pass up the chance to get out and start my deck restoration yesterday.

I started by scraping the deck clean with my multi-tool. I then broke out the power washer (on Christmas Eve!) and really gave the deck a good wash. Just to be a little protective, I did duct tape the arbors just to help prevent any water from penetrating. Better to be safe than sorry.

Today, I really went at it with a Drill Mount Quick-Strip Wire Brush. It did a great job. Along with a little sand paper I am down to metal in some places. I plan on using KBS Rust-Seal System Sampler tomorrow. Before I do that, however, should I try to get down to metal as much as possible, or does it really matter?

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This is what I started with yesterday.

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This is after a good scraping with my multi-tool.

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Finally, this is what I have at the moment. It looks good, however, I probably do better if I take a Carbon Steel Wire Cup Brush to it. I'm not sure it's worth it though.

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Well, your progress looks fine, so far.

Question(s),

How old is the deck?

Has it been refinished in the past?

There's plenty of coatings on the market that will stand up to normal use.

If this is it's first treatment, this is what I would do.

I would find a suitable product like POR-15 or an equivalent to treat the bare metal spots, then a complete top coat of paint after the surfaces are prepped. The paint will show off areas of immediate wear under the deck that might need closer attention after the first mowing season.

Then I would give the deck a good inspection every fall before it is put away to see what wears out first, then make a decision as to a course of action for future preservation of the deck.

The deck's worst enemy is poorly balanced blades, IMHO. I've owned decks that were severely cracked because POs didn't have balanced blades installed.

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The deck is 9 - 10 years old with about 240 hours. I'm the second owner, the previous owner only side discharged, I will mulch exclusively. It has never been refinished.

I actually just got back from outside again, this time I simply washed it down. The rust was just pouring off of it. I'm going to let it dry over night and take another look at it tomorrow. My main concern, however, is if I should go at it again and really try to get as much of the rust off as I can, or just move on to the next step?

The next step is to apply a decreaser, and then an etcher would be after that. I can do both tomorrow easily. I think this is what I will do since I will be applying a rust seal. As a result, I don't think I have to get down to bare metal.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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I tore my 50" apart this summer. I was initially going to try to use a wire wheel for cleanup and then touch up the rusted spots but ended up taking the whole bare deck to a sandblaster. There was so much rust hiding underneath the powder coat paint. It was terrible paint. I was more worried about the top side because the deck was for a machine I had decided to sell but he got it somewhat clean underneath so I rattle can blended it with OEM Simplicity paint. We used OEM Simplicity paint in a spray gun reduced with PPG reducer to paint the top of the deck. I still haven't managed to get it reassembled.

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I was unable to get a smooth edge or feather edge the power coat so off it came.

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This could have been cleaner underneath but I just ended up blending rust converter and paint around the cleanest areas and spindle mounts.

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Next sprayed with Rustoleum Rust Reformer. (can't verify how well it works)

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Primed with DuPont primer and sanded, reprimed, and repeated until it suited me.

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As close to new as it can be.

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Once you get the dirt & debris removed, you can apply muratic acid to remove the rust. Make sure you are in a very well ventilated area and use chemical gloves.

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Today I started using the KBS Rust-Seal kit. I first applied the cleaner. I cut it down by 1/4 and sprayed it on then I scrubbed.....and scrubbed.....and scrubbed. After rinsing it off with a garden hose, I then put on the KBS Rust Blast. It's basically an etcher. I let it soak in for about 30 minutes and then rinsed that off too. The result is what you see below. The only steps left are to apply the rust seal, prime the top, and spray paint the whole thing.

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So far I am very pleased with the KBS system. For less than $25.00 I got an all in one kit that will restore my 10 year old deck to as close to new as possible. If it weren't for the pitting, I would have no hesitation rating it as "like new."

Today I applied 2 coats of the Rust Seal. I was surprised at how easily and well it spread. I was expecting it to be much thicker, however, it was much like every day latex paint. The main difference is the smell, today's latex paints contain very low levels of VOC's which takes the smell right out of them, and the clean up. This stuff really doesn't want to come off of anything. I had to take nail polish remover to my fingers, and even that only knocked it down a bit.

The directions recommend applying at least 2 coats and waiting 2 - 4 hours in between, so that's exactly what I did. The second coat went on just like the first and certainly showed a difference. I posted 2 pictures below. The first picture is of the first coat, and the second picture is of the second coat. I chose red simply because I can't help but think it was the best choice for an orange top coat.

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You can see that the first coat is fairly thin and not very uniform.

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This is the second coat. There is a big difference. I really didn't think there would be, however, it was obvious that the second coat was really necessary.

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Day 6 and almost done.

I decided to do the top as well, why not? I have the time and it was just a little more effort, not much. Although, in the interest of full disclosure, I was a bit lazy and didn't remove any of the hardware, I just used a lot of blue painters tape and plastic wrap. Surprisingly, it worked well.

I initially applied the KBS cleaner and Rust Blaster to the top too, although only in the areas that needed it and 90% of those spots were under the plastic arbor cover that traps grass, leaves, and moisture. I then went a step further and primed and sanded the whole top as well.

Then the fun began, I sprayed two coats of Duplo 1607 to both the top and bottom. It came out great! I couldn't be more happy. It's as close to new as it is ever going to get. If it weren't for the obviously areas of chipping underneath, it would have been pretty close to perfect.

My next step is to apply the same process to the arbors. I think I can get that done tomorrow.

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Nice work, the DE1607 is good paint. I just noticed the Prestige deck has an added gusset on the left front deck mount that was not on the Landlord decks.

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quote: Nice work, the DE1607 is good paint. I just noticed the Prestige deck has an added gusset on the left front deck mount that was not on the Landlord decks.id="quote">
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It's a great deck.

I had a 44" on a Regent I once owned, this is superior. Nothing against the 44" on my Regent, it gave a great cut, however, there was no mower drive belt. The engine pulley and arbor pulley were one in the same. It made for less belts, I guess, however, I think the addition of the mower drive belt on the 50" deck is the main reason why I am seeing a superior cut from the Prestige.

Today I am going to spray the arbors and their attached pulleys with Krylon Rust Tough. I was going to use the KBS system again, but I think I would rather save that for a really rusted wheel barrow I have in my shed. I think I can breath new life into it and save a few dollars.

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Well, it took a week, but it's done!

Like I have said, I couldn't be happier. I suppose only time will tell if it holds up to the tornado like atmosphere that mulching creates inside of a mower deck, but I think it should do great.

I even replace the mower belt too. Why not?

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Very nice! I am going to an old Simplicity 42" deck off my 3410. I will wire wheel it, Prep-sol wipe, then brush on Majik Oil Based. Cosmetic result = Okay, Functional result = the Bomb, Durability = Very Good.

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