Cedar Siding, Cumaru Deck Refinishing and Varnish Removal

You get cool mornings, possibly with some condensation, and then it heats up quickly to 80 or 90 degrees. It doesn’t get extremely hot here, being near the ocean and the Santa Monica area, but rooftops do heat up. This creates an enormous amount of pressure that any protective coating struggles to handle, and as you can see, it just doesn’t hold up. The result is terrible—this stuff is peeling off, floating into pools, and even blowing into people’s faces. It’s not a maintainable coating.

At the bottom, the peeling is particularly bad in areas where the edges didn’t receive enough of the protective coating. The color is inconsistent, and while there’s still a little bit of color here, it’s not the natural color of the wood. The deck also looks really bad—it’s blistering and peeling. The homeowner mentioned that pieces are flying into their pool and around their dining area, making it a recipe for disaster. Additionally, a film finish like this, especially one meant for indoor use, becomes slippery when wet, making it unsafe. It’s not maintainable, doesn’t look good, and doesn’t last.

Another important issue to touch on is scarring of the wood. Scarring happens when areas are exposed to sun and moisture. For example, on this deck, the corners and edges don’t get as much of the film-forming finish as the flat surfaces, leading to blistering and peeling. Over the past year, areas like this have been hit by sun and water, weathering differently than areas still partially protected by the coating, even if that coating looks terrible.

When we strip and sand, fully exposed areas might leave visible outlines due to prolonged exposure. However, with our sanding technique, bleaching, and brightening, we aim to bring everything back to a pristine condition. Areas with black mold and mildew, like this spot here, are particularly bad. Since the mold is under the coating, we can’t just wipe it off; the coating needs to be completely removed. Even areas that look “okay” to some are unacceptable to us and the homeowner. You can’t just touch up the peeling areas because the coating is inconsistent, and even less exposed spots still turn yellow and moldy.

On the backside of the house, we used a stripper to remove as much of the coating as possible. Stripping is messy, especially on vertical surfaces, and requires caution. If left on too long or handled improperly, the stripper can discolor the wood. In some areas, the original coating was so thick and uneven that sanding alone wasn’t effective. Once stripped, we sanded the wood, and it’s now coming out beautifully.

Using a drum sander on the decking helps remove most of the coating, but because the boards aren’t perfectly flat, the sander can miss certain spots. We fine-tune these areas with Festool sanders and other tools. Scarring from water trapped under the failed coating might still be visible in some spots, but we address this as much as possible with sanding and brightening. Bleaching won’t eliminate all imperfections but significantly minimizes them. Once the protective oil coating is applied, the natural grain and color will be magnified, including any remaining scars, but the overall result will still look stunning.

For brightening, we apply the solution with towels to avoid runoff, especially here in Southern California, where people are conscious of water usage. After application, we neutralize the brightener with water and ensure everything is properly contained to prevent damage to surrounding areas like solar panels or plants.

For the protective finish, we hand-brush oil-based penetrating sealer. Hand brushing allows us to work the product deeply into the wood, saturating every crack and crevice. It’s a long, labor-intensive process, but it’s the best way to ensure even coverage and long-lasting results. Unlike film-forming finishes, oil-based sealers are maintainable and gradually fade over time rather than peeling or blistering.

We used Mesmer’s UV Plus in cedar tone for this project. It enhances the natural look of the wood with a subtle caramel pigment, making it more natural than other “natural” finishes that often have reddish tones. Mesmer’s products perform well, are maintainable, and are backed by excellent customer service.

After the sealer is applied, we wipe off any excess because the wood can only absorb so much. Letting the sealer sit too long can result in a gummy, uneven appearance. Once the excess is removed, the wood has a beautiful, natural finish.

We’ve finished the project by stripping, sanding, cleaning, brightening, and sealing the deck. While some scarring remains, the results are stunning. Guests would never notice these imperfections, but as perfectionists, we always strive for the highest quality. The homeowner is thrilled with the revived look of their wood.

Thank you so much for tuning in. Check out our website at teakmaster.com for more before-and-after photos, videos, and testimonials. If you liked this video, click the like button, follow us, and leave a comment with any questions or suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. Tim Gilliam with Teak Master, signing out.