how best to remove Cuprinol rollable decking treatment?

[Cuprinot]

Hi
I have a 7 by 4 metre deck with standard ridged boards. I made the terrible mistake of coating the deck with Cuprinol rollable deck 'treatment' 4 years ago when it was first installed . 12 months after the original application, I had to re-coat as it was chipped and flakey. This has happened every year since and not only do I resent spending £30 on 3 litres of this rubbish but the end result (before the chipping/flaking has even started again) is a very patchy colour (mis) match. The 'treatment' as they call it, forms a film and is more like a paint than a true stain as it just does not penetrate the wood. I suspect that the only way to fix this problem is to remove the stuff and start again. I'd be very grateful if anyone had any suggestions as to a product or process that would remove this stuff (sanding is difficult as the boards are ridged)

many thanks in advance

 

[nthused]

I've not tried this myself but from what you have said, with respect to the product only forming a coating and it flakeing off, have you tried power washing with a Karcher or similar?

I know from experience that if you put these anywhere near a "painted" wooden surface, that has started to weather and peel, it easily brings it off. If you're very careful also, putting something on first to chemically peel the coating may help - but you would have to be very diligent when blasting it off with the washer.

Just a thought as I've never tried it on decking but this may work...

Once you get it off put a proper product on like decking oil !

 

[mattylad]

Sounds like you need to be on your knees with a scrubbing brush when it's all flakey.

 

[schubb1uk]

My husband is out on our Cuprinol treated deck right now trying to sand it down as we have exactly the same problem - it lasted just 1 summer. However despite the deck's peely, flakiness in many parts, the remaining stuff won't be budged!! Our Karcher pressure washer took some off but again not very well. I've just written to Cuprinol to ask them what they propose - let you know what they come back with. The sander isn't working very well at all at the moment either but we're going to try really coarse pads tomorrow.

 

[mattylad]

A good scrubbing brush gets in all the grooves (if you have them uppermost).

 

[JohnD]

Abrading the top surface of decking is easy, but the grooves stumped me at first.

I recently used a smallish wire brush, it cleaned the dirt out of the grooves before recoating. I hoovered the dust out after.

I got a set of these brushes down the market for a couple of pounds, they are shaped somewhere between a toothbrush and a dustpan brush.

 

[Cuprinot]

thanks for all the replies guys. I've tried some small wire brushes and they remvove the flakey bits quite well but there are always some stubborn patches that just won't shift. Jet washing the deck produces a similar result. There are areas of the deck where it seems to have bonded quite well and just can't be shifted. Around a third of the decking surface is not at all flaky and the brushes have no effect at all. the jet washer will remove it when set to a very narrow jet but this just chews up the surface of the boards.

I'd appreciate any advice regarding sand blasting - would this be a practical option? Can this gear be easily hired? Alternatively can anyone recommend a chemical remover??

My husband is out on our Cuprinol treated deck right now trying to sand it down as we have exactly the same problem - it lasted just 1 summer. However despite the deck's peely, flakiness in many parts, the remaining stuff won't be budged!! Our Karcher pressure washer took some off but again not very well. I've just written to Cuprinol to ask them what they propose - let you know what they come back with. The sander isn't working very well at all at the moment either but we're going to try really coarse pads tomorrow.

thanks schubb1uk - at least I know it's not just me! thankyou - I'd be very interested in what Cuprinol have to say...

 

[schubb1uk]

Well the sander works really well (40 grade paper seemed best) in lifting the Cuprinol off - only thing is we only got a third of the way through the deck before the hired industrial sander suffered a fatality -

 

[JohnD]

There are areas of the deck where it seems to have bonded quite well and just can't be shifted.

I would say if it is a sound surface and adhering well, leave it and re-stain over it.

 

[schubb1uk]

OK so here's the response for what its worth (nothing)! We had spent days with a pressure washer to no avail plus more days with paint stripper and a washer - sander is the only way
Sarah


'This type of formulation is based on a flexible resin system and normally lasts around 12-18 months on average and the normal mode of failure would be wear through on the areas taking most foot traffic. Peeling and fading would indicate that the finish has not been able to adhere adequately leading to premature failure of the product.
It doesn't sound like a product fault, if it was it would have failed everywhere however you say you have parts that have adhered well and tough to remove which proves the treatment is OK, peeling/flaking is normally also a result of moisture either at the time of application or insufficient coats in areas allowing the water to soak through the film/coat.

This is waterbased therefore can be removed by pressure washing down a couple of times, allow a day or so in between, try scrubbing tough areas with warm/hot water a scrubbing brush, allow to fully dry before recoating.

I hope this information is useful. If you have any queries or need any further assistance please contact me at the Technical Advice Centre on 0870 444 1111'.

 

[Cuprinot]

Thanks for the update schubb1uk. I took a leaf out of your book and emailed Cuprinol as well and got a very similar response - although they did suggest a product called Prepdeck that may remove the stuff...
-------------------------------------------
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately we do not make any removers in our range, although some companies make wood bleaches which will take the colour out of the wood, however some of the treatment will have soaked into the wood making removal difficult. The final colour that you achieve is dependent upon the condition of the wood, previous coating and how long it has been left to weather. I would recommend you try pressure washing the surface and rubbing down with a stiff brush, this will aid removal of some of the stain, then let the wood weather for a couple of months and provisionally try a test area with an alternative colour.

Alternatively there is a company that make a product called prepdeck which is designed to remove coatings - please see link below for further information:-

http://igoe.ie/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=27
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I haven't found anywhere that stocks it yet but it looks like you can order it online from a few places, e.g : http://decksupply.co.uk/Owatrol_Prepdeck_Stripper__Cleaner.aspx

I'm still trying to decide whether to give it a go, or to go down the sanding route as you have. If you don't mind could you please let me know the following:
Are you happy with the end result of the sanding?
how did you deal with the grooves?
did you hire a sander that's designed for decking or just a normal floorboard type sander?

many thanks - I really appreciate the advice

 

[schubb1uk]

Hi
I'm really pleased with the sanding effect - we're back to bare boards now and they've come up as nice pale wood which I guess will weather down over time. The grooves in between the individual panels are still slightly darker from the stain but actually it looks OK. The grooves on the panels themselves have stripped right back so are fine. We used just an ordinary indoor sander - you'll recall the first one died? Well the second one has been fine although the papers do tend to shred really dramatically from time to time (which I guess is down to the grooves)! I'd definitely recommend the sanding, the other options - all of which we tried to some degree - simply didn't compare. My husband has nearly finished ours now (trying to get out and do a bit at a time without the neighbours going mad (its quite noisy) and in between rain showers. Not sure what we'll do with our weekends once its finished given that is become such a full time occupation! Anyway here are some pics showing the sanded effect - hope its helpful

[/img]

 

[deefadog]

Thants a big difference, must be pleasing

 

[Cuprinot]

excellent result - the sander certainly seems to have done the trick!
many thanks for posting the pictures

 

[moma]

hi everyone,
i'm living in holland, amsterdam and started to google on cuprinol/problems and found this forum where people are having exactly the same problems as i'm having over here.
i contacted akzo nobel the manufacturer of the product but they told me the deck was probably to moist when i painted it and the only solution is using some chemical rinser and deck cleaner and wood oil.
they don't even recommend using their own product again, how strange?
I thought i was the only one having problems with the chipping paint, at least that is what they made me believe, I know better now.
thanks everyone, i'm feeling less stupid now, ..
greeting from holland