# Stripping a deck after applying Behr DeckOver



## Beck73 (Aug 2, 2014)

Hey guys, I need some advice. On the wife's request I coated the deck with this gawdawful stuff back 3 or so years ago. We followed all the instructions to the letter. Cleaned it first, let it dry thoroughly, applied the coats per spec. We were not in a hurry to get it done so we took our time.

After the first year or two it looked fine. No real issues to speak of. I had one or two spots over the whole deck that showed signs of 'cracks' but I expected as much.

Fast forward to today. After this past winter, which was extremely humid, the whole surface has cracked or peeled up. Anything that is not a vertical looks like it is a 50 year old paint job on a barn. To make it worse it doesn't seem to peel very easy if you just take your hand to the stuff and pick at it, which brings me to the main point of my post.

Has anyone had any experiences with this stuff or had to remove it from a wood deck? If so what is the best way to remove it completely?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Anyone who has ever mentioned removing it says to forget it and just replace the deck boards. It's so labor intensive and when (or if) it gets completed you have crappy wood under all that DeckOver stuff that it's just better to replace it.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

Yeah, if you're using something like that, it means your deck was on its last legs anyway.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Yeah, I’d say you’re better off replacing it at this point. Would likely be cheaper. How old is the deck itself? 

You might get some of it off with a sharp carbide pull scraper and a lot of elbow grease. A sander with very rough paper will work kind of, it just clogs the paper every couple minutes. 

I saw a diamond tipped grinding wheel in Lowes the other day for removing thick coatings from decks. Looked like the kind of bit you would use to etch concrete. Of course you have to set the nails really well to use something like. 

Seems to me like those coatings do more harm than good. They end up trapping moisture in and accelerating rot. 


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I don't have any hands on experience with those types of products but everything I know about painting assures me they are bound to fail.

I agree replacing the decking is the best bet. If you have to keep what you have I'd scrape/sand until I got it halfway presentable and then apply a solid deck stain.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

a little online research and you would have known there are several class action suits against behr for this crap. Thousands of complaints online as well. The only thing i have heard is to pour boiling hot water on it, and it will loosen right up. Don't know for sure if it does but in your case it may be worth a try. Using all necessary precautions for boiling hot water of course.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Beck, before you replace the boards, rent a gas powered pressure washer. Some rental places won't give you a red tip with it but insist on it. Just keep the tip far enough away from the wood so it doesn't tear it. Test it on a scrap piece of wood.


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## Beck73 (Aug 2, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback guys.

As for the age of the deck, it was built with the house and that is only 15 years old. I have done my best to maintain it while we have been here (8 yrs) with regular cleaning, etc.

I didn’t put the deckover on because it was ‘falling apart’ but rather because we wanted to paint it but my wife could get this at a company discount. No need to go into details there, in the end it won’t be a discount.

I will try the pressure washer suggestion, I have access to one. I have done some more reading about using sand blasting (glass beads?).

Either way, I guess at this point I am not out of anything, I cannot mess it up any worse. Either it strips it, or it doesn’t and I end up paying someone for a new deck.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

There is the age old solution that sometimes works and that is flipping the boards over. Usually the underside is in much better condition than the weathered topside. Just a thought.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

If stainless steel screws weren't used & they usually aren't used, flipping boards is a big PITA.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

I could cut your deck in half with a zero degree tip. Be careful with that suggestion! I'd try the boiling water because you've got nothing to lose and then the DiamaBrush for Decks in a grinder. It's made for that. I haven't used it, but the sample board at my local Sherwin-Williams sure looks nice.


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

Looks like there's no spacing for water drainage.
I would replace it and be done with it.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I wonder how effective a chemical paint stripper would be ??
As mathmonger stated - you have to be careful with the red tip! It's easy to do damage you might not be able to fix. I have a small gas pressure washer and my red tip rarely gets used - mostly if I need to clean something at a distance.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

> As mathmonger stated - you have to be careful with the red tip!


The OP already said that he has nothing to loose. If a red tip is used correctly, it's a good tool. That's why I said to test it on a scrap piece of wood.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

ron45 said:


> Looks like there's no spacing for water drainage.
> I would replace it and be done with it.


I noticed that as well but didn't mention it. Very good point though as that would definitely effect the finish durability because of the extra moisture entrapment. I guess someone (me! LOL!:devil3 should point out that whoever built this deck (hopefully not the op) is a bone head and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a deck construction in the future.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

You can get a turbo tip for a pressure washer that’s essentially a red tip that rotates very fast. It gives you the power of a 0 degree washing tip (the red one) without so much of the risk. 

I’m skeptical about how well that approach would work considering the coating you have on there. 

In my experience pressure removal only works well if you can get the pressure stream underneath the failed coating. Just blasting the top side of a loose piece of failed coating doesn’t do much. 

At best your going to splinter the surface of the wood, necessitating sanding afterwords for best results. 

If you do decide to try removing it, please let us know how it goes. 


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

Jmayspaint said:


> You can get a turbo tip for a pressure washer that’s essentially a red tip that rotates very fast. It gives you the power of a 0 degree washing tip (the red one) without so much of the risk.
> 
> I’m skeptical about how well that approach would work considering the coating you have on there.
> 
> ...


A media blaster would make pretty quick work of that


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## Beck73 (Aug 2, 2014)

Any thoughts on if using a media blaster what media would be best to use for something like this?


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

baking soda makes a good media for softwoods like pine


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