This is way off topic, trailer help

Mike_H said:
You went from 60 to 220? That's quite a jump in grit. I don't know that I'd worry about sanding that fine. It's a trailer. 220 is where I finish sand non-furniture woodworking projects, like cabinet, bookshelves, etc. If you want to knock the scratches down from the 60 grit, do 120-150 and call it a day.

For what it's worth, last summer my wife and I refinished our deck. She tried that Behr deck restore stuff (not what @bobthetj03 is using) a few years ago and it was awful. It trapped water and flaked off. I ended up renting a drum sander from Menards to sand the deck. I knocked it down with 30 grit I think and finished at 80. We used a tinted, transparent stain after that.
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Actually I am a total n00b when it comes to wood, and the advice is all over the place on the internet. It doesn't seem to be as static as working on TJ's. So someone on an internet site said sand with 60G and then finish with 220. I tried it because I have nothing to compare it to, but I will tell you I sanded and sanded with 60G took 3 days, but it cleaned up pretty nice with the 220 in one evening. It actually turned out pretty good. Truth be told, it was good with the 60, so I have no doubt your advice is sound also. I appreciate your taking the time.

As of now, I got it in the garage cleaned up, and masked and ready for seal. I am going to try some clear sealer with no tint because I figure that if it lasts a year or two I can just re-apply without heavy sanding, and it will be easy to match. I didn't see any thing to the contrary.

From what I have read the sun takes a toll on the tint, and it fades super quick anyway. I most likely will build some sort of cover for it for when the summer hits.

Anyway, I hope to have some finished pictures tonight. Thanks again for everybody's help on this.
 
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No problem. I hope my post didn't come across the wrong way. Only trying to help. I've been woodworking my whole life (dad is a woodworker too) so I've spent my share of time sanding projects. Its just like anything else...that last 10% of a project (finishing, in this case) takes 90% of the time.

The UV will beat up on wood, no matter what you do. That is why that plastic decking stuff is so popular. But, that stuff isn't very strong and wouldn't hold up to use on a trailer. So, the best you can do is treat it every few years.
 
ac_ said:
Update,

I finally finished the sanding. I have to work tomorrow morning then afterward I am going to dress up in my social distancing gear and head to the hardware store for goop and supplies.

But I wanted to give some advice that I figured out. Maybe I am just a noob, but here it is. I sanded the deck with 60 grit sandpaper and the results were amazing. Nice and smooth compared to what it was. I read somewhere that you should sand with 60 grit and then with 220. After sanding it with 60 I was pretty impressed, and thought I am not going to waste my time with the 220, but my OCD got the best of me so I picked a small spot to sand with 220, and it was so much better even. Now it is crazy smooth. I am pretty excited not to get a sealer on it.

I plan on staining it on Sunday so I will update more pics Sunday or Monday.

View attachment 155680
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That looks really good! You're going to make it so nice, you won't want to drive your Jeep on it. :)
 
I haven't finished all of my decking, but the parts that I have seem to be beading up water well.
 
So here is the final results for the ones that wanted updates

Remember this is what I started with:

IMG_20200117_171045.jpg


Here is halfway through first coat:

IMG_20200426_112922.jpg


Here it is complete (2 coats) with some sun on it:


IMG_20200426_164601.jpg


Completely finished (2 coats)

IMG_20200426_202444.jpg


So I again want to thank everybody that chimed in with advice.

Here is a breakdown of what I did.

Sanded deck completely with palm sander 60 grit. (Took 3 days; Evenings 3 hours each because way to hot outside)
Then sanded again with palm sander and 220 grit. (One evening 3 hours to do whole deck)
Then moved to a shady spot and swept off the dust as much as possible.
Then blew the rest with air. Let sit for a few hours and blew off with air again.
Put plastic down on the floor of my garage. (Generously like Dexter)
Then backed the trailer over the plastic and blew it off one last time.
Next morning. (Sunday)
Rolled on the sealer 1 light coat.
Let dry and soak in for an hour or so.
Then rolled on a little heavier coat.
Took two coats, and used 1 gallon of sealer.

Sealer I ended up using was:

https://www.behr.com/consumer/produ...premium-transparent-waterproofing-wood-finish

Note: The picture says cedar, but I used clear although I think clear still has slight tint to it.
 
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