What is involved with sanding?
When we sand decks we use 2 types of sanders. We use carbide brushes to remove the loose soft fibers from the deck floor, and then we have a grinder that is similar to a belt sander. The grinder sands the wood smooth but it removes both good and bad wood. There are limitations to the carbide brushes because they can’t go underneath railings, benches, steps, and on top of railings because it’s so heavy. The floor sander leaves a 1 inch or 2 inch skirt around the railings that don’t get sanded by the carbide brushes. There is nothing that can be done about this attempting to use the hand sander will result in two different appearance of the wood and will look worse. Because this area is under railings it is masked well by the stain or sealant.
