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If you’re DIYing the project, it could take up to a week if you aren’t able to dedicate full-time hours. If you hire a professional and they arrive with a team, expect your stairs to be sanded in as little as 2 hours (for simple projects). Finishing the stairs takes a while longer as there are drying and sealing times to consider, but the actual work will take much less time than the sanding portion.

Sandblasting refers to the process of cleaning a surface using compressed air and aggregate. Soda blasting is the gentlest type of this method, but it differs from sandblasting that uses mineral or other aggregate, since sodium bicarbonate breaks apart more easily than other forms of blast media and, therefore, cannot be reused.

Sanding and pressure washing serve different purposes in deck maintenance, so one is not necessarily better than the other. Pressure washing is ideal for annual cleaning to remove dirt, grime, mold, and mildew. Sanding is a deeper restoration method used to smooth rough surfaces, remove an old finish, and prepare the wood for a new coat of stain or paint. The ideal process for refinishing a deck is to first clean it (with a power washer), then sand it, and finally apply the new stain or finish. While cleaning should be done annually, sanding and staining are typically needed only every one to three years.

Soda-blasting systems are slightly more expensive than sandblasting systems. To soda blast, you’ll need to spend a few hundred dollars for a blast hose and nozzle, a compressed air supply, a blast generator, a moisture decontamination system, and sodium bicarbonate media, a recurring cost because the powder is not reusable. To start with sandblasting, you will need to spend upwards of $30 for a blast pot, a blast gun, an air compressor, and sandblasting media, many of which are recyclable—further reducing the cost. The total cost for either will depend on the size of the system.