Boy do I need Ipe help !!! My deck is 3 levels about 700 sf and now 3 years old. I used Messmer's as a conditioner after letting it dry about a month when it was new. Looked fantastic but after a season it needed help again. I never followed the procedures that I am now reading about, just a light power wash and more Messmer's. I probably put 3 coats on in 3 years as you can imagine then it became too dark, no wood grain and very dull. Recently I began to prep and made more mistakes using bleach based deck cleaners before reading that I should not do that and followed with light power wash. The color is lighter now but very dull, no sign of the wood grain and blotchy. Before going further (or making it worse) by using some of the products mentioned such as sodium pre-carbonate, oxalic acid and possibly acetone just prior to a hardwood stain I tried a test in a small area. I sanded an area lightly, and tested a stain on just that spot. Then I sanded an area deeper and found the beautiful Ipe color I want back. The stain on the lightly sanded area looked like stain on mud. The stain on the deeper sanded area getting down to the "red" again looked great. Clearly this tells me I can bring this deck back to life from my own mistakes (too much bad advice) by sanding it down. My question is this. I will probably rent a floor sander (unless someone tells me that is a really bad idea) because it is so much to do with a hand sander. I would think it would be best to take it down to the "red" again but what should I do then. Should I use "any" of these suggested cleaners/brighteners ? What about and acetone wipe just before staining ? My thoughts are no on any of that since I am sanding it back down to the red. Then it is just a matter of what product to put on the IPE afterwards. The 2 that keep getting pretty favorable reviews are TWP or Sikkens. Can anyone give me a review after using both and how long they last ? What about using a top sealer, non oil based instead of staining. I saw one set of reviews commenting that why keep trying these (expensive) oil based hardwood products when they really don't get absorbed far enough with the density of Ipe and quickly fade with some sun and water. The theory was just seal the top, hold the natural color and be prepared to re-seal in time (maybe sanding again). Any thoughts on that ?.