Ok first things first, scape off everything that is peeling until you have a smooth surface. Otherwise where there is a ridge it will continue to peel. Next make sure the surface is clean and dry. Most deck paints last about 5 years. Just remember there are 6 sides to a cube and if you want the paint to protect you need to paint all of them. I'm not in favor of vinyl but that's just me. If they are falling apart then they need to be replaced. Better to do it now then fight with it for a few years and then end up replacing them anyway.

Jeff Man,you post is perfectly easy to get to. Anyway the only way to get cwf off so you can refinish is with md80, just google it up, sanding wont do it,normal strippers will not do it.Spraying away the flakes will not do it. cwf is amoung the many outdoor finish products that should not even be made much less sold. If your not in your comfort zone using what will work,just put somemore cwf on, and live with it. John Mon already said no more finish questions,,, ghesssss OK this is the last one!!

If any of you have a gun, I welcome you to come over to my house and put a bullet in my head. Hell, use two or three. Or eighteen. Tonight, I decided I'd try to get the rest of the stain up. The paint store that sell's the wolman's mix of sodium percarb was closed (as specialty stores always are -- I believe it's a scientific fact that specialty stores are only open between 1-3am in an alternate universe populated by garden gnomes), I decided to try the Outdoor OxyClean mix, and I used higher than the recommended dose based on advise I've seen on this forum before. Big mistake. I'm sure you could have told me that. Well, all I managed to do was turn the remaining stain into a pile of sticky goo which no amount of scrubbing would remove from the deck. While the deck was wet (which it still is), the gunked-up stain was visible as a foggy white film and was easily raked into mounds. I can't even imagine what this crap is going to look like when it dries. Plus, I'm pretty sure I threw my back out doing it. So now I can watch my crapped up deck while my back throbs in pain and I watch from my sofa in agony. Yes!!! Okay, seriously, if I go and buy the Wolman's stuff again, (assuming I can make a deal with the Devil in order to enter the parellel universe in which the specialty paint store is actually open), am I going to damage my Ipe by washing it a third time in one week? If so, what are my options at this point? P.S. Sorry to rant and rave. I'm at my wit's end. I have no coping mechanism. I should have hired someone. Thanks for putting up with me. P.P.S. No, I don't really want to be shot. But a sedative or a six-pack might be helpful.

I assume you are doing this project outside? Does atmospheric precipitation (like rain) occur where you live? Take that stuff up and haul it to the dump. Anyone saving old carpet, do the world a favor and get rid of it! Painters plastic is not for protecting floors. That is what drop cloths are for. It is too thin and will tear as soon as you walk on it. Plus the paint drips get on your shoes and track everywhere. Cloth drops absorb the drips and wipe off your shoes as you work. For construction grade plastic, use the thick 6-mil stuff. The black will resist UV decay. Clear decays in a year outdoors. Without seeing your job, I wouldn't know if a ground level vapor barrier is necessary. One thing is if you have a vapor barrier, it needs to be graded properly to prevent standing water from accumulating under the deck.