Do I need primer to paint over an old deck? There's an old old flaky coat of marine paint on it now.?

what you have is an oil based paint... sorry but you will have to scrape it then prime it and repaint it... if not the old will keep flaking even with the new paint on... it will look worse in the long run

How was that flaky coat? Before you went the pressure washer route.

Was it curling up and coming off in thin (like sunburned skin peel)or was it coming off in flat thick layers.

Mom won't be sitting. Hands and knees. Painting is 99% prep. 1%application.

Using a pressure washer on a wood deck is not advisable, but now you've done it. Let it dry a week(of hot weather minimum) Otherwise your new paint will be lifting off because of the moisture in the wood "steams it off".

Unpainted wood - primer is a must.

((Look at primer as a "binder" between surfaces.)) It is more important than the finish coat. Putting on over an oldish coat, scrape loose what comes loose and feather edge the peel with 60 grit sandpaper

- you can scrape off the nails if you really want to get them off - but there is no reason to- - so don't be so hard on the paint that is actually sticking good.

Sweep clean.

Clean any areas that the barbeQ was sitting on with TSP (grease remover) THAT has to be gone.

Now the deck should be clean and free of grease.

Primer the whole darn thing.

Let the primer dry a week. Doesn't matter whether the primer be oil primer or water based primer. A week. Then 2 coats of finish porch and floor enamel is gonna go on with at least 2 days between coats - a week is better- LATEX 100%Acrylic-gotta be that or it won't last. Vinyl is not as good by far.

There is no shortcuts. This is the shortest route. If it is a covered (roofed over deck) should last about 10 years.

Pressure washing will not work and it could damage the wood.

I guess it depends on how good you want it to look when you are completed.

But first of you will have to scrape it there is no way around that sorry.

On the fresh wood you have to use a primer. The primer seals it and protects the wood. In sealing it it also provides a good surface to paint. If you don’t primer you will need to paint it 3-4 time to get it to look right and it wont last long.

After scraping (which is the most important and difficult part) rent a sprayer or buy one.

I used to own a painting business and you will never use a brush or roller again after spraying. Take the time to think through the job and mask off what should not be painted.

You can also buy spray shield from a paint store that you helper puts in place while you paint. It make it very fast. you will need 2 shields minimum. this method will make it so you don't need to mask. (Recommended)

As a pro using a sprayer your deck would take1-2 days with 2 people. I would also charge (this is a guess site unseen) $1000-$2k to do it for you.

When you spray you need to mix the paint. If its oil based add 1 gal of thinner to 5 gallons it ists latex add 1 gal of water to 5 gallons. You do this so it will spray properly.

OH HONEY...... You have a big task in front you, bless your soul, the only thing that I can tell you from experience ( I just been down that road about 6 months ago with the new house that we bought) It sounds like to me that what was painted on the deck was oil paint and if you paint latex on it it will just come up, and if you still use oil paint to paint over that stuff that is old in about 6 months it will come peeling up and there goes your new paint job. So this means that you are going to have to scrap up all that old stuff then 2 coats of primer then 2 to 3 coats of new paint and that should last years. But before I went thru all that trouble call Lowes, Home Depot or even a Sherwin Williams in your local area and tell them what you are faced with, they are always coming out with some new product that makes our lives easier that maybe you could put down and cut the job in half. Best luck and I pray that there is some product out there to help you. Kelly

Painting An Old Deck

They make stain blocking latex paints if your walls are either heavily tinted or have a lot of dirt or smoke on them. Don't try to remove the paint, you will only want to commit suicide before you finish. I always use the stain blocker that Dulux makes, it is good, easy to clean up, and covers well. If you have either a semi gloss or gloss paint on them right now, use the oil based stain blocker that Dulux makes. It will dry flat and you can paint latex over it without a problem. If you have your color chosen, you can ask them to tint that up to where it is about the same color and then the second coat will do OK. If you end up getting the stain blocker white, put on two coats for the best look. I spent 5 years working for Glidden, now part of Dulux, four years in the Navy where I specialized in painting things grey, and then years doing home remodeling including painting.

what i would do is gust get some wire brushes, scrub all the flaky paint of then give it a couple of coats of exterior gloss.

Unless you want a *perfect job* ...then you'll need to strip the whole lot back, prime it, the top coat.

As far as I know, primer is only really neccasary on untreated or reconditioned wood.

Good luck