Ugly deck stain? Best to remove it and start fresh

Q. I have mahogany porch-decks in the front and rear of my house. I cleaned the wood and stained it, but the stain remained tacky for a long time and showed dirt and footprints. I then used a roof-and-deck cleaner and it removed some of the stain but just made things worse. What do you suggest?

A. The best way to handle a botched or ugly deck stain is to remove it completely and start fresh.

For this you will need a good deck-stain stripper such as Flood’s Wood Stripper ( www.floodco.com). A deck cleaner won’t do the job.

You can buy deck-stain removers at home centers and hardware stores, but be sure to read the directions and specifications before buying. Some strippers will remove only latex stains, while others, like the Flood’s product above, will remove both oil-based and latex stains.

Removing stain is a messy, tedious job but should leave you with a clean wood surface.

Mahogany is considered a premium deck wood and often has good color of its own, so you might want to consider a clear deck sealer rather than another stain.

No matter what you apply semi-transparent stain or clear sealer it will probably need to be renewed in a couple of years. Mahogany is a hardwood, and finishes do not penetrate deeply into the wood, so they wear easily.

To avoid a sticky finish, follow directions carefully for best application temperature and humidity, and wipe off any excess finish that doesn’t penetrate.

Q. Our bathtub leaks when we take showers but not when we take baths. The water gets on the floor and even leaks through the ceiling below. Some of it seems to leak through the shower curtain. Any suggestions?

A. First, check the caulk around the rim of the bathtub and look for cracks or missing caulk. The best bet is to scrape off the old caulk and apply a new bead of mildew-resistant tub-and-tile caulk all around the tub-wall joint.

Next, look for cracked or missing grout in the tiles on the walls around the tub. A few cracks can be repaired with the tub-and-tile caulk, but if the grout is in very poor condition it could mean that water has already soaked into the wall behind the tiles and more extensive work is needed, possibly including replacement of the wet wall panels.

Finally, you should consider replacing that leaking shower curtain with a sliding glass door.

Sliding doors that will fit most tubs can be bought at home centers and are not difficult to install. If in doubt about your skills at installing a door, you should be able to get installation service at extra cost.

It is important to stop the leaking, which can cause serious problems such as mold and rotted floors.