How to Refinish Your Deck With Splinters in It

Put on safety glasses to protect your eyes and a dust mask to keep from swallowing sawdust.

Plug an extension cord into a nearby receptacle to allow you freedom of movement with minimal interruptions from needing to plug the sander into different outlets.

Attach medium-grit sandpaper to an orbital sander and sand the deck from one end to the other, ridding the wood of splinters. An orbital sander shouldn't be kept over one spot for a long time. Instead, apply light pressure as you smoothly move the sander back and forth over the board you are working on. Make at least two passes over the entire deck with the sander to ensure all splinters have been removed.

Drag a rag across the entire deck in different directions. This will allow you to find splinters you might have missed if the rag catches onto a splinter. Sand down any splinters you find using the rag.

Apply a coat of deck stain in a color of your liking with a paintbrush going in the same direction as the wood grain. Let the stain dry as long as recommended by the stain manufacturer, then apply a second coat if it is not dark enough for your liking.

Apply a coat of wood sealer to the deck using a clean paintbrush once the stain has sufficiently dried. Allow the sealer to dry for at least 24 hours before using your deck.