[RPetry]

Blakefan87,

Hmm, 20 hrs. is a lot of time to strip and sand a 200 sq. ft. deck. But lets do the math, and see how much you lost or saved.

Just for comparison, let's say that to remove the old cedar and install new, it would take the exact amount of time, 20 hours. Probably not too far off if it took that long to prep the existing cedar. Good stainless steel fasteners, and stainless should be mandatory on cedar, might cost another $50. Compared to the $100 you have actually spent on prepping, you are now down $50.

Assuming decent grade western red cedar is the same cost in Wisc. as NU, your "true" cost is the cost of new wood. For a 200 sq. ft. deck floor, you would need ~400 linear ft. of 5/4 x 6 WRC at $3 per linear ft. That is $1200.

I would guesstimate that you have saved ~ $1150. Congrats!