DIY curious about a deck quote

[MudDuck]

Rick, are you saying it would take you 2 and 1/2 days to plank out a 10X20 floor with new boards? He spent 20 hrs thus far sand prepping (how much time spent on the original stripping?) and going to strip it again which will require sanding / de furing AGAIN. Remember he spent 20 hrs the first time w/ "150 lb sander". (I'm thinking thats a stand up swing type, 20 hrs?) and thats for just the FLOOR. And thats not the CEDAR verticals, which your going to leave OLD PAINT ON? Thats a crime in and of itself. Plus cost of stain and materials, add in the possible / probable screw up factor with the stain which is going to look like crap regardless with old painted verts. Once thats realized what are you going to do strip the verts? OK try to hand sand verts w/ 3 layers in good faith but theres another 40 hrs prior to realizing it fruitless and strip anyway and ruin the flooring and start all over again? To save $1150.00? No to save about $500-750.00 (cash not the 40-50+ hrs time) at that point, to only then have someone come out and do it all again. Say all goe's well, how much is 40-50 hrs of your time (plus several $100's materials) for an average looking DIY'er job worth vs having a pro come out do it right in 3 days for 1200?
If your going to do a beautiful CEDAR deck you have to do it right, top to bottom or you will not be happy. Old painted verticals on newly sanded stained cedar floor? It'll take about 15 minutes before he realizes he should have done it all and "I aint doing that again" and pays to have it done AGAIN. Again what has he saved?
Your going to have a 2500.00 odd looking OK DIY deck job when your done or a 3700.00ish WoW deck job that should have cost you only 1200.00 if you had only called a pro from the start. DIY is OK if you have the time but you have to do it right, not skipping any steps or you won't be happy. Doing just the floor is a bad idea and after realizing how hard this really is without experience and the right tools you will probably be more than willing to pay to have someone else do it next time, hence the extra 1200 tp 1500.00 on top of your job. Go through some of the pics here at some cedar decks and see how good they can look completly done right. Good luck.

[MMI Enterprises]

Mud, he said 'belt' and '150 lb' so that would not be a swing machine. Use of either though should not take nearly any time close to 20 hour so I assume he means 20 hour total messing around on it with other procedures before he hit it with sander. 200' take nothin but a couple hour max with proper grit and machine setup.