My first job, please help

D

Disempl

New member
just got my first job. It’s a 20x30 redwood deck. I wanted to ask you what cleaning solution and which sealer you would use on it.

I went on the Delco web site and they recommend the following:

1 - Clean the deck using a Sodium Hydroxide cleaner
2 - Neutralize the wood with mild acids: Phosphoric, Oxalic, & Citric
3 - Seal the deck.


Since this is a redwood deck; I think. I wasn’t going to depend on the pressure washer to do all the work. The recommendation by Delco is to use the solutions to do most of the cleaning. So I am going to use the cleaning solutions and scrub the deck with a brush. Then I was going to follow with the washer or should I spray the neutralizer and then the washer? If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Besides Delco products what else can i use?
 
Neutralize it AFTER you wash it. Wash it with a lowered amount of pressure..........around 1000 psi or so. Depending on the sealer you use, you may have to rinse the brightener off when you're all done.
 
The job is in Columbia.
The pressure washer i'm using is a Honda 3,700psi; got it a Home Depot. How do I control the pressure since theres no gauge on it.
Thanks for the info.
 
Research the sealant that you use - certain sealants can turn redwood a blackish color..
 
Not sure what solutions Delco is telling you to use. A sodium percarbonate cleaner is preferred. You don't need a SH product if you're not stripping a sealer. As Rodney said, it can furr up the wood pretty well (as can a percarbonate cleaner). You may have to do some sanding after cleaning to remove furring.

To regulate your pressure, you'll need to use different sized tips. I believe Delco's site has a nozzle chart, which will tell you which sized tips you'll need for different pressures based on the GPM of your machine. You can also order those tips from Delco (or any other pressure washing supplier). For your machine, I'd guess you need at least a size 10.0 tip. The tips that came with the machine are probably 4.0 (meaning the hole is much smaller, thus producing much higher PSI)

There are some good products out there for sealers. I use ReadySeal, and they do have a product designed specifically for Redwood. RS is an easy to use product, and produces great results. You'll want to apply the sealer AFTER at least a couple days of dry weather

I'd also suggest doing a LOT of reading on the boards about the proper techniques for wood restoration. The last thing you want to do is screw up someone's redwood deck while you're learning! There's a LOT of information here and elsewhere. Make use of the search function and spend some time reading.

Basically, what I'd do if it were me is start in the first forum and read every post for the past 6 months (at least) and work your way through each forum that way...You'll be amazed at the information you'll be able to put together (and take notes!)
 
Just a quick update. I finished the project. The owner was really happy with my work and he had me do a couple other things for him. I used Oxyclean as my cleaning solution, which I wasn't really happy with the result so I scrubbed the deck. I bought the neutralizer from Home Depot and it didn’t make much of a difference. The deck is about 15 years old and hasn't been cleaned & sealed in over 5 years so I decided to go with a stain sealer instead, which only cost $25 more from what I estimated. After I threw the sealer on the deck looked great. The only problem I ran into was the aluminum siding; like a moron I put a brush to it. Otherwise everything came out nice. Now his neighbor wants me to pressure wash his garage. It’s stained cedar siding. What should I do so I do not damage it and is it necessary to use any cleaning solutions?
 
If you're going to be doing wood, I'd suggest doing a LOT of reading in the wood care forums...There are chems and processes that make your job a lot easier, as well as giving better results. I'd definitely suggest looking into using a commercial sealer. I use Readyseal, which is pretty much goof-proof. There are other good sealers, some take more work and expertise than others.
 
You need to orders some quality cleaners. Your wasting your time and money. Use a percarbonate base cleaner and oxalic acid to neutralize. Very little pressure.

I would recommend some chemical suppliers, but its better that you research on this board and find your own.
 
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