Pete Marentay
Distinguished Professors
Some contractors use surface cleaners on wood deck floors. If the wood is completely petrified, that probably works OK.
On the other hand, there are a few great reasons to never use that kind of tool on a deck. First of all, surface cleaners do not even spin without around 2000 PSI moving through them, which is way too much pressure for most types of wood. Ipe might be an exception, but setting exceptions can leave room for a mistake.
Washing wood with low pressure and strong cleaners is the original "soft wash" - something common in the wood world for twenty years. Using a surface cleaner at 3500 PSI is not my definition of "soft wash".
Secondly, for somewhere between 20% and 80% of the circular path a surface cleaner makes, you are working against the grain. Your old shop teacher always told you to sand with the grain, and I support that. When you use that kind of pressure and work against the grain, you will very likely hollow out the soft wood between the grain lines. This ends up looking like "raised grain" but they ought to call it "lowered pulp".
Anyway, That is one of the basics about working on decks. If you are tempted to go at that large deck with a surface cleaner, please think twice.
The only reason for using a tool like this (meant for concrete) on wood is speed. I can match the speed and get better results by using low pressure and quality cleaners or strippers.
Like everybody else, I learned a lot by making mistakes. I am trying to help you avoid this easy mistake. I know I will see a few replies telling me that they do this all the time without any problems. I would argue that the problems are there, just not looking to close at them.
Let me know what you think.
On the other hand, there are a few great reasons to never use that kind of tool on a deck. First of all, surface cleaners do not even spin without around 2000 PSI moving through them, which is way too much pressure for most types of wood. Ipe might be an exception, but setting exceptions can leave room for a mistake.
Washing wood with low pressure and strong cleaners is the original "soft wash" - something common in the wood world for twenty years. Using a surface cleaner at 3500 PSI is not my definition of "soft wash".
Secondly, for somewhere between 20% and 80% of the circular path a surface cleaner makes, you are working against the grain. Your old shop teacher always told you to sand with the grain, and I support that. When you use that kind of pressure and work against the grain, you will very likely hollow out the soft wood between the grain lines. This ends up looking like "raised grain" but they ought to call it "lowered pulp".
Anyway, That is one of the basics about working on decks. If you are tempted to go at that large deck with a surface cleaner, please think twice.
The only reason for using a tool like this (meant for concrete) on wood is speed. I can match the speed and get better results by using low pressure and quality cleaners or strippers.
Like everybody else, I learned a lot by making mistakes. I am trying to help you avoid this easy mistake. I know I will see a few replies telling me that they do this all the time without any problems. I would argue that the problems are there, just not looking to close at them.
Let me know what you think.