Chemicals for wood restoration

Henry Bockman

Henry Bockman

Maryland Pressure Washing
From all that I have seen or run acrossed I have not been able to find the one compound I'm looking for.
Hopefully someone out there knows of something like this.

What I'm looking for is a chemical that I can downstream or apply with a shurflow like sprayer, onto a deck before I clean it as a pre-treat agent.
This should be a good cleaning agent/brightner that does not require another chemical to nuetrilize.
I would like to find something that can either be nutrilized by water, or not at all before the deck is washed, dryed and then sealed with what ever sealer I want to use.

Has anyone found a chemical like this and if so where and what's it called?

If there isnt anything like this why doesnt someone make it?
 
Not me.

I restore wood with a percarbonate base cleaner. An neutralize with an oxalic acid. After I clean the wood (deck), I spray on the oxalic acid and leave - I do not rinse.

I couldn't imagine not neutralizing - it brightens the wood up so much and produces a better look.
 
All cleaning chemicals can be neutralized with water alone, however it may take more time and water than neutralizing with opposite pH chemicals.

Most acid neutralizers for the wood industry are also brighteners.
 
Henry,

Percarbonate cleaners can be neutralized with water only if you don't need to brighten.

There are a lot of good percarbonate based cleaners out there,
including some sold by DeckGuide, SunBrite Supply and The GrimeScene. (I believe they will all send you samples if you want.)
All of those suppliers plus EnviroSpec sell Oxalic acid based brighteners/neutralizers.

Your oxalic acid brigtener for example will also neutralize your above neutral pH cleaner along with removing mill glaze.
 
Henry

Go to chemistrystrore.com and buy your own. They have formulas on their site, that tells you how to mix.
 
Bleach

If you use a good hi alkaline cleaner like 6136 from www.pressuretek.com
and bleach at 3-1 ratio, you wont have to briten, neutralize, etc.. the deck will look great when it dries, just as if you used oxalic acid...

Hope this helps....
 
I can speak for EFC 38 cleaner, in that it DOES have a brightening agent in it. It will take longer to brighten but it does brighten by itself. I personally use Oxallic after all stripping and cleaning.

Reed
 
I may have an oportunity to clean the wood deck of a restaraunt. It has a lot of dirt on the main walk way area into the restaraunt. other than that a quick cleaning. Its pressure treated wood but I dont know the particular type, though looks like pine. Will not need to be stripped or stained or sealed. What do you guys sugest using just for cleaning?

Also its about 3000 sf of floor, railings are painted so probably just a quick spray down needed.
 
Cleaner

Not sure how much cleaning you do, ? I would get 30-50 gallons of 6136 from Bob at www.pressuretek.com you can clean anything with this, and with wood, cleaning, you can start at 25-1 dilution, depending on how much mold, alagae, etc.. you will aslo want to use pool chlorine at 10-1 or household bleach at 4-1, I am now washing everything with warm not hot, water, and this makes a huge time saver, both on chems and labor, with 110-125 degrees, water, you will cut your time by almost half, also since I use warmt water and hi volume, I never use over 600-900 PSI, dont have too, but even when using these cleaners, I still brighten wood after washing with Oxalic,
It just flat out looks better, and doesnt add much to the job cost..
 
Hey rob,

You should use oxyginated bleach instead of household bleach or pool chlorine. The chlorine in those chemicals will damage the wood. As for using warm water, I use it on occasion also but usually only 90 degrees or so. You don't have to go hotter than that to speed up your cleaning and the lower temp is easier on the wood and your gas usage. I usually only use it to remove clear sealers.
 
Tried

Henry,
I have tried on several occassions using the oxygenated bleaches and sodium per cabs, but on the real thick green/black mold, it wont work,
and In my area, some of these decks and houses never see sunlight, they are covered in heavy trees, and this stuff is like stripping sealer from wood it it's so thick, but if I use a sodium hydroxide on it as well, that usually does the trick, nothing can live in that stuff,..
 
Sodium Hydroxide (depending on concentration) may be more harmful to wood than bleach and is not as effective on mold and mildew.
 
It's not apples to apples, but here is an example of the corrosiveness of Sodium Hydroxide.
 

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Dont Follow..?

Paul,
Im not sure what you mean as not effective as bleach, ? when I strip decks using only Sodium Hydroxide, there is no mold, mildew, algae etc.. to be found after washing, ? so if it is not as effective, what is killing and removing it..? when I use just soap, I have to add bleach or it will not remove or kill the mold.., and also, the forestry department says bleach is not harmful to wood at all, I dont know whoever said bleach is bad for wood, but any chemical that kills fungi or removes stain is just as harmful as the other, so you really have no choice in the matter, everything including just plain soap, is not good for wood, as lond as everything is rinsed good, and you use the correct sealer, any deck, fence, roof wood structure etc.. should outlive all of us
 
# for #, $ for $ sodium hypochlorite is more effective than sodium hydroxide.
 
Rob,

You say that:
“…the forestry department says bleach is not harmful to wood at all, I don’t know whoever said bleach is bad for wood…”

I suppose for everyone, except the forestry department, it is a scientific fact that bleach breaks down the lignin (in dead wood).
Wood is made up of lignin and cellulose.
The lignin is the “glue” that holds the wood fibers together.
It is the first part of the wood to get destroyed in the aging process.
Among the BAD things for lignin are:
- sunlight UV rays
- improper pressure washing
- bleach
- sodium hydroxide

Having worked in paper making, I can vouch for the scientific fact that bleaching is used not only to brighten/whiten wood pulp, but also because it is SO effective in breaking down the lignin in the wood.

There is some truth in all fiction, when you say:
“...but any chemical that kills fungi or removes stain is just as harmful as the other, so you really have no choice in the matter, everything including just plain soap, is not good for wood…”

However, in this case knowing your chemistry can help you sort out the truth from fiction. You DO have choices! Using the proper chemicals and the proper preparation of wood surface is the key for providing the longest lasting and highest quality finish for your decks (without discussion of stains).

Lets talk turkey (truth):
- Soap contains lye (sodium hydroxide) but we use it to clean our bodies, so it is no more harmful to wood than to humans.
- Areas where lignin has been dissolved by the bleach, will NOT hold sealant or stain.
- Not all chemicals are as harmful to wood structure as bleach. As a matter of fact, hydrogen peroxide is the SAFEST alternative (for both humans and for the wood) for killing mold & mildew on wood.


Last but not least, I’ll stick to my original comment (in context):
“Sodium Hydroxide (depending on concentration) may be more harmful to wood than bleach and is not AS effective on mold and mildew.” Meaning that when you are stripping a finish from wood, you are causing more harm to the wood than when you apply bleach at 2-3% level for killing mold & mildew.
 
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Any Chemical

Any chemical that can eat a hole in your skin is obviously not great for wood
I dont doubt that at all, in fact I agree with you, When I use chlorine on wood to kill mold etc.. I am downstreaming soap and chlorine and approx. 20-24 to 1, and at that high of a dilution rate, I personally dont think I am doing more damage, than strippers, or hard pressure washing..
 
Dilution helps and the amount of time it stays on the wood is also a factor. The longer it stays on, the more it will break down the lignin.

Sodium hypochlorite will turn to salt if it's not rinsed off properly and will cause havoc with the life of the applied finish.
 
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