Deck washing and sealing

K

Kevin McGuire

New member
Hello,
I am attempting my first deck wash and seal job. I have learned a great deal on this site. It is always my intention to do the job correctly and to the best of my ability. In this case it is a 1500sq.ft. deck, and belongs to a family member. I guess you could say it is practice. Don't judge my method until I'm done, as I said, I'm learning. I basically gave them 2 options, Ready seal or Olympic clear sealer. They chose the olympic, I'm sure due to price. I'm not very familiar with the terminology yet as far as brightener, neutralizer, ect... I am embarrassed to say that at the advice of someone I know, I washed the deck first with chlorox. ( The deck is 4 years old, never been sealed) Once dry, several areas had a gray look to them still. I then used the Olympic deck cleaner, and this stuff began removing the gray look almost immediately. I wound up washing the deck about 3 times and some areas are still light gray in color. They look great when wet though.

My question is: are there cases where the wood just won't return to the natural color, or is it a poor choice in cleaning method and material? The seal contains linseed oil, I am hoping it will absorb into the wood, and look the way it does when it is wet. Oh, it is treated wood. Thanks for any advice. Please be nice with your replies. I will post a couple of pictures when I figure out how. Sorry so long. Thanks.
 
Kevin
I too am no expert. I have never used olympic deck cleaner. It may be that you need to increase the strengh some. I would suggest a better cleaner ( precarb) next time. Since you mention neutrilizer( brightner), I asume you applied some after the cleaning process. When cleaning the deck you should only have to use around 700psi give or take to get the results you need.If you are looking for a precarb over the counter try wolmans. I think sherwin williams has it. I never used it but its probably better than anything at HD or lowes.Also let the precarb sit (dwell), maybe that will help.I found that ready seal is cheaper than olympic when purchasing up to 25 gallons.
 
Kevin,

Depending on the age and care of the deck(wood) it may appear blotchy over time. As the wood degrades this is a natural occurrence. At this point I will usually offer a semi oil base stain to keep the appearance more uniform. Rather than get into details, keep working on your knowledge of chemicals, coatings, and different species of wood and this will start to come together. To be a pro at wood restoration you need to know what chems and when to use them. What coatings and when to use them, and why. Different woods species also react differently with chems and coatings. This can be done by reading books on the subjects as well practicing over time. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. A clear applied to the deck will only accentuate the blotchy appearance you already have. Consider a toned natural or a semi. I would recommend using penetrating oil base products in either case. Good luck.
 
for some reason when i mentioned the use of chemicals on wood decks to my husband his response was that he never uses any chemicals- he finds the powerwashing pressure enouigh... does anyone have any comments on this?
 
Please do not take offense to the following but, if you are not using any type of cleaners or chemicals to restore wood then you are quite frankly a hack and not a professional. It is completely incorrect to use the water pressure only to remove stain, graying, and the like. This is the reason we can not achieve credibility to this industry. I would suggest your husband take a class or partner up with someone who he may not directly compete with to educate himself. I would be happy to help or steer him in the right direction. I can be reached at eabrams@deckrestorationplus.com or at 1-866-440-3325.
 
Stripping or removing stain is another story, i was just talking about cleaning a deck that has only been sealed.....
 
The above statement applies to decks that are just gray as well. Imagine washing your dishes with no soap. It is similar. You will eventually get them clean, but not without a lot of scrubbing and extra work.

Using the proper cleaner/chemical for a deck allows you to do a faster and cleaner job and provides a more consistent result. It allows you to reduce the pressure you apply to the deck and obtain the same if not better results.

A lot of people start out by using no chemicals, but eventually come to realize that it's not the way to go. Some decks have things on them that you may not even know about until you get into it.

Best of luck to you both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top