The Basics of Deck Cleaning

Deck cleaning or wood restoration is probably the most misunderstood service when it comes to pressure washing. There is a lot more to restoring wood than just blasting away at it and then resealing it. The number one reason a sealer fails is because the wood wasn’t prepped properly. First of all you must understand, wood is soft and can be easily damaged with too much water pressure so it is necessary to back down the pressure and achieve the results with the proper chemical.

A lot of factors determine what cleaner to use to restore the wood. If the deck is grayed out from the sun a good deck cleaner should work well. If the wood has been sealed before, then a stripper should be used to remove all the remnants of the failing sealer. Once this has been determined, the chemical can be applied to the wood and the deck can be washed with the right amount of pressure.

Once the wood is properly cleaned or stripped it then has to be neutralized, this is achieved by applying a special acid to the wood. This process will neutralize the caustic cleaners that were used, and brighten the wood again. Then deck is then allowed to dry out for a couple days before being resealing. It may be best suited to call a professional power washing contractor that offers deck cleaning. If so, be sure to ask the contractor the right questions to determine is knowledge of wood restoration and to be sure he is going to do the job right.