Hi,
I’ve seen alot of posts about powerwashing decks but I haven’t seen this addressed. I’ve heard recently that the “new” thinking is that power washing “injects” too much water into the wood shortening the life of pressure treated woods…
Anyone have any insight on this?
Also, if this is the case, can anyone recommend a good deck cleaning chemical. My deck is CCA treated pine and at 850 sq ft I’m not keen of the idea of scrubbing it by hand.
Thanks.
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There are several percolates that chemically remove the aged wood fibres to renew the appearance of a deck. Some come in packages of powder to be mixed with water before use, and some are premixed or can be a condensed that needs thinning.
Flood makes one. I can't remember brand names of others.
I recommend keeping pressure washers far from wood, mostly because the high pressure can strio the softer wood fibre from between the rings of winterwood, leaving an irregular pattern as of aged driftwood and sometimes lifting shreds of wood to hang free so the surface looks like a tomcat after losing a fight.
Pressure washers need especialy to be kept away from siding as it can also inject water under the wood where it will boil out and ruin the paint job.
I understand that in southern climates where mildew is nasty, PW is common but it should be done by a pro with minimal pressure and with additives to help chemicaly instead of relying on the water.
If you have nearby shrubbery and ground plantings, you need to read the label before you buy or use it. Some are enviro friendly, some merely require that you wet the vegetation first, some require covering with plastic and some will kill them at ten paces, no mater what you do.
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Hi Mark ..
The Deck Wash I use is by Behr (only behr product I buy!). Has good cleaning agents, and bleach for the mildew. Does a great job.
Soak everything with a pump sprayer, give it a light scrubbibg with like a car wash brush-on-a-stick, and you'll be all set.
The only wood I recommend power washing is ipe and maybe meranti.
Forgot to say that the deck wash is called Deck Prep.