Tips Pressure Washing Wood Deck

Pressure washing can result in rough spots on your deck from holding the tip too close to the wood or keeping it in place for too long.

Tips pressure washing wood deck.

As mentioned in previous articles the pressure you need to wash your deck surface is rarely more than 1 500 pounds per square inch psi. Allow to dry for 24 hours then sand the surface with between a 60 to 150 grit sandpaper or sanding disk. Look for a product designed for brightening deck wood and for use in a pressure washer and make sure your pressure washer allows for the intake of cleaning solutions. After that the cost will be more like 40 60 for the scrubber bucket and deck cleaning solution.

When pressure washing a deck it is absolutely critical that you not use too powerful a spray. Then wash the deck using a power washer to scrub the surface clean. If the wood is badly darkened or stained with mildew washing with a deck cleaning solution that includes sodium hydroxide can help brighten it. How much does it cost to pressure wash a deck.

If you encounter raised or splintered spots after cleaning with a power washer or wish to prep the deck for sealer you should sand them. A pressure washer could become your most valuable tool on chore day helping you tackle a range of tasks in record time. It s a great weekend project that will cost the average home owner between 200 300 dollars if you re buying the pressure washer for the first time. To add years of useful life to your deck treat.

Wood is a product of nature and even pressure treated decks will eventually succumb to harsh uv rays wet dry cycles and temperature fluctuations. This is still enough pressure to do damage to soft wood and enough pressure to leave lap marks on most composite decking. Too much force can destroy your wood so do not use a high powered nozzle. Less is more when it comes to pressure washing.

Pressure washing can help but if you want your stain to last using a good deck cleaner and brightener on the deck prior to pressure washing will provide you the best result. A good deck cleaner can remove the gray fibers dirt mold mildew and other impurities deep in the wood. After a deep power washing the wood fibers of the various components of the deck often raise as they expand with water once dry these wood fibers can often remain raised and may cause splinters.