Cleaning a Deck

Hey everyone, got a question. Ok, yesterday I was cleaning this deck, 3000 psi/cold, no chemicals, water was beading on the vertical surfaces...i really couldn't tell much that they were coming clean. But on the flat areas the weathered, gray and green came off. My question is: did this deck needed to be stripped?? or just cleaned with a good chemical??? The customer was happy with the results, mainly because the all the grey was gone on the base and top of railings. It was a wash only, but I'm not really satisfied with the results. I would be greatful for everyone's opinion on this.

Thanks,

Mark McCurley
Atlantis Pressure Washing

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Mark McCurley
Atlantis Pressure Washing

A good thing to try would be to throw a little bit of water on a deck when you do the estimate, that way you could see if it beaded up like that.

No matter what is on a deck, even if it is just plain dirty, you should use some sort of cleaner. You should never wash a deck with just water. Using a cleaner allows you to use less pressure (you should be using 1500psi or less) and also makes it easier to do a nice even, consistent job cleaning it.

Depending on the type of cleaner you use, you might have to spray the deck with a brightner or oxalic acid to neutralize the effect of the cleaner.

Good luck with this, and if there is anyting you dont understand, dont hesitate to ask further questions.

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Mike Hughes
Everclear
Souderton, PA

Your problem was the sealer on the verticles was still intact and resisting water and the sealer (if any) on the floor was toast. This is very common. The Horizontals of a deck will always need refinishing before the verticles because they take more of a beating. Snow, rain, dirt, and foot traffic, all wear away and or rest on the horizontals. A solution to your problem would be to try a cleaner first. This may help to break down the sealer on the verticles and allow you to clean them. If it doesn't seem to have any effect you'll need to strip. Good Luck!


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Greg Rentschler
GCR PowerClean
www.gcrpowerclean.com
NEW E-Mail address: GCR PowerClean@cs.com