Adrian.
First off, wood does not have a PH of 7. 7 is considered neutral on a PH scale. The wood will be on the low side of the scale which is the acid side. Pine will be around 5.4, cedar will be around a 4. Different species of wood will have different PH factors. You will also find that areas of growth will effect the PH factor of the same species.
If you try to adjust the PH higher than what it should be, you will darken the wood. There are some finish manufactures out there that will tell you that the PH of the wood has to be 7 before applying their product. If you run into one of these, walk away from it. You can adjust the PH and bring it up to 7, but you can't make it stay there. The mass of the wood will eventually go back to whatever the PH was to start with.
Any chemical company should have PH strips. They will not give you an accurate reading,
but close enough for our use. When you use these, be sure to use distilled water. Hope
this has helped a little.
Jim Bilyeu
Exterior Woodcare
<FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Jim Bilyeu on May 21, 2000 ]</font>