Hi Shane,
Exterior woods will swell and shrink all the time. That is why the wood has to be able to
breath. Any moisture that gets into the wood has to be discharged out in a gases form. Hot water will open the pores of the wood just like hot water opens your pores when you
take a hot bath or shower. There are two types of pores in wood. You have the breathing pores and you have the structural pores. The structural pore are the ones that will load up with water, weather you use hot or cold water. Once the wood has been cleaned, this moisture will evaporate at a very fast phase, leaving the structural pores open so that it will accept the finish much better.. Believe it or not, hot water will evaporate quicker than cold water will. Also, it is the structural pores of the wood that you have to be careful with. To much pressure will rupture these cells and leave soft punky wood. You won't be able to see it, but it is there and will eventually turn to dry rot. You should never use just a
pressure washer to remove old stains with. Use a good stripper to loosen the stain and
then use the pressure washer to wash it off with. It will take you a few more minutes to
apply the stripper but you'll make it up in the removal. One more thing. Allot of the
products on the market today, require that they be removed before recoating or
refinishing. That is why it is important to know what is on the wood before refinishing. If we don't know what product has been used, we always strip before applying a new one.
That is the only way that we will know that the product we apply will last. You guys have
a great day.
Jim Bilyeu
Exterior Woodcare
<FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Jim Bilyeu on April 15, 2000 ]</font>
<FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Jim Bilyeu on April 15, 2000 ]</font>
