Using Oxalic Acid

Mandrake

New Member
Is there a secret to using Oxalic Acid? We tried a side by side comparison with some 12.5 bleach and couldn't get the OA to do much. I purchased a 60lb bag and mixed it with water at the ratio recommended by the rep. We tried some stronger mixes but the "brightening" effect was barely noticable. It didn't seem to mix well in cold water. We're looking for an alternative to bleach for brightening wood fences, shingles, decks...

Appreciate any advice.
 

clearview

New Member
i use sodium hydroxide to clean the deck. if i want to neutralize it, i'll use OA. don't you find that bleach turns the wood more pale instead of brightening? even if i don't neutralize a deck, the sodium hydroxide leaves the wood looking a lot more golden in color than bleach. all you have to do is pump spray the deck. and low pressure rinse. don't get this stuff on your skin, it burns like crazy. i've still got a mark on me from a burn I got in december. it also needs to be kept off of painted surfaces and plants.

bring plastic sheeting to cover things with, a respirator, chem resistant gloves, eye protections wear long sleeves and pants. I mix the stuff half and half with water. costs the same as bleach where I live.

NOBODY START A TO BLEACH OR NOT TO BLEACH WOOD WAR OVER THIS!
 

CaroliProWash

New Member
WHY would you not neutralize the deck after sodium hydroxide? SH changes the ph of the wood - it has to be balanced back out with an acid !! There are those who do not rinse the acid - not us, we rinse repeatedly.

Celeste
 

douseahouse

New Member
clean or strip

celeste,

first off, how have you been? i'd love to see you and roger again. i'm not really a deck man but i'm wanting to learn to be one. i'm going to quote a deck job in a couple of days whereas the customer says that she just wants it cleaned. it is stained a dark color and apparently has mildew on it. she said that she will spray it with water seal after i finish. my worry is always that if i try to clean it and end up stripping it then i'm in deep do-do. i have some of the f18 from bob that i can use. also, i'm not even sure how to price this thing. how much a sq ft do you recommend? should i just stick with my housewash to clean? (shc, simple cherry, dawn) how about if i take a couple of pics and send to you guys?

thanks,

rando
 
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CaroliProWash

New Member
Hey Rando!

Things have definitely picked up - love the spring! We're actually trying to put another little Carolina get-together together pretty soon. Then Beyond the Wand happens in October :) Anytime you want to send over photos, send them! Roger has several decks lined up over the next couple of weeks if you want to ride along :) Just call!

Celeste
 

john orr

New Member
douseahouse said:
celeste,

first off, how have you been? i'd love to see you and roger again. i'm not really a deck man but i'm wanting to learn to be one. i'm going to quote a deck job in a couple of days whereas the customer says that she just wants it cleaned. it is stained a dark color and apparently has mildew on it. she said that she will spray it with water seal after i finish. my worry is always that if i try to clean it and end up stripping it then i'm in deep do-do. i have some of the f18 from bob that i can use. also, i'm not even sure how to price this thing. how much a sq ft do you recommend? should i just stick with my housewash to clean? (shc, simple cherry, dawn) how about if i take a couple of pics and send to you guys?

thanks,

rando

Good morning!

Assuming there is the usual green/black crud on the deck, downstream your housewash mix, then use your 40100 or even your 40120 tip to rinse. As for price, even on a good-sized deck, this job won't take 30 minutes. Without seeing it, I would charge my minimum fee - $100.

John
 

tracy handl

New Member
Have faith!

Oxalic Acid does neutralizes alkaline cleaners, and will brighten the wood. On cedar the results can be fairly immidiate. On other woods, you may not see the full effects until the wood completely dries. So have patience, and have faith. The first time I used it a co-worked had me leaving the job before what I thought was a complete, good-looking job. Three days later, when we came back to seal, it was a night-and-day difference. After that, I learned how I could leave a job, and what to expect when I returned. Remember that chemically stripping tends to darken the wood. You do not wash to try and bring it back to a yellowish state, but rather to know you have stripped out the sealer, and that the britener will do it's job, and correct the PH and the color. A light rise of the OA will keep you from having residual salts left on the surface after it dries. Hope this sheds a little light.
:)
 

Greg Rentschler

New Member
It sounds to me like your JUST applying oxalic and if that be the case it wont do much.

Oxalic is always applied as the last step in the process. Whether your using a alkaline cleaner (percarb) or a caustic stripper the oxalic will nuetralize off the higher ph and supress the tannins in the wood. The wood itself though will also play a role in how dramatic the results are. You will see a difference wither way when it dries. Oxalic also helps to open the pores and condition the wood for stain application.

With regard to the mixing - Oxalic Acid will only dissolve into a 10% solution. Anything remaining will settle to the bottom of the bucket. Not a big deal as long as you filter your chems before they hit the shurflo. Cold water works fine as well.
 

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