Limeade said:
lol, sorry I meant a 3000psi machine, but hey, thanks for being the typical asshat, kudos to you!
Anyways...
Sorry if I came across as an asshat. You just blended in with the other guys who come on here and elsewhere thinking they're going to start a pressure washing business with a $300.00 home depot machine. Sorry for the assumption, but it WAS based on the information you gave.
3000psi will be way too much for decks, but you can cut that down with larger tips. That machine will do the job, but will be a good bit slower than a higher gpm machine. For doing houses or concrete, I'd seriously consider investing in at least a 4 gpm machine, preferably 5gpm or higher.
As far as what is required to do decks, yes, it is much more than just washing them with water. That won't do anything, unless you're using way too much pressure, in which case you're simply blasting off the dirty layer of wood.
Some use a sodium percarbonate cleaner, others use a chlorine based cleaner. You'll need some good strippers in your arsenal, as well as an oxalic or citric acid based neutralizer/brightener. You'll also need to decide which type of sealer you want to use (and there are a lot of them). Many prefer ReadySeal or WoodTux for an oil based penetrating sealer.
You'll also need all the equipment to apply these products. My suggestion if you're serious about doing wood restoration is to spend several hours ready every post you can find about decks and wood. There's a lot of information here.
