Looking for deck cleaning & staining advice

[Cre8tive Dad]

Hey guys, before I put all my trust into the local Home Depot guy I wanted to get your experiences with this.

My deck is 20' x 20' with black stains where I left the dead leaves for too long.

1)I'm renting a power washer. Do you think I need some sort of detergent mixed in?

2) I'll be using a sealer/stain to darken the color a bit. Will a pump-type sprayer (e.g. insecticide type) work for this? Or should I invest in one more powerful.

Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Mark B.]

I am sure there are guys here who have experience with this situation. I am pretty sure it has come up before. Short of that, I would talk to someone at a real paint store to get better info. They have done and seen it all. If you can get by without powerwashing it by just cleaning the deck, it might do less damage to the wood as well.

[sao95]

a low psi power washer should do the job if the discoloration hasn't soaked into the wood, if it doesn't just put a bit of bleach/water on the spot and scrub at it. And yes a pump sprayer will work fine. Actually if you have to rent the pressure washer I would just use a hose and some simple green/bleach first, a simple green/bleach/water mixture will do some serious cleaning.

[Cubfan]

2) I'll be using a sealer/stain to darken the color a bit. Will a pump-type sprayer (e.g. insecticide type) work for this? Or should I invest in one more powerful.


I'm a little confused by the question. Are you looking to use the pump sprayer to clean the wood or to apply the stain?

To remove the dark spots - do what Sao said, use some bleach with water. Or you could buy a gallon of a basic "deck cleaner". And yes, a pump sprayer actually works very well to apply the cleaner (but not the stain).

[sao95]

I'm a little confused by the question. Are you looking to use the pump sprayer to clean the wood or to apply the stain?

To remove the dark spots - do what Sao said, use some bleach with water. Or you could buy a gallon of a basic "deck cleaner". And yes, a pump sprayer actually works very well to apply the cleaner (but not the stain).

I think he meant using it to spray on the stain, which will work (at least it has for me) but if you do it with any kind of wind it'll get on your house as well..
and don't forget the simple green with that bleach, it goes from clark Kent to super cleaning agent then ;) That deck cleaner is overpriced and doesn't work that well in my opinion...

[Bollux]

to clean the deck i recently built i used a cleaner we bought at home depot. forgot the name but it comes in a beige plastic container. i will try to recall the name. worked well enough and then just used a sealer to coat it all.

[Cre8tive Dad]

Thanks guys. I'm a big fan of Simple Green. I've started using it on everything. I'll give that a try before I pressure wash. I'll go easy on it with the pressure washer though. That's mainly to get all the crud, sticks and stubborn spider webs from between the planks.

I will be using the pump sprayer to put down the stain/sealer but probably only on the larger areas, and roll out the rest.

[Hockeyfan]

M-1 is also a good option. A pressure washer (even without a pre-cleaner) will make your deck look virtually brand new. It was one of the best purchases ever. Do your driveway while your at it. It amazes by how much it cleans/removes.

[Cubfan]

I think he meant using it to spray on the stain, which will work (at least it has for me) but if you do it with any kind of wind it'll get on your house as well..
and don't forget the simple green with that bleach, it goes from clark Kent to super cleaning agent then ;) That deck cleaner is overpriced and doesn't work that well in my opinion...

ah. Well I used the pump spray to apply the bleach solution and it worked great. But as for applying the stain - if it worked for Sao, he knows his stuff. Personally I'd apply the stain with a brush, just to make sure it adheres properly.

But... DONT USE A SOLID COLOR STAIN!! Go with a clear coat for a natural look for a semi-transparent stain.

[Weston]

I'm going to second what Hockeyfan said. I got a powerwasher last year (it was about $200) and it has come in quite handy. Have done the front porch, back deck, and most of the house siding. It really did a remarkable job of cleaning the deck, I didn't use any soap - just water, and if you use the right nozzle it won't damage the wood. I also use it to wash our cars and do the driveway ever so often. It's already paid for itself.

[Cubfan]

As long as you get a gas power opposed to an electric. I borrowed my neighbors electric power wash and my garden hose nozzle is better than that!

[Weston]

As long as you get a gas power opposed to an electric. I borrowed my neighbors electric power wash and my garden hose nozzle is better than that!

Yeah, that's what we've got... I forgot the PSI, but for gas it isn't high. I have heard that the electric ones weren't so good.

[Hockeyfan]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100540385&N=10000003+90401+502376&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

That's what I have and it works like a champ. Got it at the depot. Mine looks a bit different, but this is likely this years model. Has 3 spray nossle heads for different applications. Can add cleaner to the feed too. Plenty of power for normal household use.

[Cubfan]

Wow that's not a bad price. The PSI is a little on the low side but can probably do most if not all of the common house-hold stuff, like you said. And for the price, I might have to look into it!

[Weston]

I'm pretty sure that's the one we have! (A friend is borrowing it so I don't know for sure). I know we paid around 200 for it though and the PSI is in that range.