deck stripping advice

ramsat

New member
hi guys

i'm based over in the UK and do a lot of driveway, patio and wooden deck cleaning/oiling however i normally try to avoid jobs that require old stain to be stripped first. however i'm getting so many of these type of jobs that i need to start. wooden decks aren't quite as popular over here and hence there's no ready made up deck strippers that i can buy. however sodium hydroxide is readily available to purchase.

my question is, can anyone advise a good starting point mix of 99% sodium hydroxide pearls to water for stripping failed stains?

i currently already use oxalic acid as a brightener and from what i've read this is what i need to neautralise it?

also i use a lot of sodium hypochlorite and use Lauryldimethylamine oxide (amine oxide) as a surficant with this, does anyone use this with sodium hydroxide as a surficant or if not has anyone got any other suggestions of surficants to use with it?

just a foot note, i'm well aware of the dangers of sodium hydroxide and have all the protective clothing, face mask etc.

any advice appreciated, thanks in advance

roland
 
Try 6 to 8 oz per gallon of water with a few drops Guinness . Start testing from there to see what works. The harder the job the option of drinking alcohol and how much before the job is up to you.
 
Start at 3 ounces per gallon. if that don't work add some more. if that don't work add a little more. if that works your good to go. As for the surfactant I don't really use one with sodium hydroxide.
 
Steve is that the same ratio for sodium precarbonate when just washing?

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Sure, it could be. there are a few thing that determine what my starting point for sodium per carbonate or sodium hydroxide stripper would be. the amount of stain, the type of wood, the age and condition of the wood, they all play a part. I would not use the same amount on 4 year old cedar as I would on 20 year old pressure treated. I would rather start low and play safe.
 
thanks guys that's really helpful and much appreciated. what sort of dwell time would you recomend (pressure treated softwood)?
 
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I would rather start low and play safe.

+1
Type of stain that is being removed & layers will determine strength and dwell time.
Sometimes decks are painted ( not stained). That would need to be really strong or drum/ floor sander.
Another way to determine is to, do a test area when giving an estimate ( with customers permission).
You have the chems that most of us use here in the states.

I would like to add that, you can use basic dish washing soap ( Dawn etc.) as a surfactant for vertical surfaces to give your mix some cling.
With 12% or hydroxide. works the same, good cling effect.
 
2 pints for an easy strip and up to 6 pints for difficult . This is based on 10 minutes a pint. The hangover is for 24 hour based strippers. .
 
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