Deck Stripping F-18 MAX

Hey fellas,..I have a deck to strip,.not sure what the product is I will be stripping,..customer didn't know. Kind of a semi transparent walnut colored stain,...very bad condition, floor is covered with HEAVY crusty mold with about 50% of the stain gone. the upright railing scratches off with fingernail but underneath the top rail where the Sun don't hit it it's a little tougher. She said it's been on there six years,..I don't know,..looks older,Ha,Ha,....

Either way though,..I ordered some F-18 and was wondering what experiences anyone had with the product and at what ratios per gallon on the described condition. Gonna apply it as a premixed solution,...I like DS'ing decks if they're not like this one. But I think this one may need more of a stripper strength. At least on the uprights railing.

Will the F-18 attack the heavy mold as well as sodium hypochlorite, or should I do two separate applications. Never used a real wood stripper before, but have done quite a few with homemade stuff. Wanted to try a real product though. I will be neutralizing with oxalic.

Thanks,
Jeff

Sometimes we've had better luck giving the horizontals a quick power wash first to remove the carpet of lichen so the stripper actually hits the old stain. the trade off is you'll have to mix it stronger cause the deck will be wet. verticals can be tough. If you have a tarp and a deckster type sprayer, you might try spraying f18 on there with a tarp behind, doing 2 or 3 coats, with 15 minutes dwell after the last one. Deck can be a pain. One of my crew's is out there right now fighting a deck that supposedly had a toner on it only to discover other coats of stuff underneath.

Thanks for the input, and you're right decks can be a pain,..especially the uprights where they don't take as much abuse from weathering. Removing the heavy mold is probably a good idea,..thanks again!

Jeff

You should be able to strip a semi with F18 but I would DS 12V or pump up and also add 1 gal 12% to your mix if you have a lot of mildew.

Do you do test spots when you bid?

Hey Shane, thanks for the tip on adding bleach along with the F-18,...that may eliminate a separate application of bleach.

As for test spots: I do test spots on stone and brick RESTORATIONS,..as opposed to when they're just generally cleaned of dirt and mold.
I don't do test spots on decks, I just bid them high enough to cover a scenario of 2-3 applications,..and hope for the best, Ha,Ha,..

We don't do high end deck restorations like you do Shane,..we tried to sale de-furring and the high end products years ago,..customers just wouldn't bite. Around here they just want them cleaned and sealed/stained without the extra time and expense of doing it in a more detailed manor. So,..furring and additional prep doesn't need to be considered when bidding.

Jeff