1-2-3's of deck work ?

[Rodney Chappell]

Somebody set me straight before I confuse myself .I have been gathering info on deck cleaning so I can do it the right way .
Well,along the way I have gotten confused .If you got the time can some one explain these questionsand set me straight.
1) if a person only wants a deck washed ,will a deck wash chemical remove the gray out of the wood if it has not been stained before ?

2)Is a deck bright and a wood nuetrilizer the same .If not, do you apply this only after stripping . Or is this applied also when washing a deck.What is the best way for applying these products.
Will hot water and low pressure from the x-jet work the best.

3)Is there anything I am leaving out.Sorry for so many questions .I have stripped and restained a couple decks this year .They look good and the people were pleased but I want to do this the right way .I enjoy this type of work and would like to be able to keep doing it .

Rodney

 

[oneness]

1. Whether you can get the wood back to a relatively new appearance depends on the type of wood and how long it has been there weathering.

2. I believe they are the same, and should be applied after stripping and/or washing. Some apply them through the XJet, some use a pump up sprayer, some use airless sprayers, and some use a shur-flow type setup. My understanding is that you don't want hot water on the wood at all, and yes, you do want low pressure.

 

[Mike Hughes]

For spraying decks, I feel the xjet is too hard to control precisely, therefore I use a shur-flo type sprayer..........or a pump up sprayer.

deck brightening and neutralizing are pretty much the same thing.........when you neutralize, it visually appears brighter..........therefore, it is sometimes referred to as brightening. I brighten/neutralize all deck washing jobs, regardless of my intent to seal or not.

If a person just wants the deck washed, and there is no existing stain or sealer, a simple deck washing cleaner will work just fine...........my favorite is TimberClean from www.deckguide.com but there are many others like it. Deck strippers would have to be used to remove any existing failing finishes.