Yes I do prewet, and I do tell them that as well. Would stronger ox help with black spots? I’ve heard making a paste and spot treating and let dry can remove them.
Would be interested to hear @Racer thoughts, it seems he mostly uses SH/SHydroxide from what I have read, could be mistaken as only read a handful of threads on here.
No, don’t do this at all.
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Have you read this whole thread? If the answer is yes, read it again. If the answer is no, read it again. I read it through four times when I first came around. I wanted the info to sink in.
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Yes I read through it once, you are right about reading things multiple times. Problem is everyone has a different method and I’ve done many different strengths, dwell times and pressures and most consistent has been what I described above. Maybe just start using a bit of SH to bring the colour back between my SP/SM and oxalic.
Sodium Hypoclorite is an oxidizer. It will not bring back the colour of the wood. If applied too strong or incorrect dwell time- it will bleach out or cause your wood to turn white. Not the result most customers want. Bleach is not a cleaner.
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the process you are referring to is also known as poulticing (poultice).
If it is that bad, either mechanical methods or replacement of the board is normally more cost/time efficient. Even with the best effort there is normally a less noticeable mark/stain left behind. This is one of those discussions I have with the homeowner ahead of time - setting expectations for what you are doing. If I am staining/painting the coating will normally hide it when I am all done. If you are just cleaning, it will be visible. That grill they let sit in the same spot for 6 years on an untreated deck is going to leave a mark. You aren’t a magician.
Ok, so do any of you have something to criticize regarding my process, or do you think that’s probably the best those decks get seeing as they were 15+ yrs old.
I’ve had a few decks that turned out terrible and it was because, I realized after scrubbing, the boards were starting to rot but didn’t notice it when I quoted the job. Now I look a lot more closely when I quote the job.
Perhaps being more selective with the jobs I pick. Maybe do only 10 yrs and under.
I read somewhere, not sure where, that SP will retain the new wood colour of cleaning deck under 5 yrs. Not sure if I agree as the three pictures I posted when I did SM then SP because customer wasn’t happy, too me looks a lot more like new wood after the first clean less a few green spots that I still think was 90-95% pressure treatment. I think it looks bleached out and white in the 3rd but they wanted bright…
Also, do you guys use OA after SP? Someone in the other thread was asking why I’m using OA when SP also brightens…
@Amirii I think the biggest step is to set customer expectations on any old wood jobs. If it has not been washed in over 10 years, it has obviously been neglected. I very politely let customer know this. Depending on type of wood, it may turn out great- others not so.Do a test spot-It may require sanding once looked at when it is completely dry. Any customer who is thinking I will have a brand new 15 year old deck after a cleaning is either unrealistic or what to expect has not been told to customer. After a while in this business, you can pick up on who may be a probem customer. Walk away from these types.
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@Amirii - Maybe this will help. SM not on there but it’s ph is about 12.5%
I think you need to be come familiar with the chems you’re using. Your results aren’t bad but you’re doing a lot more work than what’s necessary to achieve average results. Every wood job is different. Sometimes you can clean with just plain old pressure, what most of us old guys did in the past at some point. The chems just make it easier, not necessarily better in a lot of cases. But the more you do, the more you hopefully figure it out.
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I realize this post is a little old, but regarding the Ryobi 18v sprayer, I got a nice spot sale price at Lowes on the 40v Worx Nitro power pressure washer/sprayer setup. This is really a nice quality and versatile unit especially for applying OA, Strong SH, SP etc. Dial selection of spray patterns and a low/high pressure setting.
Saved a bunch of time vs pump up sprayer!
It retails for $199 but I got it for $149 including 2 lithium batteries, dual charger, reinforced poly hose, assorted attachments and main head unit/wand. It’ll spray about 1 gallon/minute on low and about 1.5 on high.
With holidays coming it may be back on sale!
Hope this helps!!
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does the oxalic acid keep the wood from turning green after hitting it with the SH?
@brushandblast - 9 minutes read time is not going to get you an answer you will like on this forum. Read this entire thread.
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Haven’t posted in a long while but was on here brushing up on my knowledge/techniques for the upcoming season. Here’s a couple of pics from a recent fence I did. They were prepping their house for sale and were thrilled with the results. HW mix, 15-to-20-minute
dwell, medium pressure wash and rinse.
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Just bumping this thread up to the top of the lists, pins never work. It’s that time of the year and this is a great reference/guide.
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