Advice on my deck restoration plan

[mj2007 14]

Hello,

I live in the Des Moines area, and my deck is on the north side of the house. The deck is approximately 2 years old, and constructed of cedar (beams, handrails, and spindles), composite (decking), and pt (joists and posts). The deck has never been stained nor sealed. Of course, the cedar has grayed (see pictures). I wish to clean, stain, and seal the cedar and PT. The composite just needs a light cleaning, and I do not want to stain or seal the composite. The deck has approximately 80 linear feet of hand railing.

I have been reading through these forums and others, and would like to get some advice on products to use, and opinions on what I think the process should include. In general, I would opt for less caustic/toxic/potentially harmful options. Here is my plan so far:

1) Clean using a percarbonate based solution.

Since there is no previous stain or sealant, this type of cleaner should suffice, correct? Any recommendations on a particular product (EFC-38, RAD, wood deck cleaner from the chemistry store, other)?

Do I need to use a pressure washer to wash off the solution? Would a hose and brush work? I’m unsure if it is required or just easier/faster with a pressure washer.

2) Brighten.

Can I just use citric acid or a mixture, and what product would you recommend (citralic, RAD, or straight citric acid from chem. store)?

How dry must the wood be before starting this step? In other words, how long must I wait between cleaning and brightening?

Do you wash off the brightener or just let it dry?

3) Stain and seal.

I’ve spent considerable time searching on various options. I’ve used a linseed oil base product on a fence before, and it turned into a nightmare. I’ve helped friends strip other types of solid stain and waxy horror shows; thus, I want to choose a quality product.

Obviously, I am looking for something that holds up well, but also will not be a huge project for subsequent maintenance or removal. I would like a light stain with a color similar to natural cedar with a little more red. As examples, Ready Seal med red or Wood Tux western cedar.

I have been leaning towards Wood Tux, or Ready Seal because they seem to be of high quality, the general consensus is positive, and they seem to have the fewest failures. On another forum, Wood Tux was being discouraged because of difficulties in application (some parts shiny others parts dull). Can Wood Tux be properly applied by a homeowner? What is the process?

What other stain/sealers would you recommend?

Another general question I have is if I can apply the cleaner, brightener, and sealer with brushes or pads. It is very windy in my area, and if I use a sprayer, I would have to cover a large area of the house on two sides of the deck, and two levels. Also, given that I am only doing handrails and the support structure, spraying would be rather wasteful.

Sorry, for the long post, and I appreciate any advice or comments. Thanks,

MJ

[bigchaz 157]

sounds like you're on the right track with your research.

Composite will need to be cleaned with a light diluted bleach solution if there is mildew on the surface

EFC38 would be a good cleaner for your rails. Order from Deck Stains Cleaners Sealers Staining Decks Wood Decking Sealing Concrete Paver Restoration. RAD will be fine too. I would stay away from ordering straight precarbonate or stuff from the chemistry store since they will be void of the surfactants and other stuff that is in cleaners designed for wood.

Pressure washing isnt required.. but will make the job easier. Low pressure is key. Hold the gun a minimum 12 inches from the wood with a wider fan tip. If thats not available, a hose and brush will work. Let the cleaner soak for a good 10 minutes though before rinsing. You'll definitely want to use a sprayer for the cleaners. Just get a simple plastic pump up sprayer. Make sure the cleaners are mixed well so you don't have granules on the bottom that will clog the tip. If you spray at an angle and not straight onto the spindles youll get two sides at one and it will help prevent cleaner from spraying right into the back of the house. Have a hose handy and just wet the siding and plants down before and after you apply the cleaner.

If you are using EFC for the cleaner, go with the citralic for brightener. RAD system will come with both so you'll use the container they give you. If using woodtux you will want to rinse the brightener off after letting it sit for a few minutes. I believe ready seal is fine if you leave the brightener on the wood, but don't quote me on that.

Both stains will be fine for your wood. Woodtux may be a bit more difficult to apply, but if you are brushing the spindles you can control your application to prevent too much stain from building up. Brushing will be your safest bet for any stain. Or a pad applicator. If you aren't comfortable with spraying you wont want to risk getting it on everything. With brushing youll be able to see how much you are putting on the wood and brush everything over to make it even. With woodtux just keep a rag handy to go back every 20 minutes and check to make sure you dont have any shiny spots. If you do just wipe it off and go back to staining where you left off

Be careful when staining around the composite. It will be tough to get off the composite if you drip stain. Use plenty of sheets and drop clothes to cover it.

[plainpainter 217]

Go hire a professional.

[Colorado ProWash 21]

Go hire a professional.

That's a little rude I would say Dan.

Atleast he cares enough to do the research and not doing the usual and going to home depot and slapping some Behr stain on it.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Hi MJ,

Hello,

I live in the Des Moines area, and my deck is on the north side of the house. The deck is approximately 2 years old, and constructed of cedar (beams, handrails, and spindles), composite (decking), and pt (joists and posts). The deck has never been stained nor sealed. Of course, the cedar has grayed (see pictures). I wish to clean, stain, and seal the cedar and PT. The composite just needs a light cleaning, and I do not want to stain or seal the composite. The deck has approximately 80 linear feet of hand railing.

I have been reading through these forums and others, and would like to get some advice on products to use, and opinions on what I think the process should include. In general, I would opt for less caustic/toxic/potentially harmful options. Here is my plan so far:

1) Clean using a percarbonate based solution.

Since there is no previous stain or sealant, this type of cleaner should suffice, correct? Should be fine. Any recommendations on a particular product (EFC-38, RAD, wood deck cleaner from the chemistry store, other)? Goto closest bulk chem supply and buy the percarb..some tsp not a bad option neither if ya keep it on wood (lowes or chem supplier)

Do I need to use a pressure washer to wash off the solution? Would be best...need decent gpm up past 3gpm though to be speedy though and ya gotta do math and change tip orifice sizing to be at only 500-1200 psi depending on softness of wood.Would a hose and brush work? People try, then they call a pro with tools. I’m unsure if it is required or just easier/faster with a pressure washer. I believe it required to do job the best as well as fast.

2) Brighten.

Can I just use citric acid or a mixture, and what product would you recommend (citralic, RAD, or straight citric acid from chem. store)?straight citric from the bulk chem supplier works for me and is safer than oxalic. Mixes involving both, such as citralic, are good but citric again is safer.

Oxalic is better for removing nail bleads or other stains but some feel it can leave wood color unnaturally too light. When staining it doesn't matter. I tend to like a light colored canvas to work off for everything I resurface. So it comes down to situations, protections, and personal preferrance.

How dry must the wood be before starting this step? In other words, how long must I wait between cleaning and brightening? No wait

Do you wash off the brightener or just let it dry? conflicting opinions here...wood stains may do better if going on an acidic surface but their color can also be tainted at some level from acids or bleaches.. I call it a minor concern and usually been leaving it. As water evaps the acid concentration can go up and give lighter look. In the concrete field it has been said that the sun works on the oxalic and make crete whiter as the days go by.

3) Stain and seal.

I’ve spent considerable time searching on various options. I’ve used a linseed oil base product on a fence before, and it turned into a nightmare. That's what ya call too much resin, no mildewcide, or incorrect prep.I’ve helped friends strip other types of solid stain and waxy horror shows; thus, I want to choose a quality product. Acrylics forming too much topical coat with no penetrating oils or long oils involved can make for unfun..:)

Obviously, I am looking for something that holds up well, but also will not be a huge project for subsequent maintenance or removal. I would like a light stain with a color similar to natural cedar with a little more red. As examples, Ready Seal med red or Wood Tux western cedar. I suggest a combo type product such as Woodrich (woodtux+timberoil) that consists of both oil and resin to lock it in. Another product coming on strong is Armstrong-Clark that I been using lately.

I have been leaning towards Wood Tux, or Ready Seal because they seem to be of high quality, the general consensus is positive, and they seem to have the fewest failures.My understanding that RS requires total drenching to have chance past a couple year. This may or may not be a concern for you. Many other products are single coat.On another forum, Wood Tux was being discouraged because of difficulties in application (some parts shiny others parts dull). Can Wood Tux be properly applied by a homeowner? What is the process?Yes it can, just can't over do it by going past using a single coat or not backbrushing the areas that aren't penetrating.

What other stain/sealers would you recommend?

Another general question I have is if I can apply the cleaner, brightener, and sealer with brushes or pads. It is very windy in my area, and if I use a sprayer, I would have to cover a large area of the house on two sides of the deck, and two levels. Also, given that I am only doing handrails and the support structure, spraying would be rather wasteful. Well after you start using the washer you will realize you'll want to clean everything. The cleaner is gonna leak all over deck composite anyways so just brush it on everywhere after doing a test area. As professionals we use various sprayers and are informed on what can be used in them safely so I can't in good conscience tell you to go that route with raw chems. Only if you go wth a readymade product can you use a spray method. Always follow manufacture recommendation. Such could be an airless or a pumpup garden type sprayer, etc..

Plan on sealing the composite with what the manufacture recommends.

Good Luck!

Sorry, for the long post, and I appreciate any advice or comments. Thanks,

MJ

Edited June 8, 2008 by MMI Enterprises

[Thad 135]

Go hire a professional.

He's asking in the DIY section.

DIY stands for "Do It Yourself".

HTH.

:lgwave:

[plainpainter 217]

That's a little rude I would say Dan.

Atleast he cares enough to do the research and not doing the usual and going to home depot and slapping some Behr stain on it.

Ok, he cares, so what - he is still going to get stain all over that composite decking and will end up looking like crap. I'm Italian - I can't help but having a mean streak in me - but for the record, I think this person will be much happier if they just go and hire a professional service to do his deck. Otherwise - imo, he might as well just clean with bleach and slap on some behr. He is going to struggle using wtw - and the readyseal will get everywhere.

If anything I'd do more research about cleaning composite and then learning how to seal it - so come time to stain the wood part, when you do splash stain all over the composite - at least you will be able to wipe it off.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

MJ,

Others have covered the salient points of the process but I find what is missing is the prep work involved before applying a stain. You will need to mask using 2" blue painters tape and put down plastic and a tarp over the composite to limit getting stain on it.

Yes, this seems like over kill but given experience, an ounce of prevention...

WT is indeed a bit more difficult to apply but with enough attention to detail and working in small areas you should be able to get some good results. Use a small brush for the detail areas and hard to reach stuff and a stain pad for the main applicator to the rest of the spindles and supports.

See Dirt Run! - Outlined and primed, ready to be two toned.

The link above shows a typical 2-tone prep which is much like what we do to composite applications. The difference is you will be taping around the supports and the floor where you put down the plastic. This is your fail-safe barrier for anything that goes through the tarp that will be laying on top of it. The taping of the plastic is in case of wind or breezes that come along and tend to expose the composite.

Taking the necessary precautions will limit the amount of stain on your composite (notice I didn't say avoid). Stain is designed to soak into fiberous materials and tape is just that and can get underneath of it so be light on the application around taped areas.

Happy diy'ing.

Rod!~

Edited June 8, 2008 by Beth n Rod
correction

[plainpainter 217]

Rod - I didn't leave out the prep part - I mentioned the inevitable outcome of getting stain all over the composite.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Use the red plastic tape..

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rod - I didn't leave out the prep part - I mentioned the inevitable outcome of getting stain all over the composite.

???

...must have missed that part, I didn't comment about your contribution...

Rod!~

[MudDuck 20]

As far as hiring a pro,,figure what you do for a living and by the hour. Figure how much time you spent researching and a day or two doing it. Usally it's cheaper to hire someone who already knows the in's and out's and you get a nicer job. Little $.03 center there