This is actually the third time I've stained my deck. First year I stripped it completely, followed with Behr cleaner / brightener, sanded and it came out perfect. I used Superdeck Valley semi-transparent stain, which on horizontal surfaces lasts about a year in this climate (Oregon coast). (Off topic, but if anyone's interested, am not the least impressed with longevity of Superdeck stain, even in this climate.)
2nd year it also came out perfect. Horizontal surfaces were definitely in need of a new coat. This time, all I did was use Behr cleaner / brightener and then apply a coat of Superdeck Valley. I would have switched to a better stain but didn't care to strip it again.
3rd year which is this year, I just finished TODAY. As with year 2, the stain was well worn and in need of a fresh coat. The DIFFERENCE this year is that I had some new grass near the deck which I did not want to risk killing (house is on a slope with no way to avoid water from the deck finding it's way into the lawn) so I used Wolman's DeckBrite this time, a powder mix based on oxygen bleach which is apparently 100% safe for plants and lawns. It certainly didn't brighten the wood up as much as the oxalic acid based Behr cleaner / brightener but I thought it still looked quite good for stain. So I stained it, and the stain looked great going on. HOWEVER, this time when it dried, in many places it dried nearly BLACK, looking almost charred / burned in the worst places.
I'm now wishing I'd used the oxalic acid based brightener, that's for sure. Even after using the Wolman's I *thought* about going over the whole surface again with oxalic acid based brightener but didn't because of the grass.
QUESTION: Is it possible to use oxalic acid (or something else) AFTER the fact to get rid of the black / charred areas or am I pretty much stuck with this until next year when the stain will need to be redone again anyway? I can post pics if anyone wants.
This is actually the third time I've stained my deck. First year I stripped it completely, followed with Behr cleaner / brightener, sanded and it came out perfect. I used Superdeck Valley semi-transparent stain, which on horizontal surfaces lasts about a year in this climate (Oregon coast). (Off topic, but if anyone's interested, am not the least impressed with longevity of Superdeck stain, even in this climate.)
2nd year it also came out perfect. Horizontal surfaces were definitely in need of a new coat. This time, all I did was use Behr cleaner / brightener and then apply a coat of Superdeck Valley. I would have switched to a better stain but didn't care to strip it again.
3rd year which is this year, I just finished TODAY. As with year 2, the stain was well worn and in need of a fresh coat. The DIFFERENCE this year is that I had some new grass near the deck which I did not want to risk killing (house is on a slope with no way to avoid water from the deck finding it's way into the lawn) so I used Wolman's DeckBrite this time, a powder mix based on oxygen bleach which is apparently 100% safe for plants and lawns. It certainly didn't brighten the wood up as much as the oxalic acid based Behr cleaner / brightener but I thought it still looked quite good for stain. So I stained it, and the stain looked great going on. HOWEVER, this time when it dried, in many places it dried nearly BLACK, looking almost charred / burned in the worst places.
I'm now wishing I'd used the oxalic acid based brightener, that's for sure. Even after using the Wolman's I *thought* about going over the whole surface again with oxalic acid based brightener but didn't because of the grass.
QUESTION: Is it possible to use oxalic acid (or something else) AFTER the fact to get rid of the black / charred areas or am I pretty much stuck with this until next year when the stain will need to be redone again anyway? I can post pics if anyone wants.
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