njcardsfan 14 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 I know that cedar is very soft and I've made the mistake in the past of having someone power wash it who didn't know what they're doing...but is there any safe way to power wash a cedar deck? I have a 3000 psi power washer. Using a 40 degree tip? Or should I just get on my hands and knees with a cleaning solution? Any suggestions on cleaners? Sealers? I think I've used Cabot to stain it in the past. Is that considered good stuff? Thanks in advance for your advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TNRoofCleaner 16 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 What is the GPM on your machine? You need that more than pressure. Is there currently a sealer on the wood? Yes there is a safe way to power wash a deck. Sealers Armstrong-Clark Baker's Gray Away Ready Seal Are all good choices. You will need a cleaning solution to remove the old sealer or if that is gone the grey wood and then a neutralizer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njcardsfan 14 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 Thanks for your response. It's 2.6 GPM. I'm pretty sure I used a Sikkens or Cabot product as a semi-transulent sealer (?) or stain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPetry 564 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 Jeff, The size, flow, and pressure output of your pressure washer is of small matter. If you have an old stain on the wood, and need to remove it, you will need to strip it off with chemicals, not water pressure. Much depends on the type of stain to be stripped. Sikkens can be difficult, while semi-trans Cabot oil products are generally much easier. If you could post a picture, that would be helpful. If an oil based stain, sodium hydroxide strippers are used. As a homeowner, I'm not sure if there is anything available on the retail market that would be strong enough, much depends on the stain, # of layers, and current condition of the stain(s) to be removed. I know my distributor will only sell commercial wood strippers to contractors. They can be nasty to work with. Attached are a few pics of a small 10 yr. old, clear western red cedar deck with 2 layers of acrylic based semi trans stain that we stripped last Friday, and lightly sanded this morning. Ideally, this is the condition that your cedar should be in before applying a brand new stain. Post a picture, it would be helpful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 249 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) Rick, watch out for those little gremlins that hide under decks. They took a bite out of your shoe. :D Cabot's makes a stripper that is very good but also very expensive. I believe it runs in the $25 per gallon range with a coverage rate of about 100 s.f/gallon. It also comes with the post strip pH balancing agent. Honestly, a strip job can be performed painlessly and for relatively little expense by a professional. That may be the way to go on the prep, then you can sand and stain yourself. All of us wood professionals have at one time or another been burned by stripper, killed a plant with it, or caused problems with oxidized siding until we had more experience working with chemicals. Hire a pro. Edited August 24, 2009 by PressurePros Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPetry 564 Report post Posted August 24, 2009 Rick, watch out for those little gremlins that hide under decks. They took a bite out of your shoe. :D... Ken, Don't scare me like that. Had a neighbor's little Shih Tzu dog, gouge, bruise, and bloody my nose last week. Nasty bite. And I service her deck! Friggin' piece of Shih, given name is "Muffin", I use to call it "Slug with Hair". It's new name is "Cujo". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPetry 564 Report post Posted August 25, 2009 Jeff, Finished job. The stain is Ready Seal, natural cedar color. Stain still wet when pics were taken. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plainpainter 217 Report post Posted August 25, 2009 Is it me or do the 'furries' look awful in that first pic? Rick - you have an osborne brush? Are you going to sue the lady with the Sh!t-Sue dog? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPetry 564 Report post Posted August 25, 2009 Is it me or do the 'furries' look awful in that first pic? Rick - you have an osborne brush?Are you going to sue the lady with the Sh!t-Sue dog? Daniel, Read the complete thread. As stated, the cedar was sanded. A prepped pic is above. No, we do not use osborne brushes. I don't sue for minor, inconsequential facial damage. I do not sue friends, relatives, decent people, or neighbors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plainpainter 217 Report post Posted August 26, 2009 I don't get it - the pictures of the sanded cedar look great - yet the stained photo looks really bad with furries. Does ReadySeal kick up the grain on cedar? Rick the reason I ask if you use an osborn brush - is that I found that the furries are just the erosion of mostly spring grain - and yet it takes forever to sand down the 'peaks' of the summer grain to get far enough down to sand the spring grain flat. With the osborn brush - it kind of gets into the crevices and knocks all the furries out - without having to get all the summer grain peaks down level with the spring grain. Anyways - just thought I'd let you know about that - as the few times I came into contact with either Fir or Cedar - the furries were out of control - and no amount of sanding seem to get rid of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cascapi 14 Report post Posted September 22, 2009 Just picked up the Makita 9227c and an Osborne brush to try out on a deck job. Any advice on technique? Best on vertical surfaces? Horizontals? Do you hold flat or angled? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 249 Report post Posted September 22, 2009 Craig flat at about 2000 rpm. Keep it moving as it can burnish wood quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chappy 138 Report post Posted September 23, 2009 Craig flat at about 2000 rpm. Keep it moving as it can burnish wood quickly. Especially IPE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Littlefield 65 Report post Posted October 10, 2009 Craig flat at about 2000 rpm. Keep it moving as it can burnish wood quickly. Hold on now, 2000 RPM? Thats too fast in my opinion. The 9227c is only rated for a high end of 3k rpm, even thought the wheel is graduated into 1-6 increments. So, between 2-3 on the wheel is what I use. this is around 1,000-1,500 rpms max. Also, a slight angle gets the job done quicker. Don't press down, let the grinder do the work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Littlefield 65 Report post Posted October 10, 2009 I don't get it - the pictures of the sanded cedar look great - yet the stained photo looks really bad with furries. Does ReadySeal kick up the grain on cedar?Rick the reason I ask if you use an osborn brush - is that I found that the furries are just the erosion of mostly spring grain - and yet it takes forever to sand down the 'peaks' of the summer grain to get far enough down to sand the spring grain flat. With the osborn brush - it kind of gets into the crevices and knocks all the furries out - without having to get all the summer grain peaks down level with the spring grain. Anyways - just thought I'd let you know about that - as the few times I came into contact with either Fir or Cedar - the furries were out of control - and no amount of sanding seem to get rid of them. Daniel, what you are seeing as fuzzies is actually sanding swirls. However, when the RS sets in, those will virtually disappear. Good points you made on the Osborne brush though, getting the soft wood out without having to remove the hard grain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
