deck question

[chriswatson 14]

looking for the proper way to clean a deck for future customers. I like to try a different method. I looked at some posts, but cant seem to find an oxygen bleach mix nor a oxalic acid mix. Also which one would be better to use? The reason im asking is that last week i use a mix of SH and Tsp. But the deck i did had a white film appear that was hard to remove and showed up even worse when it dried. Thank you for any help in advance

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Bleach is a hard chemical to work with until you become more seasoned in wood care and understand the effects a chemical can have on wood.

Most contractors buy their chems from one or more suppliers.

The chemistry store. com is a good one in addition to many others who advertise here on TGS.

The results you got were because the bleach was either the bleach was too strong or it was allowed to dwell too long.

Jim and Rick work with bleach but don't divulge their secrets easily. Maybe if you bribe'em with a case of Heineken or something you might get a lesson. ;)

We prefer not to work with that chemical on wood but rely more on percarbonates and strippers which can handle the cases for which they are formulated for.

Acids are mostly for neutralization and not as a stand alone cleaner unless formulated as a cleaning agent for a deck that has already been stained and only needs a cleaning but not removing the finish.

Rod!~

[chriswatson 14]

thanks for the good info. How do i add my signature? i looked for the my controls section but couldnt find it.

[MudDuck 20]

Rod would the TSP cause a film if too strong. It's my understanding it can be tricky to deal with. I use 6 percent SH on decks all the time for cleaning and never had a film come up. Did have some F13 gutter stuff in a house mix that got on a brown painted deck that turned neon green one time..eeek. Thank God it was paint and there was some left over paint around.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

TSP is an alkaline builder and cleaning agent.

It does not cause a film but in addition to using bleach if not sufficiently rinsed, it can leave a residue.

This is not a film and can be removed by re-wetting and rinsing.

Rod!~

[Stuart Nabors 14]

Recommendation for removing that white film from pressure treated that apparently was over bleached? I have one that needs to be restored....

[Adrian 155]

looking for the proper way to clean a deck for future customers. I like to try a different method. I looked at some posts, but cant seem to find an oxygen bleach mix nor a oxalic acid mix. Also which one would be better to use? The reason im asking is that last week i use a mix of SH and Tsp. But the deck i did had a white film appear that was hard to remove and showed up even worse when it dried. Thank you for any help in advance

Chris please go to your "settings" in your profile and complete your signature line. House rules.

Welcome to TGS.

[patrick k 14]

Speaking of bleach... I have a question. I got called to look at a mahogany deck that is gray but the HO is telling me it is gray from a lady they recently hired to clean their deck with bleach. I guess this lady cleaned it with bleach and never showed up again. The HO said the mahogany was in pretty good shape prior to the bleaching but now they want their deck back to (or as close to) it's orginal color. The deck has never had a finish on it. I am going to approach this with EFC-38 and then brignten it with Citralic. I was curious if anyone had ever seen something like this before, do you think my approach is the way to go? I am basically going to approach this like a weathered deck but I am curious to see what type of damage this lady may have put on this deck. Thanks in advance for your feedback... Patrick

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Patrick,

A signature man, a signature.

Beth

[acegot 14]

Patrick, you might need to sand it to get it to really look good. How old is the deck?

[patrick k 14]

Beth, I cannot seem to locate where you can add a signature? Do I have access to the control panel? I looked up the process in the FAQ but cannot seem to figure this out!

Lyle, thanks for the reply. I was hoping to avoid the sanding but it seems like it may be the best way to go. Attached is a pic from the stairs (closest one I took). PS... any suggestion on that rust stain? Deck is only 8 years old on a fantasic house.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Patrick,

Look up in the navigation bar. got to SETTINGS. Click that. On the next screen the navigation is on the left. You'll see it listed there.

Beth