Citric vs Oxalic where do you stand?

[John.Harper 14]

I've been using oxalic for my wood restoration jobs whenever i do a strip. I know that theres a debate whether to use oxalic or citric i was just wondering who used what and why? I know that people will say that citric is safer but is it as effective? I have considered using citric after one job that i think i used too much oxalic and ended up using atleast 2X the amount of stain i figured on.

Edited November 17, 2011 by John.Harper

[Celeste 341]

We use a blend.

[Tonyg 14]

I usually use a blend but keep the ox with me just in case. Sometimes if there are stains or rust, or even just a nasty deck, I will use the ox. Sometimes I'm just impatient and like the quicker action from the ox.

[John.Harper 14]

so a lot of people are blending ox and citric

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We use a blend.

+1....

Blend.

Beth

[bigchaz 157]

Whatever I happen to buy that month. I've never seen a difference and I dump everything into a 5 gallon bucket on the trailer so technically a blend I suppose haha:)

[plainpainter 217]

I don't understand using a blend of both acids. Seems to me if you want the same results as a 'blended' acid - then use a lower concentration of OX. You use less and get the same results.

[RPetry 564]

We've been mostly using citric acid for neutralizing/brightening for the past 10 yrs. For a few reasons. First, it is not harmful to you or your helpers or your customers lawns or plantings. Second, it is easier to dissolve in cold water compared to oxalic. Third, it does the same job as oxalic, just takes a bit longer.

That is the key point as rinsing is not needed with normal deck work stained with Ready Seal.

[James 625]

I don't even bother using an acid. Just hit it with a shot of bleach to brighten the wood up after cleaning it up. Neutralizing is over rated. It's good after stripping and for tannins but a good bleach brighting works wonders. BDA all the way!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I don't even bother using an acid. Just hit it with a shot of bleach to brighten the wood up after cleaning it up. Neutralizing is over rated. It's good after stripping and for tannins but a good bleach brighting works wonders. BDA all the way!

Sorry to tell you this Jim but bleach will not neutralize your stripper. Both are alkaline.

Doesn't work that way....

Beth

[John.Harper 14]

i used to just use sodium hydroxide but now i use a blend of sodium hydroxide, percarbonate, and bleach after i did a strip with heavy moss growth and was kinda just generally darkish green and it seemed like where ever there was moss and algae it didn't strip below it very well so i experimented with a blend and it came up nicely but i had apply chems like 3 teams before it stripped and i got the idea to use bleach even tho i heard it was a no no. so i used extra oxalic to neutralize then i normally would have and ended up using a little over 15 gallons of stain if i remember correctly when i figured for about 7 it was completely ridiculous i never even told the HO because i felt like an idiot so i just told her i used like 8 and ate the rest of it which is why i started this thread

[James 625]

Beth , you miss red my answer.

[bigchaz 157]

1) you can't mix bleach and percarb

2) using extra oxalic doesn't cause you to use twice as much stain

[Rick2 42]

Aside from being a bit stronger, I've usually found oxalic to be cheaper.

[Rick2 42]

Beth , you miss red my answer.

We just left your town of Waterbury 45 minutes ago. I was there about a year ago and I swear all that heavy equipment near Blackies is still in the exact same spot.

Naturally we grabbed some burgers and hotdogs while we were there. Nice place but I don't they spend enough on heating the building. ;)

[John.Harper 14]

1) i think i first mixed sodium hydroxide and precarb then i mixed sodium hydroxide and bleach i was a bit tired last night

2) i used a lot of extra oxalic and my stain was only covering about 100 square feet per gallon and thats what i figured the problems was

[bigchaz 157]

The strength of brightener would be negligible at best to the coverage ratio but it wouldn't cut it in half. Heavy stripping (you said you stripped it 3 times?) will play a role, but more than likely it's the individual deck. Some are just dryer than others.

[James 625]

When using an acid for neutralizing the best way for it to work correctly is to wait for the top water to drain off the surface of the wood or do it when the wood is damp. This is very important when dealing with Redwood and old WRC. The tannins will bleed back up to the surface if not dealt with correctly.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Beth , you miss red my answer.

You're right. I did. My bad. That's what I get for responding before coffee....

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

... and ended up using a little over 15 gallons of stain if i remember correctly when i figured for about 7 it was completely ridiculous i never even told the HO because i felt like an idiot so i just told her i used like 8 and ate the rest of it which is why i started this thread

What stain product are you using?

Rod!~

[John.Harper 14]

i was using cabot semi transparent

[Celeste 341]

I went back through........you mixed sodium hydroxide, percarb ........why has anyone even replied to this?

[James 625]

You can mix pre-carbs and sodium hydroxide . It works pretty good. You can mix bleach and sodium hydroxide very good mixture.

[bigchaz 157]

Hey C, I mix the two often (percarb/stripper). Like Jim said it works good (for mild mildew anyway if you are stripping and cleaning in the same step).

[Celeste 341]

sorry....my bad - started getting friendly with the Coronas around noon today :lgsideway

[Doug Black 18]

I use citric acid when children and dogs or cats might be present soon afterwards. Also I find citric, on certain woods and wood conditions does a better job without having to working about overdoing it. Usually though I just use oxalic. I also use citric as one ingredient to making my own Jet Dry :D