to clean new deck

[mordy 14]

Hi,

What is the best way to explain to a customer why a brand new deck/fence needs to go thru wash/nuetralize process before sealing. After all wood is not grey yet, and there is no sign of mildew yet?

Thanks

[Pat Norman 18]

Is it pressure treated pine?

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[bigchaz 157]

"New" wood is most likely at least a few weeks old. The wood was milled, then stacked in a pile, put on a truck, shipped somewhere in the country to a lumber yard or home store where the wood sat out again. Then a contractor or builder bought the wood and it was loaded up onto another truck and hauled to the jobsite where it was probably unloaded in a pile in the dirt. Then it sat in the dirty jobsite for several days or weeks as the deck builder finished the job pulling lumber board by board as the used it. As the job was in progress the workers walked up and down the stairs and over the surface tracking dirt and mud.

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[mordy 14]

Charlie,

It seems that your saying the issue is an accumilation of surface dirt. If so, then are we just talking about a pw rinse, or do you need to clean/nuetralize?

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yes, pt pine.

[mordy 14]

yes. pt

[seymore 90]

Well cleaning will allow the stain to soak in better with cleaning. Deck should go thru some we/dry cycles to cure prior to cleaning and sealing.

I clean all new decks with a light bleach water,soap then rinsed and then brightened once it's rinsed real good.

[NAPWO 21]

often deck board are cut with older blades at the mill which can result in what is know as "mill glaze". This closes the pores of the wood and provides a barrier against proper penatration of the stain. Simplest answer to your customer is, we clean and seal using best techniques for best results!

[Pat Norman 18]

yes. pt

Pressure treated wood has a residue that must be stripped to properly prepare it for sealing.

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[mordy 14]

Thanks everyone.

[Beth n Rod 1,278]

Hi,

What is the best way to explain to a customer why a brand new deck/fence needs to go thru wash/nuetralize process before sealing. After all wood is not grey yet, and there is no sign of mildew yet?

Thanks

Many have covered the basics now I will add to the confusion.

Mildew does not show up very easily as it is a microbe in the early stages and can start to grow within a few days of installation of any exterior

wood structure.

If it is not removed beforehand, it will be taken even deeper into the wood upon application of a sealer making it an even harder condition to

eradicate.

While oil based sealers have a mildew inhibitor, they are not fungicides that actually 'Kill' the microbes.

They 'Inhibit' their growth....(another key word) 'On' the surface of coatings.

Since the product evaporates, dries or otherwise becomes inactive once the coating cures, it's active time is short and the microbes life can begin to mulitply

once this stage is past.

Manufacturers like Akzo Nobel (Sikkens), TWP, wolman, Flood and many others all recommend using a bleach formulated cleaner to prep the wood.

Bleach is a fungicide and will kill mildew spores, microbes and any root colonies below the substrate of the wood because it it an ingredient that can outlast the

life of the cure cycle.

Every time moisture is re-introduced into the wood (through any surface cracks, overlays or joint connections that cannot be sealed once built), the bleach is reactivated and continues to work. Now, this is a short term condition because time and UV exposure will eventually get below the substrate and destroy what remains in the wood.

Unfortunately, it is also not good for the wood either so the concentration must be kept low as they specify.

The mildewcide additives are good for the time the product is curing once you have applied it and left the site. After that, mildew begins to grow.

Simple as that.

Some coatings provide a less palatable surface once dry making mildew growth more difficult and easier to clean, but! that is still on the surface.

You must deal with what has established itself in the woods fibers or substrate. That is where the coatings failures begin in this case and that is what you must impress upon your customers.

Rod!~

[mordy 14]

Thanks Rod! I acctually figured it had something to do with unseen mildew growth. I greatly appreciate the clarity. This also impresses on me the importance of doing a very thorough cleaning before sealant. Thanks

[minman 14]

I agree with you pat.