cedar home

[glock40 14]

Hey all its been a while since my last post. But I have come accross a problem with a cedar wood home. I was asked today to powerwash the front of the home only were mildew has set in from no direct sunlite. The house seems to have sherwins woodscapes on it in a light brown color.

I am a little curious about washing the home because I use the f-18 product and f-8 brightener. I am afraid to apply the f-18 which may remove the solid color stain that is on the house. Please let me know what your thoughts are and how should I tackle this job.

2nd question: I also have a friend that has a mahagoney wooddeck and applied the austrailian nat timber oil. He says that it looks nice on one side but on the other it looks patchy. What do you think has happened to his work. His wood was never washed and the deck is only 3 weeks old.

Thank to all

[PressurePros 248]

I am not a fan of bleach on wood, but in this circumstance I think it would be your best bet. You need something that reacts quickly with the mold on a vertical surface that will not strip. Sodium percarbonate can be tedious. Try a test spot with 1-2% for dwell time. Rinse thoroughly.

Mahogany (and other hardwoods like ipe) can vary in density from area to area causing the patchy appearance. When you sand these woods you have to be uniform across the board or you will definitely see the exact spot you started and ended. It's possible the builders spot sanded.

[tropical wave 22]

question 1......chlorine + soap, will work great....

question 2......I can help not !!!! no idea. :cool:

[seymore 90]

Bleach and soap will work just find for a light cleaning3:2 or even 4:1 mixture will do :cool:

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

His wood was never washed and the deck is only 3 weeks old.

The answer is right there. ALL wood should be washed prior to being sealed for the first time, no exceptions. Strip it (remove botched sealer job), prep it, then seal it. See the Ipe threads for advice, as it is similar to Mahogany.

As for the Cedar house, I agree if you are trying to maintain the finish, do not use the F-18. It will strip it. Use a percarb and do neutralize afterwards.

Beth

[Everett Abrams 501]

This is where I disagree with the chlorine bleacheads. Chlorine bleach on cedar(softwood) usually gets done improperly. I see it all the time. This is the same for staining. A novice contractor can use Ready Seal because it is forgiving and and is basically goof proof. If you apply other types of finishes the same way you will in all likelyhood show lap marks and drip marks. Same with bleach to a novice. Sodium percarbonate(oxygenated bleach) is more goof proof that chlorine bleach is on the cedar. The wrong dilution, dwell time, getting dry on the surfaces and such WILL affect the end result.

The mahogany is a hardwood and should have been left to season and then a light wash before sealing. Different woods, different applications, different methods, different dwell times, and so on. You can't treat every species of wood the same and expect great results.

These are of course my opinions and I am sure at least one person will not agree.

[JFife 14]

Everett is dead-on with his analogy about the bleach. Bleach works fine--even great in some situations--if you know what you are doing. It sounds to me like the person that posted the question is not terribly experienced, and therefore I wouldn't suggest the bleach, especially on a house of all things. Try the percarb cleaner--and disclaim any stain which you may remove.

[PLD 14]

I washed a stained cedar house last year with percarb and it looked very good afterward. I had minimal stain in the runoff. Well within the bounds of only dead stain coming down.