How do YOU clean..?

[Matt in Dallas TX 14]

Opinions, everyones got one....

Only regarding the CLEANING part....not staining

Whats your method of choice to clean an 8yr old gray 8ft b/b FENCE. That has no previous sealer.

Whats your method to remove the gray and prepare for stain/seal?

Pressure washing?

Chemical?( What, how much)

We all know the cleaning is one of the most important parts, so what do YOU do to get the best possible end results?

[Pams Pressure & Clean 64]

I agree with Squirtgun & Pressure Pros. Stripper not required.

A stripper, such as HD or EFC, while effective, is harsher than necessary for unsealed wood. On a fence it may not even be noticed, but certainly a deck would be far too fuzzed after such aggressive work.

Kinda like hunting with a Howitzer.. The end result is the same, but what's the point??

I'd wash with SafeWash, brighten with oxalic, let dry and stain.

Here is one we finished recently.. First pic is before..notice lichen, mold, etc...

Second is after washing with SafeWash and applying oxalic.

EDIT: .. Sorry.. Uploaded in reverse order...Results are pretty self explanatory...

[Barry M 73]

A percarb or a stripper (EFC 38 or HD 80) would both work. Personally I would use the percarb because it's not as harsh on the wood or the environment. The first deck I did was in the same shape, I used a stripper and found it was overkill. I was also told to use a mix of 12% after the stripper, because 12% is the only thing that would kill the mold and mildew and prevent it from growing back right away. So I did that followed by a neutralizer. So it was percarb or strpper, let dwell, rinse, 12%/water mix, let dwell, rinse, rinse, rinse, then citralic or oxalic, rinse, rinse, rinse. Let dry to 12% moisture or less and stain.

[Jeff 232]

Usually around here if you have a wood fence or any wood surface that hasnt ever been cleaned in years and no kind of stain, it will have a good amount of mold/mildew. I Xjet RPC Roof magic, not a long dwell time clean then Oxalic. For me its quicker & easier with great results. Precarb Ive only done once and It took longer. Ive also used 12% it also for me takes longer than SH based products. 12% would be alot less chem cost, I would think, but I would still use SH product. I dont think it would be over kill on an old moldy untreated fence

1700 lin ft. Thats alot of fence. Did you get the job and if so how do you think you'll clean it?

good luck

JL

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I think there is clarification needed in the difference between stripping and washing...

The difference is if you are not removing a stain/sealer that has reached the point of failure, you are not stripping. You are in effect cleaning.

Take note that a product like HD-80 can be used at any strength. I use it is a cleaner which works very well. The dwell time is shorter for wash applications and the concentration is much lower at about 2oz./gal yet it kills mold and mildew and helps to lift off the old dead wood fibers that make themselves present as the gray effect we see in the pic above.

I have found that it also helps in those cases where a clear sealer has not been evenly applied and the wood has turned darker in the unprotected areas, a second application of HD-80 will help to lighten them to provide a better looking overall result.

btw...Sodium hydroxide in technical terms is another type of wood bleach. The other benefit is that if there is anything on the wood that would require more than bleach or acid, the cleaner would take care of it in the same application.

EFC-38 will provide the same results and is great if there are delicate plants or streams nearby. Neutralization is still necessary and it helps the tannin bleeds under nails in the fence fade away making whole job look more like a new construction as well.

I like to point out that Certification courses test that the proper method of wood restoration is a 2 step method...cleaner or stripper followed by a brightener/neutralizer. fyi

Rod~

[John Orr 206]

I get great results on fences/decks in this condition by downstreaming RPC Roof Magic, low-pressure wash, then downstreaming oxalic. By mixing the oxalic a little stronger, it will do the job.

[tropical wave 22]

chlorine and soap....especially on a fence!! easy easy job and the chlorine is cheap, doesnt harm the wood (any more than a stripper or doing nothing and letting it rot and bake in the sun)......and it actually kills the mold and mildew, not just loosens it up so it can be rinsed away.....reduce it down to 6% with a tad of soap.....Ive got a ton of percarb and it just sits in the garage.....

also, what sealer are you using? some will even recommend what should be used to clean and neutralize........

[dsp powerwash 14]

if the fence is very gray or has much mold or mildew, i would use hd-80 half cup to 1 gallon , and then oxalic. on newer fences or decks i occasionally use wolman liquid deck and fence cleaner which is an oxalic based cleaner so it is a 1 step process. does anyone else use any type of acidic cleaners to wash in 1 step? zep actually makes a injectable oxalic based cleaner that might not be as good a product in most situations but for a new deck or fence that you just want to make sure is clean and brighten these products can save some time. frank

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

does anyone else use any type of acidic cleaners to wash in 1 step?

Nope, avoid em like the plague.

Rod~

[CLASSICPW 14]

Jarrod, you must not have a single house in your area with aluminum siding considering you strip every job.:lgbow: :lgbow: I wish that were true around me.

I would pump on a percarb cleaner on a fence that gray with some healthy dwell and low pressure. I did a fence this summer that was made of non pressure treated wood, there was so much pulp on the ground that you couldn't see the grass. I talked him into a solid.

[Jarrod 22]

Hardly any. If I do run into a house with alum siding, I just pre-wet it, spray away from it, then I rinse it right away.

[Matt in Dallas TX 14]

thought you might like to see...

thanks for all the feed back guys...and gals.

[seymore 90]

Looks good Matt :cool:

How did ya end up cleaning it?

[Jarrod 22]

Very nice Matt, how long did it take you?

[Matt in Dallas TX 14]

thats just a section of the fence we did. havent finished it all...

just an example for them