First time fence job

[twlinks 14]

Good morning,

I'm going to be "practicing" on my future mother-in-law's fence this coming weekend. Needless to say, I want to do a good job...she's a sweet lady and I want to keep her that way...lol.

The fence is 20 yr. old cedar, never been stained and I was planning on using a 50/50 bleach solution with liquid Cascade, dwell 15-20 minutes and rinse. Will I need to use a brightener afterwards? I'm not sure she's going to let me stain and seal it, so the cleaning may be as far as we get.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

[RPetry 564]

Terry,

If she is not going to stain it, a sodium percarb wood cleaner washed off with low pressure and followed with a oxalic or citric acid brightener may look a little bit better that cleaning with bleach. The cedar will probably come out lighter and brighter in color and look "cleaner" than a standard bleach wash.

Unless there is a lot of mold and mildew, a 3% mix of bleach may be a little strong. You may want to try 1 part bleach (assuming you are using household Clorox which is 6%) to 2 parts water. Generally, there is no need to follow up a bleach cleaning with an acid wash. But if you test a spot and the wood looks better, there is certainly no harm. Just make sure you rinse the cedar very well after the bleach cleaner and before you apply the acid.

What a great name for a town, Pretty Praire, Kansas. Sounds so calm and relaxing, compared to the wacky hectic lifestye here in the Northeast.

Best of luck on the cedar fence.