Cedar Deck

[PowerWashCop 14]

I have to wash and stain a 900 sq ft cedar deck with no railings this week. It is my first time working with cedar, can anyone advise me on the steps to take? It is very grey with some mold in spots and hasn't been sealed in 5 years. The guy wants to use Flood stain.

Do I have to strip it? If so what should I use(something i can get locally)

Do I use brightener?

I've picked up alot of tips from this board, mostly I just read all your posts.

Thanks

[seymore 90]

No need to strip gray wood with no stain but with cedar you jsut need to use as little pressure as possible.

Since you are using Flood's stain then you should use their cleaners.Which Flood stain you using?

I would use 1 gal of 12% bleach 4 gallons water and some soap.Spray it on and rinse it off light pressure.

You can use a brightner but if you use bleach be sure to rinse the bleach off reallll good!

[seymore 90]

Well i just realized you said the deck hadn't been sealed in 5 years so YES you need to strip it is you're not using the same product as before.

You would need to strip it then brighten once the deck is clean of the old sealer.

[PowerWashCop 14]

He wants to use Flood CWF Natural Cedar which is what is on there now.

When you say 1 gal of 12% bleach, do you mean regular clorox outdoor bleach?

And what do i do if the deck gets fuzzy?

[seymore 90]

He wants to use Flood CWF Natural Cedar which is what is on there now.

When you say 1 gal of 12% bleach, do you mean regular clorox outdoor bleach?

And what do i do if the deck gets fuzzy?

Flood CWF has not been the best product here in Texas but some guys have some sucess with it.There are much better stain products on the market these days.If he is stuck on CWF then just make sure you cover your A** from premature failure in your bid.

Well if you are using the same product then you don't need to strip the deck.You should use the Flood cleaners that i'm not familiar with tho.You can look at the ingrediants and see what's in them?

No household bleach is 6% and the bleach i use is more of an industial strength at 12%.You can still use household bleach if that's all you have.It might just take longer to work but it's the only chem that will kill the mildew.

Fuzzies only go away with sanding and it is almost impossible to prevent with the soft cedar wood.

[PowerWashCop 14]

Thanks for your help, if you can think of anything else please let me know.

[seymore 90]

No prob ....pics are always nice it helps us decide what's best for wood by seeing it. I've been at this for 10 yrs and being able to look at the job either pics or in person always is a +.

[Deck Guy 14]

He's talking swimming pool chlorine. Are you sure you're up to this???

As for CWF...That stuff is crap! Don't do it! Explain to him that the beauty of cedar should only be enhanced, not obscured by a consumer-grade finish which will look like crap in two years anyway. Tell him that you are a professional, and can provide him with better materials than he can find at the local discount den!

There are all kinds of better choices than CWF that will look better, and provide for easy upkeep and maintenence. Then throw in an offer to come back in two years for about 70% of this job (if you bid it right), and do the maintenence. BTW, here are some before and after shots to show you what you can do with cedar. I do quite a bit around here.

You'll never look like a pro when you are buying your materials at Wal-Mart!

What tip and flow/gpm washer will you be using?

[seymore 90]

Looks good Larry :cool: Was that HD 80 and then brightened?

I like that fuzzy cedar post in the clean pic ;)

[Deck Guy 14]

Ouch! Um...it's just more dry...well, maybe a little fuzzy! Actually it had fewer fuzzies than I seem to get with the western red cedar.

I think that was F-18 (very weak) and oxalic. It had never been treated before, so it was a snap, and was on the ground, which is a rarity for me. It was hot as hell the day I finished it, so I just got in the truck and drove off without taking pics. They were thrilled, and I got paid big $$ for my efforts. Win/win!

[seymore 90]

Ouch! Um...it's just more dry...well, maybe a little fuzzy! Actually it had fewer fuzzies than I seem to get with the western red cedar.

I think that was F-18 (very weak) and oxalic. It had never been treated before, so it was a snap, and was on the ground, which is a rarity for me. It was hot as hell the day I finished it, so I just got in the truck and drove off without taking pics. They were thrilled, and I got paid big $$ for my efforts. Win/win!

That's cool Larry :cool:

I just had to give you a hard time and mess with ya! ;)

I will say that is one hell of a B4/after pic it looks like you replaced the wood Great job!

[Deck Guy 14]

I knew you were busting my balls. Still, I may want to crop that out before using it for anything.

I just did some playground equip for a Preschool (simple clean and clear sealer) to satisfy some overzealoous inspector, and will be dropping by with the bill tomorrow. The preschool owners are hooking me up with the building owner, and I'm hoping the building owner will bite on BDA'ing his cedar facade! There is space for rent, so maybe if he spruced the place up a bit...?

Cedar rocks!

[seymore 90]

You gotta love those simple clean and especially clear sealer jobs!! :cool:

[PowerWashCop 14]

Deck Guy,

That is exactly what his deck looks like(before). Can you tell me what you used to clean it and what steps you took to do it. Also where can i get the chems locally?

Is that a stain? It really turned out beautiful. The Flood might have been on there when he bought the house, but if it turns out like yours he would be thrilled.

I'm still worried about it getting fuzzy, if it does would the whole deck need to be sanded?

Thanks again

[Deck Guy 14]

Why do insist on buying locally?? Get what you need from someone who understands this biz, and who can help you in it's dilution and use. Particularly when it comes to chems, you will spend much more, and get less effective chems at any local store. Guaranteed! I can probably strip and neutralize a small residential deck for a total of $15, which is what you'll pay for one gallon of overpriced and ineffective stripper geared to consumers.

Read the threads in this section, and you will find mentions of many products from vendors who can have those same products to you in 2-3 days. Pressure Tek, Extreme Solutions, Rowlett Pressure Cleaning to name a few. (Sorry if I left anyone out)

I used F-18 from Pressure Tek, followed by oxalic acid to neutralize. If you go the route of caustics and acids, be sure you know what you're doing. They can hurt you, and damage surrounding structures, windows, and plants. I'm just not certain you can learn all you need from reading a few posts here. Call whatever vendor you choose, and let them help you. They all will spend whatever time it takes to be certain that you can work safely and effectively.

As for that deck...that's just water on it in the second pic. The customer wanted clear, but I told them it would just gray again if we went with that. I ended up using Sherwin-William Deckscapes Cedar Toner, and the customer loved it, although I can't help but think that there is something out there that might have let more grain show through, yet still prevented the wood from graying. Maybe RS Natural Cedar??? Anyway, if anyone reading has any suggestions on a finish for this type of wood, feel free to chime in. I haven't really found anything that does it justice.

Lastly, I am far from the guru of decks/fences here, or anywhere else. I shoot for about 30 a year, and am in my fourth year at it. There are guys here who do that many a month, and they have forgotten more that I know about it. Don't rush into anything. Spend some time reading every thread here you can find and you will prevent costly mistakes or damage to yourself or a customers property.