[plainpainter]

Rick - what you have to understand is for us citralic users, we are buying a product with buffers and surfactants, basically a 'soap' mixed with our acids. You are using a 'straight' acid product. I don't think it wise to use an acid with a 'soap' mixed in and leave it there on the deck. I personally believe in an acid product with buffers and surfactants mixed into it. As well, when you neutralize the 'offspring' are 'salts' - and I don't want to mess around with what these 'salts' could do to a finish. Perhaps by using a straight citric acid vs. these other oxalic phosphorus brightening products, you don't have the same issues. And not to mention - a deck that has been thoroughly rinsed after the stripper application - what is really left to neutralize? I use to do full building paint removal with diedrich products left on overnight - and we always neutralized the product prior to removing. A citric acid applied to a deck after a thorough rinsing is perhaps not really neutralizing anything in all reality - and you are introducing Vitamin C into the wood, right? So maybe that's a really good thing to do. But for these oxalic products with buffers - it's a different story.

Incidently - Vitamin C neutralizes bleach residue in much the same way as Sodium Sulfite if you can believe it!!!!!!