Recently Stained Decks

[rick77]

The house I'm power washing tomorrow has two decks that were stained about 3 days ago. The wood stain is a darker red color sort of like cherry wood.

Will a typical house wash of bleach and Simple Cherry do damage to stained decks? Will the deck spot up from the house mix that splashes onto the wood stain?

I'll check with the owner to make sure the deck has been sealed before power washing the house. It appears to have been sealed but I'm not absolutely sure.

What are some precautions that I can take in order to prevent damaging the deck stain? Water it down really good? Anything else?

Thanks!

[bigchaz]

Prewet rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse

[Beth n Rod]

Originally Posted by rick77

The house I'm power washing tomorrow has two decks that were stained about 3 days ago. The wood stain is a darker red color sort of like cherry wood.

Will a typical house wash of bleach and Simple Cherry do damage to stained decks? Will the deck spot up from the house mix that splashes onto the wood stain?

I'll check with the owner to make sure the deck has been sealed before power washing the house. It appears to have been sealed but I'm not absolutely sure.

What are some precautions that I can take in order to prevent damaging the deck stain? Water it down really good? Anything else?

Thanks!

Yes, it CAN. Rinse the deck with water before, during and after the process.

Beth

[plainpainter]

I didn't think that a simple cherry house wash with bleach could harm a latex solid stained deck. The homeowner wanted me to hit the deck - it was a rental property, didn't really consider doing a thorough job, especially after he popped it on me after money exchanged hands. So I downstreamed the house - let the deck dwell - hit it again after 30 minutes. Then I rinsed with a #15 tip - and my god, half the latex solid stain came right off the wood! I was amazed and sobered at the same time - so yeah, pre-wet and keep it rinsed!

[weaselcossey]

I washed a house in May that had a deck with 1 week old solid stain. I just wet the windows and deck, soaped up the house, rinsed windows and deck, dwell, rinsed house, rinsed deck again. With that stain only 3 days old, I would definitely try to wash that side while its in the shade. Definitely rinse the mix completely off the deck before you do anything else. Just keep the deck soaking wet, and when you're done with that area rinse again.

edit: I was using simple cherry and 6%.

[Palmetto Home and Deck]

While cleaning sections of a house where where my house wash mix was certain to get on a recently stained deck, I have actually kept water running continuously from a garden hose over the deck until (like Beth said) every thing is rinsed , rinsed, rinsed.

[Beth n Rod]

Originally Posted by plainpainter

I didn't think that a simple cherry house wash with bleach could harm a latex solid stained deck. The homeowner wanted me to hit the deck - it was a rental property, didn't really consider doing a thorough job, especially after he popped it on me after money exchanged hands. So I downstreamed the house - let the deck dwell - hit it again after 30 minutes. Then I rinsed with a #15 tip - and my god, half the latex solid stain came right off the wood! I was amazed and sobered at the same time - so yeah, pre-wet and keep it rinsed!

See? It can happen. Be careful folks....

Beth

p.s. if you don't have a helper to do it, hook up a sprinkler to do it for you while you wash!