Power Wash a Deck

Midwestpro · Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:02 am Post subject: Power Wash a Deck

There is a misconception that the reason people use a power washer to clean wooden decks is to blast off dirt, debris, gray wood fibers, and possibly an old failing sealer using high water pressure. Experienced wood restoration contractors know this is a good way to ruin a wood deck by ripping and shredding it to pieces. Too much water pressure will mark up and fur the wood bad enough that it will even show through a fresh coat of deck sealer.

It takes knowledge, experience, the right cleaners, and equipment to do a complete wood restoration properly. A professional will rely on contractor grade cleaners and strippers to do most of the work so the wood can be washed at a much lower pressure as to not cause damage to the wood, resulting in quality finished product.

TedO · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 4 Location: MI

I will admit that I attempted to pressure wash the stair case on our deck. It looked good, but after drying I noticed the wood was furred up pretty badly and still had some sealer on it. I sanded a few of the steps and left it at that. It was a bit more work than I had anticipated.