In 1992, I prepped the deck with Wolman's Deck and Fence Brightener then applied one heavy coat of Wolman's F&P Premium Wood Finish & Preservative, an oil-based product.
This summer it looks like I need to coat the deck again with the Wolman's F&P Premium Wood Finish & Preservative, but first I have to clean it.
Yes, the Wolman's Deck and Fence Brightener did a nice job, but it was a _lot_ of work and I'd like to make it a bit easier by using a pressure washer this time.
Karcher makes a nice one for $170 that produces 1600 PSI, more than sufficient to do the job on a soft cedar deck.
MY QUESTION: May I expect pressure washing the deck to produce similar results to using the Wolman's Deck and Fence Brightener with, of course, considerably less labor/time on my part??? Or do I really have to go with the Wolman's Deck and Fence Brightener once again? If I have to, I will.
Welcome the input of those better informed/experienced than I am.
Hadn't thought of this, but prefer not doing so for the following reason.
The Cleaner is akin to a kind of bleach and I have a lot of vertical latticework made from cedar surrounding the deck. While it is necessary to do the _deck_ again, it's not necessary to do the vertical stuff.
So, if I use the cleaner, then blast it off with a pressure washer, it's perhaps going to spatter onto the verticals and remove the stain something like flicking bleach onto clothing from a paint brush.
So, back to my original question: May I expect pressure washing the deck to produce similar results to using the Wolman's Deck and Fence Brightener with, of course, considerably less labor/time on my part???
Wet down the lattice cover it with a plastic drop or easily hose off the soap nearby, then powerwash . No the acid and bleach wont be replaced by powerwashing. The dirt is imbedded. Try a bit on the lattice it may do nothing to it.
I have been doing some more reading, including the blurbs on the cans of Wolman's and Cabot's deck cleaning products at the local hardware store and they too suggest as you have: brush on their product and remove it either with a hose or a pressure washer.
Which leads to my next question: how strong a pressure washer?
I understand that something around 1300 psi is suggested for cedar decks because they are so soft.
My neighbor borrowed a Karcher, 1300 PSI, electric pressure washer and I borrowed it to do my driveway. Not bad at all. It did a surprisingly good job, although it had to be held very close to the concrete and is was slow going.
While I had it out, I dragged out a left-over piece of the vertical supports on which the cedar deck is built. Since they go into the ground, they are pressure treated (pine?). With the Karcher, I had to point it literally an inch away from the wood and hold it in place for a few seconds before I actually damaged the wood. Very instructive.
My neighbor used the Karcher on her cedar deck and I went over to watch. Man, that sucker is s l o o o w at removing the product she put on her deck last year. I think it was Cabot's with a very small amount of toner.
When I had the so-called professionals do my deck, they used a gas-powered pressure washer and did the deck much faster and did not harm the cedar.
So, my next question is: If I am careful about how close I get to the deck with it and about constantly keeping the wand moving, how powerful a pressure washer should I risk using? I'd prefer, but am not wedded to getting an electric one and I see that some of the Karchers and Sistemas go up to 1600 PSI.
Folks seem to swear by the Karchers, but the Sistemas look even better. E.g., believe they use brass couplers in places where the Karchers use cheaper plastic. I also note that using the Karcher, my neighbor has ruined the high-pressure hose in one day's use.
Don't know how she did it, but in numerous spots (in 10 or 15 places) she has managed to rub off the rubber sheathing of the hose, exposing the metal underneath. Not much of an advertisement for Karchers.
IN SUMMARY: how powerful a pressure washer would you suggest using on a cedar deck, assuming that the user will use it carefully???
She should take that hose back, ive seen 15yr old karcher hoses that are fine. Its all in the tip selection more powerfull units have up to 6 tips from 0 degrees to 90- 120 degrees. You could use a 6000lb unit with the right tip. Electrics are limited only by standard 120 v 15 amp circuits. but there are 220v 30 amp+ avalaible. Electric is slower, but no motor to mess with, oil change , gas , draining the carb etc etc, less of a pain in the ass over 10- 20 yrs.
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