How to Professionally Pressure Wash your Deck Clean
Deck cleaning requires pressure washing for the best results. You may need to clean your deck for many reasons. Your deck has a stain that's failed, or has worn off in high traffic areas. An unstained or vinyl deck has grayed or developed an embedded layer of soil or algae. Many of these problems can be resolved with a solid day of pressure washing. The key to deck cleaning is understanding how to deal with these various problems and use the correct method of pressure washing to eliminate them. Doing it yourself correctly can save you hundreds of dollars. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1900 psi pressure washer
- Boots, Long Pants, Longsleeved shirt
- Safety Glasses, earplugs, gloves
- Ladders, Scaffolding Ramp (for raised decks)
- Full Day
Instructions
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THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
Rent or buy the right equipment. Pressure washing a deck requires at the minimum 1900 psi (at the nozzle) to remove stain. You will need a 40° tip for the best performance. Wear the right clothes for the job. Wear boots, if a pressure washer can remove wood it can remove skin. Wear safety glasses, with the amount of pressure you are applying some debris will fly up and could injure your eyes. Gloves are a personal choice this work is arduous and can leave your hands bruised and sore, tight fitting leather gloves are the best. Wear long pants for the same reason as boots. Use sunscreen to protect your skin in the sun. -
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PLANNING
Plan a day where you can spend the entire day doing this process depending on the severity of your needs. Start early in the day to avoid the late afternoon sun. If your job is difficult (opaque stain removal) add a second day to your calendar. -
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LAYOUT
Pressure washing is the process of removing a microscopic layer of wood from the surface of your deck. Keeping a consistent process is key to a quality look and job. You will need to develop your own style of sweeping (wand action) that remains constant throughout the job. Start with the main deck first then move to the handrails and balusters. I recommend the handrail last because it's the most delicate and can be damaged by a novice just starting the process. Start on the inner most corner and work to the outer most corner of the deck. You will be cleaning your way off the deck. Finish with the handrail and balusters.
If you have a raised deck a word of caution -- You'll want to use scaffolding or two properly placed ladders with a quality aluminum extension ramp between them to stand on. You can buy or rent these as well. Keep your feet on a solid flat surface when handling this kind of pressure, an extension ladder is dangerous and will not give you the distance you need for a quality job. -
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THE PROCESS
Sweeping the wand is the action needed to remove the soil, or stain. If it's soil and graying you intend to remove keep the wand further away from the deck 15-20 inches. If it's a light or heavy stain stay between 8-15 inches away. Your arms will be in an odd position to achieve this. Practice your position and sweeping method before you turn on the washer. Work on a small area at a time, no more than three deck planks wide and two feet long. It's similar to spray painting, you want the tip of the wand to stay a consistent distance from the wood at both ends of the pendulum (sweeping ends), both hands and arms will be adjusting back and forth to accomplish this.Note: wood knots are the hardest to remove stain from, because of the grain and strength of this wood. Knots are where a tree branch extended from the tree and by nature are very strong tightly grained areas, with the grain running in an opposite direction. Some knots will not clean and if you spend too much time on them you can damage the wood around them and leave an ugly divot on your deck. You may have to come back once the deck has dried and hand sand or chemically remove the stain on a knot.
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This work is arduous and sometimes dangerous, if you feel it is more then you can manage, hire a professional to do the work. If you are unsure how to hire a quality contractor see my article listed in the resource section of this article.
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Tips & Warnings
This is labor intensive work, Use the right equipment.
Safety first.
Stay with it.
Ask friends or family to help - taking turns is easier on your muscles and keeps things fun.
If you do not think you can do this well, hire a professional and check their references.
Resources
- Photo Credit google images
