Deck Staining - My dilemma (roof, washer, refinishing, cleaner)
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We have a 10 year old wrap around wood deck in the PNW a mile from the ocean. We had the deck stripped sanded and refinished two years ago. We had it covered with a water base deck one coat. Chose one which cost $72.00 per gallon..cannot for the life of me recall the brand. Last year it weathered well and cleaned up with a simple pressure washing without detergent. This year is a bear. We did get more rain. I have to really go slowly with the pressure washer to remove embedded grime and dirt.
After summer I want to clean it off and choose a product which will protect and make it easier to clean. I'm thinking semi transparent. The deck is large 80' x 7' in a wraparound design.
We have a 10 year old wrap around wood deck in the PNW a mile from the ocean. We had the deck stripped sanded and refinished two years ago. We had it covered with a water base deck one coat. Chose one which cost $72.00 per gallon..cannot for the life of me recall the brand. Last year it weathered well and cleaned up with a simple pressure washing without detergent. This year is a bear. We did get more rain. I have to really go slowly with the pressure washer to remove embedded grime and dirt.
After summer I want to clean it off and choose a product which will protect and make it easier to clean. I'm thinking semi transparent. The deck is large 80' x 7' in a wraparound design.
Thoughts appreciated. Thanks in advance.
IMHO, nothing will make the wood decking significantly easier to clean for more than a year. Obviously it was easier to clean shortly after refinishing because the seal hadn't chemically reacted to the weather or been worn down by traffic. If you want a cleaner deck you'll have to keep dirt, pollen, leaves, needles, and salt from sitting on it. Keep it swept/rinsed during the year and scrub grime off of it every year. Catch 22 is that scrubbing it more will abrade the seal more too. Just hoping to get all the grunge off with water in a power washer alone? Treating with a deck cleaner first, then rinsing with the sprayer will probably be easier. IME, you probably spend the time (two easier steps vs one harder slower one) either way. Nature of the beast especially in your location. Semi-transparent won't protect or last as long as a solid stain.
Decks: Maybe I'm just jaundiced, but at this point in my homeowner career I detest them. The amount of time I spend enjoying them is usually less than the amount of time I spend working on them. I cannot understand why people in rain/snow country ever put an open wooden deck on a house. My previous house had no decking, just two modest, roofed, functional concrete porches. The lack of attention they required was incredibly liberating.
Last edited by Parnassia; 03-02-2020 at 03:10 PM..
When I rebuilt a prior house’s deck I used Armstrong Clark semi transparent, and it applied well. I restained the horizontal surfaces yearly, vertical surfaces every 2 years. Used deck cleaner and then rinsed it off and let dry first.
As long as the deck is in good condition it’s easy to apply a maintenance coat. I did the horizontal surfaces for a 30x15 deck in about an hour.
...choose a product which will protect and make it easier to clean. I'm thinking semi transparent. The deck is large 80' x 7' in a wraparound design.
Thoughts appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Give up the yearly maintenance- other than pressure washing. When it's time to replace the decking, replace with PVC and you'll only need to continue the pressure washing for maintenance.
But, if you're dead-set on the wood- TWP 100. It's the total VOC oil-based stuff that will outlast waterbased...
The deck adds 660 square feet and we use it quite a bit the roof overhang protects most of it...so it's worth the work....We are going to replace the long boards which run the length and are not covered by the roof later this year.
I did use a cleaner. Absolutely worthless and a waste of $13.00 for the gallon.
I was upset about the cost of Trex for a small deck that we put in over 2 decades ago; however, it never had to be maintained during the entire time we owned the home.
Yes, it would be prohibitive cost wise to use Trex....and honestly I am just looking to preserve and protect it. It wraps around our rancher wide and long enough for a gaggle of good people. I don't really mind the labor the finished product is worth it....finding the product which fits with the cedar deck is the work....
Yes, it would be prohibitive cost wise to use Trex....and honestly I am just looking to preserve and protect it. It wraps around our rancher wide and long enough for a gaggle of good people. I don't really mind the labor the finished product is worth it....finding the product which fits with the cedar deck is the work....
Thanks again.
It’s that TWP stuff KBuilder mentioned. I have a deck of a similar size, with half of it exposed to the elements in TX and that’s the only stuff that’ll last at least 2-3 years.
I actually prefer wood decks over plastic and if you own a wood deck, I wouldn't trust anything other than TWP.
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