Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Do I have to powerwash again before staining?
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rjturkel
06-02-03, 08:41 AM
I have a deck with PT boards and redwood rails. About 4 weeks ago, I powerwashed the deck with a 1300psi washer, and planned to stain/seal w/ Cabot stain the following weekend after the boards dried thoroughly.
However, Maryland has seen tremendous amounts of rain since then, and the deck has not dried enough to seal (nor has a weekend day been dry enough to actually do the work!)
My concern is that in the weeks since I powerwashed, the deck has gotten too dirty to simply stain once the weather clears. Do I need to powerwash again to remove any dirt that's accumulated in the past 4 weeks? Or, is this being too paranoid?
-randy
However, Maryland has seen tremendous amounts of rain since then, and the deck has not dried enough to seal (nor has a weekend day been dry enough to actually do the work!)
My concern is that in the weeks since I powerwashed, the deck has gotten too dirty to simply stain once the weather clears. Do I need to powerwash again to remove any dirt that's accumulated in the past 4 weeks? Or, is this being too paranoid?
-randy
2cold4me
06-03-03, 05:24 PM
Hey Randy,
Just a wash would do it w/out having to power wash the entire deck again. With my limited experiance of using power washers, I've used them to get rid of nasty stains and the weathered look caused by U.V. rays (THE SUN). I would suggest hosing the deck a few days before and letting the sun dry the wood and go for it!
Good luck and have fun!
F.Y.I. We had 10" + of rain in May here in Tennessee and I had to put my staining projects off...I think it's just a case of "Murphy's Law"...If it's gonna happen, It's gonna happen to me!!!
Just a wash would do it w/out having to power wash the entire deck again. With my limited experiance of using power washers, I've used them to get rid of nasty stains and the weathered look caused by U.V. rays (THE SUN). I would suggest hosing the deck a few days before and letting the sun dry the wood and go for it!
Good luck and have fun!
F.Y.I. We had 10" + of rain in May here in Tennessee and I had to put my staining projects off...I think it's just a case of "Murphy's Law"...If it's gonna happen, It's gonna happen to me!!!
diylady
06-03-03, 05:32 PM
Ten lousy inches? :p Hah, *we* had 20!!! Amazingly enough we chose to clean and stain the deck starting on this last weekend and actually went a SOLID WEEK WITHOUT RAIN!!! Will wonders never cease!