Wood deck maintenance tips does fall under interior painting for the fact that some decks have enclosures leading to exterior parts of the home. For this reason I will publish this article. You may head over to Exterior Home Painting blog to read more about Wood Deck Maintenance
- Mill Glaze – Is when the surface of the wood is new and has a sheen on the surface from the mill that hiders penetration of stain A shiny surface on the wood which comes from the mill when the wood is cut.
- Stripping a Wood Deck- This when you remove any old finish that is on the surface of a wood deck. Best done by sanding but can also be done with or without chemical solutions but with a pressure washer.
- Sanding a Wood Deck - This is done with a comercial sander and it completely strips the deck of it's finish. When sanding a wood deck you should not use any wood brighteners or chemical cleaning solutions.
- Power Washing After Sanding - Once the wood deck has been sanded you will need to wash the deck off with a pressure washer that is 1000-1200 psi, a wide 40 degree spray nozzle, and the nozzle should be held at least 12 inches from the surface.
- Power Washing with Brighteners and Cleaners - This is where wood brighteners and cleaning solutions are used to clean the deck. The chemicals will strip most stains but will not strip solid stains or paint, for that you will need do sanding. A power washer between 1500-1800 psi will work and a 25 degree spray nozzle held at 12 inches from the surface will work.
- Power Washing without Brighteners or Cleaners - a strong pressure washer between 2000 and 2500 psi and a spray nozzle of 15 to 25 degrees held at about 8 to 10 inches from the surface of the wood should work. There may need to be some sanding and then a repeated wash. You must be careful with this method because you can easily damage the wood.
