How to Prep a Deck With Power
By: Pam Melton
Nothing frustrates me more than fnding out that some nugget of advice that I've taken as gospel, is just a load o'hooey. For example, I was under the impression that when it comes to decks and fences and whatnot, you're supposed to wait several months after installation for the wood to cure before you treat it with anything. Brad, our Creative Genius and Home Improvement Guru, informs me that now he hears that it really should be done as soon as possible. After reviewing a ton of the info out there on the subject, it appears to me that basically, you just need to make sure that the wood is good and dry before you treat it. For me, a few months became a few years with our deck, which left me facing a weathered, dirty surface to deal with, instead of a shiny new one. Granted, you still have to clean it first if it's new, but my bet is that it's a heckuva lot quicker clean at that point.
 There is one school of thought that says it's best to clean a deck with a garden hose and deck brush. Brad is of the opinion that it's sure not to splinter the wood grain as much as using a pressure washer - but using a pressure washer can restore the original color of an older deck. Being a total tool chick, I opted for the pressure washer. I started to do this project last year, but the 1750 psi electric pressure washer that I used just didn't get the job done. My history wih pressure washers made me afraid to use a 2500 psi or higher unit, because I know how easy it is to take chunks out of wood if you get too close with one of those. Not to mention, you can only find more cleaning power with a gas unit. I could have rented an 1800 psi or so gas unit, but man, I hate trying to start 2-cycle engines. All that remained was to do it the aforementioned old school way. However, you guys know lazy ole me, and the thought of attacking our 24' x 10' deck, plus ramp, rails and stairs with a scrub brush after 4 years sent me directly to procrastination station. Cheap ole me also figured that a deck wash chemical can be passed over if using a serious pressure washer. Heck, if it could potentially restore old wood to somewhat new looking, so much the better.
A year later the train left the station and I decided to go ahead and tackle it old school. Lo and behold, one of my girlfriends (aren't girlfriends the best) who works Campbell Hausfeld® told me that they had a new, high-end electric pressure washer that needed a photo shoot. I was more than happy to proffer my deck for the job. They brought it over and hooked it up. Pretty simple process, except we needed an adapter for the 20 amp plug. I knew that all of my house breakers were 20 amp, but I had no idea that a 20 amp cord may actually use a weird plug. Be forewarned that if you decide to rent or buy one like this for your project needs - check the plug situation before you go home! The only other little quirk was that when it's first plugged in, there's a reset button on the cord that you have to push in order for the pump to turn on when you flip the switch. In technical terms, the cord is equippedwith its own GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter for the uninitiated). You see these things on most electric eqiupment that tend to be used in wet areas, like hair dryers and such. The outlet that we used was a GFCI outlet as well, so if nothing else, I was safe electrically.
Donning my trusty safety glasses, I started at the top, with the railing, and worked my way down. Once I started working the floor of the deck, I began in the middle, working out to each edge. I was amazed at how much crap washed out of the wood! That's the fun thing about using a pressure washer - instant gratification (Yeah Baby!). The pressure was enough to get out the gunk, including this really icky patch underneath our welcome mat. I raised a little wood grain, but no wood chunks went flying, so - woo hoo!
 There was one spot where we had grease build-up from this little grill that we've been using out there. No matter how close I got, I just couldn't get that stuff to budge. One spot was really thick with grease, and there were a couple of other spots that weren't as thick, but the pressure washer still wasn't getting it up. I thought I'd give Wnning Brands' Winning Colours stain remover a try (we're trying it on everything to see what it will and won't do). I squeezed out enough to cover the spots and let it soak while I cleaned the outer area of the deck-rails, ramp, stairs, etc. On reflection, I should have started there, then the tops of the railing and worked my way down to the floor. Anyway, when I came back and sprayed it off, I was tickled to see that the ligher areas came right up and a bunch of the thick spot came up as well! I re-applied to the thick spot and after scrubbing it in and letting it soak a little longer, most of it came up. I'm guessng that's about as good as it's gonna get.
 
An hour and fifty five minutes later, my deck looks fab and ready to seal. The only complaints that I have are that my hand's a little sore (and I even wore work gloves) from working the trigger on the pressure washer for so long and the garden hose/pressure hose/cord was teency bit of a pain in the butt the couple of times that I had to move the business around (nature of the beast). I figure if that's all I have to bitch about and I didn't have to use a scrub brush on the whole thing - tee-flippin'-hee!!
 
All in all, a good experience. On the subject of pressure washers, unless you have a ton of stuff around your place to pressure wash with the kind of punch needed for this job - get to know your local rental house. Now...to just seal, or to stain and seal, that is the question - stay tuned!
This project earned a 4 Fingernail rating - between hookin' up stuff and dealing with that grease spot, I definitely broke a nail.
|
