That time of year - deck clean and treat
Discussion
I've a softwood deck with built in planters thats been down about 18 months. Its not yet been treated and over winter the horizontal areas have greened a little and generally greyed with the Sun. The planters still look new so I don't want to go down the route of staining as it'd be a big job.
Im looking to clean first and I'm probably going for Owatrol Net trol if there is nothing better recommended?
Once it's clean I'm after some kind of preservative which gives UV protection but is clear. Any recommendations?
I did think to paint the whole deck charcoal grey but think it might be rather oppressive and too hot in the summer. Interested if anyone has used a dark colour with impressive results.
Im looking to clean first and I'm probably going for Owatrol Net trol if there is nothing better recommended?
Once it's clean I'm after some kind of preservative which gives UV protection but is clear. Any recommendations?
I did think to paint the whole deck charcoal grey but think it might be rather oppressive and too hot in the summer. Interested if anyone has used a dark colour with impressive results.
In previous threads people have suggested against power washers as it supposedly makes the wood 'furry'.
I used that Ronseal decking cleaner with a hard brush and then treated it with decking oil.
You'll probably get a link to Schaeffers New Zealand Decking Sealant in 5, 4, 3... oh it's been done
I used that Ronseal decking cleaner with a hard brush and then treated it with decking oil.
You'll probably get a link to Schaeffers New Zealand Decking Sealant in 5, 4, 3... oh it's been done
Oakey said:
In previous threads people have suggested against power washers as it supposedly makes the wood 'furry'.
I used that Ronseal decking cleaner with a hard brush and then treated it with decking oil.
You'll probably get a link to Schaeffers New Zealand Decking Sealant in 5, 4, 3... oh it's been done
You've just got to go a easy with the PW.I used that Ronseal decking cleaner with a hard brush and then treated it with decking oil.
You'll probably get a link to Schaeffers New Zealand Decking Sealant in 5, 4, 3... oh it's been done
Like any tool, in the wrong hands it'll do damage.
I've just finished refurbishing my hardwood balau deck.
I tried to sand it - this took ages with my 3 inch belt sander, but did take the wood back a new wood finish.
I then tried to pressure wash being mindful of the previously mentioned furring of the wood. I tested a not so visible area and found that although the wood was furred up a little with very high pressure, it was much much easier than sanding. So I've decided to fully sand the deck after maybe a couple years of pressure washing it.
The pressure wash completed on the whole deck and its dried to appear like brand new wood. I applied some oxalic acid to remove stains and bleach some of the darker areas back to normal. Then applied one coat of liberon clear UV deck oil. Hopefully this stuff will be better than ronseals ultimate decking oil that I used last year.
The Liberon oil soaked in very well and darkened the wood a little as well. I think another coat is due, but i feel it would be better done in hot weather as the oil took a good while to dry and I was worried about it raining while it was still wet.
I tried to sand it - this took ages with my 3 inch belt sander, but did take the wood back a new wood finish.
I then tried to pressure wash being mindful of the previously mentioned furring of the wood. I tested a not so visible area and found that although the wood was furred up a little with very high pressure, it was much much easier than sanding. So I've decided to fully sand the deck after maybe a couple years of pressure washing it.
The pressure wash completed on the whole deck and its dried to appear like brand new wood. I applied some oxalic acid to remove stains and bleach some of the darker areas back to normal. Then applied one coat of liberon clear UV deck oil. Hopefully this stuff will be better than ronseals ultimate decking oil that I used last year.
The Liberon oil soaked in very well and darkened the wood a little as well. I think another coat is due, but i feel it would be better done in hot weather as the oil took a good while to dry and I was worried about it raining while it was still wet.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Seriously - try Caustic Soda.
Thats what they used to do back in the day at sea on the liners and ships with Teak decks.
You don't blast the Caustic off with the pressure washer, they used to use the Fire hose, you just have to make sure you us a load of water to rinse it all down.
Thanks Paddy - will try that !Thats what they used to do back in the day at sea on the liners and ships with Teak decks.
You don't blast the Caustic off with the pressure washer, they used to use the Fire hose, you just have to make sure you us a load of water to rinse it all down.
I spent a bit of time last year researching and experimenting with cleaning products. I am not an expert, but the technique worked reasonably well for me, your mileage may vary.
If you simply want a safe effective cheap cleaning solution I'd recommend making a solution of Sodium Percarbonate by dissolving about 50g/litre of warm water , spray/scrub it on your deck, leave for 20 minutes, and hose off. No need to go hunting chemical suppliers for this exotic chemical, simply go in to your local supermarket/green foods store and pickup Ecover Laundry Bleach as this is pure Sodium Percarbonate.
If however you've got a deck in need of full refurbishment I would suggest the following:-
NOTE: As mentioned previously some of this stuff can be pretty nasty, so take precautions with masks protection, etc.
Sodium Hydroxide AKA Caustic Soda. This will strip layers of old oil ( and skin/lungs/eyes so take precautions), and leave the deck a scary burnt black colour ! dilute 50g/litre
Oxalic Acid. To neutralise the deck and brighten the deck from the burnt black colour back to a natural shade. dilute 50g/litre. ( precautions again, you don't want to breathe this ! )
Both of these chemicals are readily available on eBay, I used a company called APC found there.
Some photos of my fun. First of all, here's the before. Deck is Cumaru and hasbeen down about 6 years, and despite regular oiling was getting pretty patchy:-
Starting with a test sample. Leave the Caustic soda solution on for 15m and scrub off, hose down with lots of water. As you'll see a nasty burnt black wood will be the result.
Using the Oxalic Acid solution to brighten the wood, leave for 15m , hose off and you should be back to "wood" colour.
Building confidence it's time to do the whole deck.
First pass with Caustic Soda, the black areas show the parts that all the oil has been stripped from.
Second Pass
Third Pass, this was not a good time for my wife to come home and think that I had ruined the deck!
Not looking good is it? Time for the Oxalic Acid. 5 minutes after spraying it's starting to work.
I left it on until the wood colour looked about right, then rinsed off with loads of water and left to dry. Leaving me with what looked like new wood ready to re-coat.
Starting the oiling process.
And the finished article.
The thing is, after all that hard work the Liberon Oil that I used wasn't very effective over the perma-wet winter that we experienced. It just doesn't appear to soak very well in to the Cumaru wood, despite loads of light coats, and I'll be looking for an alternatives this season. Interested to hear your recommendations.
If you simply want a safe effective cheap cleaning solution I'd recommend making a solution of Sodium Percarbonate by dissolving about 50g/litre of warm water , spray/scrub it on your deck, leave for 20 minutes, and hose off. No need to go hunting chemical suppliers for this exotic chemical, simply go in to your local supermarket/green foods store and pickup Ecover Laundry Bleach as this is pure Sodium Percarbonate.
If however you've got a deck in need of full refurbishment I would suggest the following:-
NOTE: As mentioned previously some of this stuff can be pretty nasty, so take precautions with masks protection, etc.
Sodium Hydroxide AKA Caustic Soda. This will strip layers of old oil ( and skin/lungs/eyes so take precautions), and leave the deck a scary burnt black colour ! dilute 50g/litre
Oxalic Acid. To neutralise the deck and brighten the deck from the burnt black colour back to a natural shade. dilute 50g/litre. ( precautions again, you don't want to breathe this ! )
Both of these chemicals are readily available on eBay, I used a company called APC found there.
Some photos of my fun. First of all, here's the before. Deck is Cumaru and hasbeen down about 6 years, and despite regular oiling was getting pretty patchy:-
Starting with a test sample. Leave the Caustic soda solution on for 15m and scrub off, hose down with lots of water. As you'll see a nasty burnt black wood will be the result.
Using the Oxalic Acid solution to brighten the wood, leave for 15m , hose off and you should be back to "wood" colour.
Building confidence it's time to do the whole deck.
First pass with Caustic Soda, the black areas show the parts that all the oil has been stripped from.
Second Pass
Third Pass, this was not a good time for my wife to come home and think that I had ruined the deck!
Not looking good is it? Time for the Oxalic Acid. 5 minutes after spraying it's starting to work.
I left it on until the wood colour looked about right, then rinsed off with loads of water and left to dry. Leaving me with what looked like new wood ready to re-coat.
Starting the oiling process.
And the finished article.
The thing is, after all that hard work the Liberon Oil that I used wasn't very effective over the perma-wet winter that we experienced. It just doesn't appear to soak very well in to the Cumaru wood, despite loads of light coats, and I'll be looking for an alternatives this season. Interested to hear your recommendations.
Interested to see how that works, isn't it about £100 a tin? Is it going on hardwood?
I bought a tub of nettrol so I'll be cleaning it when I get the chance. Bought some Liberon clear oil to put down afterwards. I've had success with Liberon coloured oil on a softwood deck in the past so hopefully this should do the trick.
I bought a tub of nettrol so I'll be cleaning it when I get the chance. Bought some Liberon clear oil to put down afterwards. I've had success with Liberon coloured oil on a softwood deck in the past so hopefully this should do the trick.
DoubleSix said:
It's arrived, just need some dry weather now!!
That's what I've used on my Western red cedar decking and it does seem to perform quite well. It does tend to look a bit orange and 'plasticky' when first applied but tends to weather in nicely. This was using the Cedar tinted colour.
wolfracesonic said:
DoubleSix said:
It's arrived, just need some dry weather now!!
That's what I've used on my Western red cedar decking and it does seem to perform quite well. It does tend to look a bit orange and 'plasticky' when first applied but tends to weather in nicely. This was using the Cedar tinted colour.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff