The Deck FAQ-  

Over the years I have jotted down some of the most frequently asked questions about deck maintenance and care. Here are some of the most asked questions I get:

Q.  Does power washing hurt a deck?

A.  No power washing does not hurt a deck as long as it’s done properly.

Q. Do you have to use a cleaner to get the deck clean during power washing?

A. Only in extreme circumstances. 

Q.  With extreme mold and mildew when using a cleaner do you have to add bleach? 

A.  Read the back of the cleaner and it will tell you that you have to add bleach.  A lot of people use spic and span mixed with bleach or Jomax mixed with bleach to wash down the deck.  Try to avoid this as much as possible.  You do not want to use bleach other than to kill mildew and should be used only in extreme circumstances.

Q.  If someone wants to strip their deck, do they need to use a neutralizer? 

A. Yes, you need to use a neutralizer after stripping or you will get black spots on your deck.  Stripping should be done only in extreme circumstances. 

Q.  Do cleaners strippers and neutralizers cause stain failure?

A.  Yes, if these chemicals are not removed from the pores of the wood you will later have stain failure, peeling, bubbling, cracking, splitting of the wood.

Q.  Can you put a latex stain on top of an oil stain?

A.  Yes

Q.  Can you put an oil stain on top of a latex stain?

A.  No, they are not compatible in this order.

Q.  Is it okay to put one thin coat of linseed oil on my deck?  

A.  Yes.  One thin coat of linseed oil is what you should apply.  When you put too much it will build up on the wood and might seem dry after a 8 hours but it’s not dry underneath.  After time mildew will build up under the oil and you will have a difficult time removing the linseed oil when you want to re-stain.

Q.  When can you power wash and stain your deck.

A.  You can power wash and stain a deck as long as it’s approximately 50 degrees outside. 

More on the subject of deck staining from Dave:

All deck staining companies want you to buy their product and they want you to buy the whole system from the cleaning to the stripping to the staining. They want to make money, the more you buy from them the more money they make. Chemicals are not good for wood.  The least amount of chemicals you use on wood the longer your deck will last.  Do your best to avoid using any type of chemicals such as cleaners, strippers and neutralizers.  These I would strongly suggest that you stay away from them as much as possible. I highly recommend using a wood toner, oil or latex, when your deck is new.  As time goes on there will be a buildup of wood toner on the deck.  At that time I suggest going with a solid body stain which they call opaque. Some companies call themselves full-service deck maintenance contractors.  They use products they call wet on wet.  When they power wash the deck down they apply the product to the wet wood.  One day one step.   I don’t agree with an oil product being applied on wet wood.  I suggest the wood be allowed to dry out for 12 hours.  Some latex products are one day power wash and stain.  Latex products are flexible and moisture can go through them more so than the oil.  I would suggest a latex product such as Cabots for one power washing and staining service. There are some sealers that are latex which are a combo with oil added to them such as CWF-UV, which I highly recommend. 

Solid body stains: 

Most solid body stains on the market today need a primer.  There are a couple of companies out there that don’t require a primer.  I strongly suggest that you read the back of the can to determine which stains require or don’t require a primer.  I always recommend a deck stain that does not require a primer.  Semi transparent stains.  There are oil semi transparent and latex semi transparent.  Some semi transparent need to be mixed, take a gallon of the solid body stain and a gallon of the clear mixed together to get the semi transparent.  If you’re going to go this route I strongly recommend that you go with a professional and let him do it.  With most semi transparent ones on the market, when applying them, one coat is recommended because when a second coat is applied or touch up is applied it starts to turn to a solid body.  By the second and third time you stain your deck with the same semi transparent stain the deck surface will start to turn into a solid body stain.  This is a difficult product to work with, the latex version should be sprayed on to give it a more even finish.  The oil product would need to be brushed on as one thin coat.  Will you have flashing, highs and lows; yes with these type of products you will have highs and lows.  When you get an estimate for staining your deck you will probably get some fancy brochure and you’ll get a low price of a $1.20 sq.ft.  But the floor, rails and steps will be broken out per sq.ft. and you’ll end up paying the going rate as everyone else is offering. A deck tune up can only be offered when the previous stain used was a solid body stain.  90 percent of the time the spindles will be fine, usually the top of hand rails and caps will wear down and require a touch up.  The deck should be power washed lightly and the same stain as before should be applied.  You cannot do this with wet on wet products or sealers or semi transparent.  Some deck companies claim that they have a carpenter working for them.  No carpenter that I know of in the North East does deck staining.  Can a deck staining company replace a board?  Yes.  It’s highly unlikely that these companies have a fully trained carpenter working for them.  These ambulance deck companies try to get one over on the customer.  I recommend that when you have more than two boards that need replacing you call a carpenter.  Some of these ambulance companies that use wet on wet say that they are also going to strip your deck in that day.  When doing that you have to use a neutralizer or you’ll get black spots.  Most of them do not strip your deck, they just power wash the deck with a mild stain and apply the stain.  Most of the time when the deck is being worked on no one is home.