Have you ever cleaned/bleached exterior wood?

Murrmurr said:
Personally, I don't think you should use bleach on wood. Unless you don’t mind stripping it of its natural color and damaging the cellular structure.

Oxygen bleach is an alternative that won’t wash out colors (or harm plants), but it’s still not appropriate for redwood.
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Your solution is to hire a professional because you can’t do it right? IMG_4139.gif
 

PeppermintPatty said:
That’s why you do testing on a sample piece of wood first. A couple of weeks ago I power washed our entire veranda. It’s a combination of wood and vinyl. It came out wonderful.
I did it myself. I must be a pro. 😂🤪
You find the right setting first MurrMurr.
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What did you test it on? Or did you keep increasing power while hosing down the veranda? (which is ok)

My nephew power-sprayed a carved wooden door on a house he was renting, and the spray cut a long, deep groove across the middle of that beautiful old door. (not funny, but I had to laugh)

Power sprayer, sure, but test it first...on a little patch of the deck or maybe a wood fence, or whatever.
 

JBR, have you considered Shell Busey’s cleaner. It may still be available at Home Hardware in Canada. We used to use his homemade formula for lots of things. The main ingredient was TSP.

How to use Shell Busey's Home Cleaning Formula:​

REMOVES Algae, Mildew, Dirt, Grease, & Stains from All Types of Awnings, Decks, Wood, Garages, Driveways, Concrete, Asphalt. Mix 4 level lids into a 3 gallon bucket of hot water.

INTERIOR USES Paint Preparation, Walls, Floors, Countertops, Kitchens and Bathrooms, Ceramic Tile. Mix one level lid into a 3 gallon bucket of hot water.

CLEANS & BRIGHTENS Stucco, Vinyl, Aluminum, Siding, Exterior Shutters, Soffit, Facia, Gutters, Down Pipes. Mix 2 level lids into a 3 gallon bucket of hot water.

Contact Shell to find out where you can purchase at 604-290-8525

HOME - Ask Shell
 
Murrmurr said:
I've had best results with Mineral Spirits. Clean the spots w/mineral spirits(follow directions), then, when it's thoroughly dried, protect it with Thompson's water seal.
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Well I've used mineral spirits for other things. They're relatively inexpensive, compared with some products, ABR-X180 for example.

With exterior wood, what sort of area (how many sq feet, approximately) have you used it with?
 
Jules said:
JBR, have you considered Shell Busey’s cleaner. It may still be available at Home Hardware in Canada. We used to use his homemade formula for lots of things. The main ingredient was TSP.

How to use Shell Busey's Home Cleaning Formula:​

REMOVES Algae, Mildew, Dirt, Grease, & Stains from All Types of Awnings, Decks, Wood, Garages, Driveways, Concrete, Asphalt. Mix 4 level lids into a 3 gallon bucket of hot water.

HOME - Ask Shel
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Thanks, Jules. No, I'm not familiar with it. What sorts of things have you cleaned with it?
 
Murrmurr said:
What did you test it on? Or did you keep increasing power while hosing down the veranda? (which is ok)

My nephew power-sprayed a carved wooden door on a house he was renting, and the spray cut a long, deep groove across the middle of that beautiful old door. (not funny, but I had to laugh)

Power sprayer, sure, but test it first...on a little patch of the deck or maybe a wood fence, or whatever.
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I tested on the end step first to make sure it worked. I was using it to clean only, not strip first but I do know that with a different end piece it will strip wood.

My husband and I do all our own DIY’s. The only thing we didn’t do is sell our own house.
Years ago we found our house had rotted out beneath a deck we put up without flashing. We had to jack up the top floor while we rebuilt the bottom floor wall. We had to rebuild the subfloors, add new windows and doors. It was a huge job but we did it ALL on our own.

We do our own electrical work too.
I built my own cedar greenhouse all by myself with no help from anyone. We are both woodworkers.
 
JBR said:
Well I've used mineral spirits for other things. They're relatively inexpensive, compared with some products, ABR-X180 for example.

With exterior wood, what sort of area (how many sq feet, approximately) have you used it with?
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Approximately 8ft X 3ft. It was actually part of someone's redwood deck. An area leading up to their door. The rest of the deck was fine, but I applied Thompson's to all of it.
 
JBR said:
I'd be interesting knowing how much mineral spirits that required... half gallon, less, more? And does it leave a residue that could contaminate subsequent wood staining?
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I let it soak in and then washed off any residue, then applied the Thompson's when it dried. I used about 1/2 the bottle of spirits, and if I remember right, it was a 2 liter bottle.
 
JBR said:
I'd be interesting in knowing how much mineral spirits that required... half gallon, less, more? And does it leave a residue that could contaminate subsequent wood staining?
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It doesn't effect future staining. (in my experience)

But also, spirits doesn't remove all stains. Ink is a really tough one, and dyes from wax and crayons, too. You can keep reapplying spirits, though, until you get out as much as you can. If you follow directions on the bottle, you shouldn't have trouble in the future.
 
Murrmurr said:
It doesn't effect future staining. (in my experience)

But also, spirits doesn't remove all stains. Ink is a really tough one, and dyes from wax and crayons, too. You can keep reapplying spirits, though, until you get out as much as you can. If you follow directions on the bottle, you shouldn't have trouble in the future.
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I really appreciate you going into depth with the replies, Murrmurr. I'm looking at cleaning, and then staining, about 400 sq feet of area. At this point, yes there's some dirt, but also that common greying that we see on virtually all wood that's been out in the weather for a decade or more. I'd be replacing probably no more than 7% of the boards, so those will start off pristine in appearance.
 
JBR said:
I really appreciate you going into depth with the replies, Murrmurr. I'm looking at cleaning, and then staining, about 400 sq feet of area. At this point, yes there's some dirt, but also that common greying that we see on virtually all wood that's been out in the weather for a decade or more. I'd be replacing probably no more than 7% of the boards, so those will start off pristine in appearance.
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That area will probably look kind of obvious for a while. It's really not a big deal, imo; most decks have an area like that. Maybe toss a rug over it?

I had a very small business going for a while - me and a cousin built decks, and after year or so we added deck maintenance services. I had to get out bc of my back, but he's still at it and doing really well. Has a couple dozen guys working for him.
 
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@JBR I have built and cleaned several decks. Is there a way for you to take some pictures of your project? I would like to see what your doing. A lot of good suggestions on this thread...i am impressed. :) I also saw a couple vids on Youtube you might want to check out and/or do some searches there, u never know what you might find.


 
Paco Dennis said:
@JBR I have built and cleaned several decks. Is there a way for you to take some pictures of your project? I would like to see what your doing. A lot of good suggestions on this thread...i am impressed. :) I also saw a couple vids on Youtube you might want to check out and/or do some searches there, u never know what you might find.


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Yes, oxygen bleach is a good one. I think I mentioned it earlier....could be wrong.

But it costs a lot more than mineral spirits....or, it does here, anyway. I wonder if you can use a lot less of it, though. That'd be worth looking into.

(it wasn't available when I was doing decks)
 

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