In article , Scott
wrote:

We have a large cedar deck that's two years old. The clear stain only lasted
a year and a half before greying. This spring, I want to have the deck power-
washed, and then I'll stain it with a Sikkens stain with some pigment. My
wife has a Polish friend who owns a power washer. He says he'll clean it for
free. The contractor who built the deck said you have to be careful when
power-
washing. If you use too much pressure, you'll lift the grain of the wood and
damage it. That's why I'm planning to ask a professional to do it. Is there
a danger to asking an amateur to do it instead?

Thanks!
Scott

I feel the need to say something because lots of folks chimed in when
I posted a question just like this two years ago. Payback time!

I have a deck constructed of western red cedar: it's really soft.
For several years it was "professionally" pressure cleaned and treated.
The pressure cleaning went just fine; the treatments were awful. They
were clear and lasted barely one season.

I decided to research it and do it myself.

What I found out is that the name-brand chemical cleaners sold
specifically for this task (I used Cabots, but there are plenty of other
good ones) are better and gentler for the deck than pressure cleaning.

I followed the directions on the Cabots container AND I bought an
electric pressure washer from Home Depot. Electric ones do not generate
the high pressures of a gasoline-powered unit and your risk of damaging
the deck is GREATLY reduced. (Try the pressure washer on a old piece of
lumber first and you'll quickly get a feeling for how much damage they
can do and how close you have to hold it to the board and how long you
have to hold it there to damage the board.)

I let the chemical cleaner set, as instructed, about 10 minutes on an
area about 8ft X 8ft, then scrubbed the boards with a good stiff scrub
brush on a pole, then went over it gently with the pressure washer.

I then treated it with Cabot's, using a semi-transarent stain and
that lasted two full seasons, in the Washington, D.C. area. I could
have gone a third, I guess, but now I know how to do it, it's easy to
clean it again and reapply another coat of the stain.

Oh, by the way. Since you are not stripping the deck down to bare
wood, only use a VERY THIN COAT of whatever you decide to use or it will
never dry.

Good luck,
bob