cleaning deck dirt
 

I am a deck cleaning newbie. I've cleaned my pine deck as it was
extremely dirty by scrubbing with Sherwin Williams Revive deck cleaner.
Most of the dirt was removed but there are still some areas that have a
slightly dirty look to them because I guess I didn't scrub hard enough
(I did this by myself and the deck is pretty large, so it was tough to
get everything without going over it twice and spending hours on end).
Is this an ok thing? I have since sealed with Thompson's Advantage. Do
I need to strip the sealer off and clean the dirty areas and seal
again. I just don't want to do that and have it looking splotchy.
Thoughts?

thanks!

For any finish to take well, the deck needs to be clean and dry. I
use a mixture of TSP, bleach, and warm water. If the deck has not
been cleaned in a year I usually need to clean it twice. A
semi-transparant stain is better (lasts longer, protects more) than a
clear finish. Thompson's is popular but not too good.

On 30 May 2005 22:18:51 -0700, wrote:

I am a deck cleaning newbie. I've cleaned my pine deck as it was
extremely dirty by scrubbing with Sherwin Williams Revive deck cleaner.
Most of the dirt was removed but there are still some areas that have a
slightly dirty look to them because I guess I didn't scrub hard enough
(I did this by myself and the deck is pretty large, so it was tough to
get everything without going over it twice and spending hours on end).
Is this an ok thing? I have since sealed with Thompson's Advantage. Do
I need to strip the sealer off and clean the dirty areas and seal
again. I just don't want to do that and have it looking splotchy.
Thoughts?

thanks!

Phisherman wrote:
For any finish to take well, the deck needs to be clean and dry. I
use a mixture of TSP, bleach, and warm water. If the deck has not
been cleaned in a year I usually need to clean it twice. A
semi-transparant stain is better (lasts longer, protects more) than a
clear finish. Thompson's is popular but not too good.

On 30 May 2005 22:18:51 -0700, wrote:

I am a deck cleaning newbie. I've cleaned my pine deck as it was
extremely dirty by scrubbing with Sherwin Williams Revive deck
cleaner. Most of the dirt was removed but there are still some
areas that have a slightly dirty look to them because I guess I
didn't scrub hard enough (I did this by myself and the deck is
pretty large, so it was tough to get everything without going over
it twice and spending hours on end). Is this an ok thing? I have
since sealed with Thompson's Advantage. Do I need to strip the
sealer off and clean the dirty areas and seal again. I just don't
want to do that and have it looking splotchy. Thoughts?

thanks!

I'd say put chairs and plants on short wooden stands or casters over the
parts you don't like and promise to do better next year when you get the
deck striped down the way you want it to be. In spite of the way you
might want it to look, it's a floor and people are going to walk on it and
you are going to do this a little differently next year.

Josie

I have decided that I really hate the way the deck looks and want to
strip the sealer and clean again then seal again.

What should I do this time around? Should I pressure wash? If so, will
it take off the sealant or should I get a sealant remover?

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks.

On 1 Jun 2005 11:03:03 -0700, wrote:

I have decided that I really hate the way the deck looks and want to
strip the sealer and clean again then seal again.

What should I do this time around? Should I pressure wash? If so, will
it take off the sealant or should I get a sealant remover?

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks.

If it were me....I'd wait and put up with the ugly for at least a
year. The sealer does offer some protection and that's what is really
important in the long run. In any event, contact the manufacturer of
the sealant and find out the procedure to remove it. You may need to
use some kind of stripper and a time-consuming procedure.