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Ask Questions on Deck Brighteners for Exterior Wood, Decks, Fences, etc.
Ask Questions on Deck Brighteners for Exterior Wood, Decks, Fences, etc.
Response to your request for pics from our 7/4/23 inquiry. These are pics of the waxy residue we still have after 2 rounds of cleaner/brightner on 11 month old new wood. MI deck installed late Aug 2022. The spindles show the residue that has splattered up. This is only from the railings and posts. We haven’t gotten to the floor deck boards yet. Raining today which is why some looks wet. Cleaning/brightening done last weekend in clear conditions. Thank you for your help.
Used the cleaner, followed up with the brightner according to directions on 11 month old new pressure treated deck per instructions for new wood. The wood is now, waxy/gooey and looks like a chalky, white residue. New wood installed last August 2022 (MI). What do you advise.
Post pics.
Last 2 pics from last weekend when done in clear weather. Other pics from today but it’s raining. This is railings only. Haven’t done deck floor yet. 2 rounds of cleaner/brightner and still waxy residue. You can see it splattered on spindles and in floor grooves. Thanks for your help.
That is oxidation and wood fibers that were not fully removed during the cleaning. You will need to redo the steps and make sure to fully rinse off the wood fibers when done.
I have stripped the deck. Now, while I’m waiting for stain to arrive (3 days) should I still use a wood brightener? If so, how long do I need to wait to stain after wood brightener?Thank you!
Yes. Wait 48 hours to stain after.
Hi, I live in Ontario, Canada and have a south facing cedar deck with full sun exposure. I have been using Armstrong Clark transparent stain, natural tone, for several years now and am generally pleased with the product – it is easy to apply and soaks into the wood. I like that it is considered to have preservative properties and is not just a surface treatment commonly found on the shelves of big box and hardware stores. Since my last application approx. a year ago, my deck turned a dark brown – I don’t mind the colour, but am concerned that this might be due to mold or mildew. I will be treating the deck as soon as this unseasonable cold weather subsides – and the snow melts! Do you have any comments or advice on what cleaning process I should perform prior to applying stain? I am open to using a different colour, i.e. a semi-transparent cedar perhaps which should provide a bit more protection.
Probably dirt that stuck to the surface causing it to turn brown. Natural also has the least amount of UV protection. Prep with a RAD Stripper/Brightener Kit and try a semi-solid color in the AC. Maybe Natural Oak or Rustic Brown.
Yes, you should re-clean and re-brighten.
Hi
Recently stripped and brightened a large pt deck on long island and getting ready to stain with twp 1500. Some parts of the deck txed earlier in the summer with brightener are starting to grey out from exposure. Do I need to re-brighten and/or powerwash prior to staining?
Best to use both.
I sanded my cedar deck and have some dark lines in the wood that appear to be “weathered”. Can I just use a Brightener and not have to clean the deck first?
Just let it dry again for 48 hours.
I know I need a dry 24 (?) hours after staining, but if I clean and brighten first, and then get some rain, do I have to rebrighten afterwards, or can I just wait for it to dry and then stain?
They both work about the same but you need the cleaner as well. You cannot just brighten for the prep.
correction: bucket not bucker
I need help deciding whether to use Citralic brightener or Restore-a-Deck brightener for my pine siding. I don’t want to use a sprayer; I’d like to just have it in a bucker and do it by hand with a mop or brush if possible. Can you tell me if one is better for pine and what the main ingredient is in each? I’m going to stain with twp 100 series if I ever get it ready.
Restore the color with the Restore A Deck Kits. Stain to retain color with the TWP Honeytone or Armstrong Clark Amber.
My husband built deck last year 2014 with blonde pressure treated lumber The part under protective awning still has colour The rest is quite faded. How do we restore it to natural blonde finish
That is oxidized wood ells that did not come off with the cleaner. Best to re clean to remove as much as you can before staining.
I used a cleaner and brightener on a 9 month old PT pine deck to prepare it for an Armstrong Clark stain. The cleaner is Behr all in one cleaner and brightener. I have used this before with great results (I follow the instructions exactly). The deck went from grey to a golden color after thoroughly scrubbing each board with the solution. After it was hosed off and dried there are some boards and areas that are much paler, almost white – if I scratch with a finger nail or use sandpaper it comes off to reveal the golden wood underneath. Can I stain over this, or do I need to clean and brighten with more scrubbing again to remove the pale layer on the wood?
Thank you for your help.
No it will not fill in anything. The only way to get it looking correctly is to strip it all off and start with an evenly cleaned surface.
Deck is 1/2 covered by house roof and 1/2 not. Recently had it cleaned. Area under roof is beautiful; however, most of the stain/finish has come off the area not under the roof. Was told to use Flood CWF UV5 natural tone finish and that it would “fill in” (not totally) most of the places. What do you think?
The Restore A Deck Stripper followed by the RAD Brightener.
I m looking to remove all the penofin oil product from my ipe wood and switch to Armstrong Clark, what are the best products to remove this old product and prep for Armstrong Clark ipe oils
Yes you should wet the deck than apply the brightener. It will still work.
Should the deck be wet when applying a brightener?
I wasn’t able to put the brightener on right after the remover and now my deck is dry. Can i still use the brightener and will it work?
Clean and brighten for the prep with the Restore A Deck Kits.
about 9 months old. Do I need to use a brightener? Or do I just lightly sand it using a small rotary sander? It has not really started to gray yet. Should I use TWP 100 or 1500?
Thx.
It will be fine.
Hi,
After applying Defy brightener, i forgot and left it dwelling for 2 hrs in full sun at moderate temp before power washing it.
would it be an issue for staining?
if so, what should i do?
thx, Andrew
Most likely it dried. When wet it looks richer, when dry it can look dull. Putting a transparent tinted stain on will enhance the color as if wet with water.
They did not do anything wrong.
Hi
I just had my 1.5 year old Ipe deck power washed by a prof. company. The deck was beautiful when they left, restoring the natural color of the wood. The next day – the deck had turned mostly milky white – but some of the natural red color remains. Any idea what they did wrong? I think they used a brightener. What do you think I should do now?
1. Use the brightener as soon as you can.
2. Sand if needed after.
3. No. The brightener works within 10 minutes.
Yesterday I stripped, scrubbed and power-washed my deck. I have three questions regarding using the brightener.
1. I did not have time to use the brightener immediately after rinsing off the stripper (due to darkness). I have read that it should be used while the deck wood is still wet. So now my deck is dry and I need to know the best approach to using the brightener.
2. I need to do some sanding of the wood after using the power washer. Should I do this before or after the brightener?
3. We are expecting rain tomorrow. If I use the brightener tonight, will the rain affect the PH of the wood? Or, should I wait until we get a few days with no precip?
Thanks!
You could use the brightener at a higher concentrate and let it dwell longer on the wood.
We are working hard to get old opaque stain off our redwood deck. The stain came off my sample section, but it doesn’t look as bright and clean as I anticipated after using the brightener. Is there any advice you can give me about the method I should use with the brightener to make sure I can get the wood as bright and new looking as possible?
I am not sure. We are waiting for our supplier to get the hose connect attachments in stock. Thx
I am ready to re-stain my redwood deck, and want to order both the injectable hose connect deck stripper and injectable hose connect deck brightener. Your website indicates the latter is out of stock. How can I get some soon?
Joan Rose
Carlos, a clear sealant without any tint will not last for more then a few months. The Defy Extreme in the clear is the best clear stain we have.
Is there a clear sealant used for IPE? Customer is not looking for a stain…just a clear sealant. Small IPE deck approx 300 ft. Thanks
Typically let the wood dry for 24-48 hours after applying the brightener.
How many days can I wait to apply stain following an application of Powersolve Deck Brightner?
No dangers. Harmless actually
Is it dangerous for the wood? I have some very precious wood that I wouldn’t want ruined any time soon, so please, can you advise me on the dangers of brightening wood? Anything I should be aware of before starting?
Brightening is the second step after you either clean or strip the deck. It is needed to neutralize the cleaner/stripper and brightens/lightens the wood. For more info please read these articles.
[b]Wood Deck Restoration[/b] ([url]http://www.opwdecks.com/deck-restoration-steps.htm[/url])
Is “brightening” a form of staining or is it something you use before / in between staining jobs? How often would you recommend to have it done? Does it matter whether the deck is new, old, very old? Ours is 3+ years old and needs re-staining, I wonder whether brightening is something I need to think of as well.
Messmers Oxford Brown ([url]http://www.opwdecks.com/messmersuvplus.htm[/url]) is a great choice for a brown stain color.
Yeah, that’s well within the budget that I’m getting paid for. There’s some really good money in painting someones porch.
I’ll see about getting a hold of an Oxford Brown, it’s just the color he’s looking for. Thanks.
I would suggest a stain color that has a reddish/brown tint. This will ehance the natural tone so that it will look similar to a mahogany color. Here is a couple of examples:
TWP Rustic ([url]http://www.opwdecks.com/twpwoodsealers.htm[/url])
Messmers Dark Walnut ([url]http://www.opwdecks.com/messmers-uv-plus.htm[/url])
Unfortunately you cannot have a high quality stain and have it cheap in price. You definitely get what you pay for. Good news is he would only need a gallon or two for a 150 foot deck.
My neighbor is trying to get a sort of darker look on his porch, since it stands out way too much for his liking. What would you recommend as a darker stain that gives it a mahogany-color?
Preferably something cheap, he’s got a rather large porch, like 15ft by 10ft.