The use of a wood deck brightener is needed for two main reasons. The first is that wood brighteners are designed to restore the wood’s pH balance to neutral after using a deck cleaner or a stain stripper. The second is that the deck brightener will lighten the wood color making the stain look better and last longer when applied.
Applying a deck brightener is the easiest step in the restoration process and the most fulfilling. The results are almost immediate in that you will be able to see the wood lighten in color right in front of your eyes. Brighteners will improve the durability of the stain as well. Please see picture below:
How to brighten a deck:
- The deck will need to be cleaned first with a wood cleaner or stain stripper. It is normal for the caustic in the cleaner or stripper to darken the wood’s pH balance. Make sure that the wood is thoroughly wet and rinsed from dirt and debris. The wood brightener should be applied as soon as possible.
- Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear.
- Mix deck brightener concentrates according to directions.
- Applying the wood brightener with a pump sprayer is the easiest way. Thoroughly saturate all wood. No scrubbing or pressure washing is needed. Take care to minimize over spray onto any plants and aluminum siding/trim.
- Wait 10-20 minutes. You will see the wood lighten in color noticeably. Rinse all wood when done.
If you have any deck brightening questions please ask below. All questions are typically answered within a day.
Is there a way to apply the brightener without a pump sprayer? I’d rather not have to buy one for a one-time use on my small deck. Thanks.
No.
I used the Restore-A-Deck Stripper about 3 weeks ago on my cedar deck. However, I was not able to use the Brightener. Can I still use it 3 weeks later?
Since it has been 3 weeks you should reclean and then use the Brightener.
How long do you have to wait after cleaning and brightening to stain
48 hours is normal.
Here’s a photo…
I’ve used Restore products to clean my deck. Most of the old stain came off and the surface looks very clean, but the deck boards look grey instead of the original light cedar color. Do I need to pressure wash all the gray surface off before brightening and staining? Thank you :))
Did you brighten as well yet? That needs to be done right away to neutralize the stripper or cleaner and restore the pH balance while lightening the wood. Post pictures.
Thanks for your quick reply. No, I did not brighten yet because I could see that where places started to dry, it was still gray… so I figured I would need to pressure wash all again. Here are pics where grey was removed and not.
You should redo with the RAD Stripper (not the cleaner) and pressure washing and then brightener right after.
Will do! Thanks a lot :)
could I use wood brightener on my deck just to brighten the stain. I don’t want to restain. I just want to make it look brighter. Just stained it a month ago
Deck brighteners do not brighten deck stains.
We installed a new deck last year. To remove the ink product stamps from the store, I used Brillo pads. Now those spots have a greenish tint. We want to seal the deck (for the first time) but I want to get rid of these greenish spots first. Any suggestions.
Let the wood weather for 1-2 months and then clean and brighter for prep. This way it is even wood porosity for the stain.
Let it weather 1-2 months after I used the Brillo pads?
Yes, if you stain it now it will be uneven.
I have cleaned my deck with a pressure washer and spot treated some mildew stains with a diluted bleach spray. The deck is clean and does not having any mold or mildew after this process. Do I still need to use a deck wash and wood brightener before restaining?
Yes.
Can I use Defy Wood Brightener if it froze while stored over the winter?
Probably as long as it is fluid. No thick chunks.
I’m getting a new deck installed shortly. I plan on letting it dry out until end of summer before doing anything to the wood. Is it a good idea to brighten the new wood before staining it?
You have to both clean and brighten the new wood after weathering the wood for a few months.
We have a Red Maranta deck that has grayed and lost its natural color of the wood. It turned grey. We rented a walk behind floor sander and sanded the entire deck with 120 grit sandpaper. Now, we want to stain it and bring the color back out. My landlord is a HUGE fan of Thompson’s Water Sealer, but, we have told him time and time again, it’s not the right product for this job especially since he invested almost $50,000 between 3 large decks. What would you recommend that will last a longer time and bring out the natural beauty of the wood? Thank You!
Use the Armstrong Clark Hardwood color Amber: https://www.opwdecks.com/armstrong-clark-stain.htm
Cedar deck was stained with Defy stain. Just cleaned deck using Scott’s Oxi cleaner.I understand I need a deck brightner product to restore pH before touching up stain.
Deck is approximately 500 sq ft
What do you suggest in regard to how I should proceed? Also what would the cost be to ship product to Ottawa Canada?
Since this is a maintenance coat, you do not need a wood brightener.
The weather this Spring has been wet, so hard to find a number of non-rainy days to clean, brighten, then stain my deck. I’d like to break it up into two operations: Clean/Brighten one day; Stain on another. My question then is, how long can the period be between cleaning/brightening and staining? I see from other answers, the recommended period is 48-72 hours. But the next 14 days doesn’t look promising… Can I let it go longer in between? If so, what is the max suggested.
– Thanks!
Stain within 2 weeks of prep.
I just finished using Restore A Deck stripper (purchased from your website) on my older (25+ years) cedar deck. After I applied the stripper, I power washed the whole deck and there are still areas where the previous product (Behr semi transparent water based stain) was not completely removed. I intend to try to sand these areas as your website recommends. My question is should I sand these areas prior to using the Restore A Deck brightener and would I need any further prep to the sanded areas prior to using the brightener? Also, do I need to let the wood dry prior to using the brightener? Before I found your website, I had purchased 5 gal of Ready Seal Natural Cedar Stain and Sealer from Home Depot which I intend to apply (but I can return it). Would you have any suggestions for a stain and sealer?
Sand first than brightener to all after. That is all. We are not fans of RS. Fades fast. Try Armstrong Clark: https://www.opwdecks.com/armstrong-clark-stain.htm
Thanks for your quick response. If after I sand those areas where the old stain remains and if I can’t remove all the old stain, will it matter much when i apply the new stain …other than being another color in those areas? I looked at the Armstrong Clark stains you recommended and the Chestnut semi-transparent looks like it would blend in and those areas are not in real noticeable places.
It will most likely show through as different in color. Shoot for 95% removal or better. Chestnut would probably blend it so it does not show that much.
I would like to prep my new Cedar deck to stain. Can you recommend the best cleaner to remove the “mill glaze” and brightener that I can purchase locally from a hardware store? I am in a bit of a rush and need this weekend.
Hello,
We are in business to sell products from our website, not refer to local hardware stores. In addition, the products we offer are rated much higher than anything you can find at a local store.
The best option is the Restore A Deck Kits: https://www.opwdecks.com/rad-300.htm
Where can I purchase wood deck cleaner, wood brightener and the proper final clear stain to retain the light color of the wood? I want to keep the wood as natural looking as possible. Thanks much!!!
You can buy all those products directly from our website.
After I clean and brighten my deck as you advised, what are good finishes to apply that would keep the treated wood as natural looking as possible? I don’t want the wood to be a dark color. Thanks again, Steve
Try TWP stains in the Honeytone or Defy Extreme in Natural Pine.
Can I just wash my deck with soap and water and then apply wood brightener to lighten the color and then apply a natural wood finish?
Thanks loads, Stevd
No. You need a deck cleaner and then a wood brightener for prep.
I have some stains from metal and mold from vegetation on my PT deck a year and half old, never treated. It is mid October here in Durham NC several weeks from leaf falling, should I clean and brighten now and wait till spring to stain, try to do it all now, other words what do you suggest. Deck is about 1k sq ft. Thanks so much.
You cannot lighten a deck stain without removing it fully first. Try a stain stripper or sanding to remove. Once removed you can use a lighter colored stain.
I wish to lighten a deck I have just finished yesterday sealing with Thompson Waterproof Sealer. It has become too brown – not the neutral that I was expecting. I used the ‘PLUS’ – maybe a mistake. Wood is 6 years old – sealed once before. Was scrubbed clean.
Prep with both a deck cleaner and wood brightener. Wait a few days then stain.
I am staining an old pressure treated pine fresh water boat dock.
I made the mistake of aggressively pressure washing with water using a fan tip. I have since sanded to remove the fuzzy wood and the old stain that didn’t blast off.
Please advise on the correct way to proceed. My client wants to use the same Cabot Australian Timber Oil Natural that he over applied three years ago and did not maintain.
Yes you should apply brightener as soon as you are done with the cleaner. Let the brightener sit for 10-20 minutes then lightly rinse. Cleaners are applied first and are pressure washed off after 10 minutes. The cleaner does most of the work to remove dirt, mold etc. Brightener neutralizes the cleaner and lightens the wood color.
How will a brightener work on 35 year red cedar shingle siding? I see in some of the comments that cleaning and brightening should be done one right after the other. Is this the process? or can the wood dry before brightening. Does the wood need to be rinsed after brightening and if so how long should the brightener be left on? In other words, what are your recommended steps from start of cleaning & brightening up to the point of staining? Thanks a bunch!!
No stripping is needed but you do need both a deck cleaner and wood brightener. Use the Restore A Deck Kits for the prep. Stain with either oil based or water based.
We have an old pressure treated pine deck that has not been treated in any way (except pressure washing) in at least 7 years, maybe more. Remarkably, its still in pretty good shape, so I want to re-stain and seal it. I’m wondering if we should bypass the stripping and go directly to the brightener and sealer? Also, would a water or oil based stain be best? Thanks.
David, yes you want to brighten the same day as the pressure washing, while wood is still wet. Let dry for 48 hours before applying the stain.
Hello, Can I apply deck cleaner and power wash deck? After power washing and complete rinse, can I go ahead and apply brightener the same day? Also, after brightening and drying…how long is too long before applying stain?
Thanks in advance for a reply!!
I have inside cedar (new wood) in a bathroom and purchased Defy Extreme Clear as a sealer for the test ratings against mildew, etc. Will this be sufficient to protect and how long should I let the cedar dry prior to sealing? It is clear 1×6 T&G.
Do I really need to clear and brighten new wood as opposed to sanding?
I saw where Western Red Cedar Assoc recommended sanding with 40 to 60 grit
to remove mill face.
1. No issues. Just wait until it dries.
2. Better to brighten all at once when done with all stripping.
3. 3 days should be good for drying before applying the stain.
I’m using Restore A Deck stripper and brightener. Three Questions: 1) If it rains after the strip/brighten process, but before the stain has been applied, will that be a problem? I’m assuming the rain will not be dirty, and so I can just wait till deck fully dries and then apply stain. Right? 2) I’ll be doing sections of a deck (strip/brighten, then strip/brighten adjoining section, etc.) I assume I should avoid placing stripper where I just stripped/brightened. But is a bit of overlap ok? 3) It’s not hot summer, so will three days of dry weather be enough time to dry the wood… or should I just get a cheap water meter (do cheap ones work?) THANKS!
Try washing with a pressur washer.
Used a deck brightner after it dried there is a white film probably did not get all brightner off what can I do nowq
Jan, several weeks could create issues. Best to stain within a couple of weeks after prepping so the wood does not oxidize again. You could just sweep or use a leaf blower to get off dirt.
We are planning on using a combo cleaner/brightener on our redwood gazebo before re-staining. We may have to wait several weeks before we have a chance to get to the actual staining part of the job after completing the cleaning & brightening stage. I know the wood has to be completely dry when we stain, so I don’t want to “rinse” any dirt off right before we start staining. Would it be OK to clean & brighten, let dry, wait a few weeks, then “brush or wipe” off any excess dirt, & then do the staining?
I would use the Restore-A-Deck cleaner and brightener for both of these decks. As for a water based stain, I would look at the Defy Extreme Stain. Thanks
Hi there: I could use some expert advice. #1: I have a 10 yr old redwood deck that is surrounded by a landscaped garden. It has only been treated with Thompson’s water seal over the years. It is now pretty gray and I would like to pep it up a bit with a cleaner and/or brightener but I REALLY don’t want to hurt the plants. What can I/should I use? #2: I also have a redwood roof deck that has been built over a brand new low slope modified bitumen roof. The deck is one year old and has not been treated to date. It is kind of dirty from fog and street dirt however it seems to lighten up a lot with just some scrubbing and plain water. What deck wash would be safe to use in this situation if water isn’t quite enough? FYI – neither of these decks has a big mold problem, both are in San Francisco. Any recommendations on what to seal them with? I am not impressed with the Thompson’s but I do like a natural look. I should probably also mention that the roof deck railings were treated last year with a water-based fire retardant product (Flamestop II). This may mean that only the deck surface can take an alkyd sealing product and, if so, what water-based product should I consider for the rails? Thank you so much for your help. Lori
Did you pressure wash when using the cleaner. That would help remove the gray. I would not sand unless all else does not work.
I put a cleaner and brightner on an IPE deck. It still looks a little gray. There are a couple of spots where there were pots on the deck and those areas look new. Would sanding take the rest of the gray off and should I take the time.
You can just rinse with a garden hose after using the brightener.
It will not hurt the wood to leave the brightener on but depending on the brand of stain it could the stain’s longevity.
Do most people use a garden hose to rinse off the deck after brightening?And is it important to spend alot of time getting all the brightening soution off?In otherwords will it hurt the wood if left on. Thanks