How to strip and pressure clean a wood deck

Thank you for watching our video on how to pressure clean and brighten a wood deck.
List of tools/materials used in this video:
► Stripper and Brightener Combo: amzn.to/3s9Xb4e
► Battery Backpack Sprayer: amzn.to/3mgeBbz
► Pressure Washer: amzn.to/3GVQ0Az
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In this instructional we walk you through the following steps:
1. Test Chemicals For Stain Removal - If we are staining the deck with a semi-transparent or penetrating stain we need to strip the old stain off. Start by testing the least caustic and most efficient stripper which is the “Restore a deck stripper” (purple label). Test a small area on a part where the stain is most intact to see its effectiveness. If it is ineffective, move onto testing HD80 (red label) with a small hand pump.
2. Wear Protective Gear - Always wear waterproof boots and rain pants when cleaning decks. Tuck your shirt in if you decide not to wear a rain jacket. Wear a rain jacket as needed. ALWAYS wear a respirator and eye protection when mixing chemicals or applying chemicals.
3. Mix Stripper - “Restore a deck stripper” is to be mixed in a 5-gallon bucket. First, fill a 5-gallon bucket with water 95% full. While mixing water add 4-5 cups of “restore a deck stripper” with 5 gallons of water for FULL STRENGTH. For newer decks or decks with little to no previous stain remaining, mix 2 cups of RAD stripper for half strength. If using an HD80 Stripper, fill 5-gallon bucket with water and mix in 4-5 cups of HD80 Stripper for full strength. Mix well. If HD80 stripper needs extra boost you can add a cap full (2 tablespoons) of clingon (clings to vertical surfaces better) and/or a cap full (2 tablespoons) of F-13 gutter grenade (adds intensity)
4. Move Deck Items - If items remain on deck remove and place no less than 20ft from the deck so chemicals don't come in contact with them. Stripping chemicals will tarnish and turn metal surfaces blotchy.
5. Care for Plants - Any surrounding plants should be pre-wet as to avoid chemical burn.
6. Care for House - Siding, gutters, windows etc. on home should be pre-wet before applying stripper. We do not cover these items with plastic because they will release when wet. Instead, pre-wet areas that will be exposed with stripping solution and immediately rinse before pressure cleaning the surface.
7. Apply Stripper/Cleaner and Pressure Wash - If using RAD stripper, place downstream pickup tube into 5-gallon bucket. Remove pressure washer gun extension and install 4-way nozzle holder with 2530 tip inserted. The tip selected in order to draw chemical from a 5-gallon bucket has to be xx30 or higher. If using HD80 stripper you will need to apply with a direct pump. Use a battery backpack sprayer or for select areas the hand pump. Start by spraying deck floor and inside rails. Make sure all surfaces within a reasonable work area are saturated. If you saturate the deck with stripper too far ahead the stripper will dry before you get a chance to pressure clean. If this happens you can re-activate the stripper by misting with water. Stripper may need dwell times of 5-30 minutes to effectively soften the old stain.
8. Pressure Wash - Pressure wash using a sweeping technique to avoid stop and start marks. After finishing with the deck floor, inside spindles and stairs, continue onto the outside spindles and deck support pillars. Make sure to use the ladder pivot tool on uneven ground. Remove gun extension and install white tip directly onto the gun for safe ladder use.
9. Apply Wood Brightener - Wood brightener is always downstreamed. Install 2530 tip from Jrod nozzle onto pressure washer gun and apply wood brightener to all surfaces.

[@Longneckbottle]

I stand, tip my hat, and applaud you gentlemen for making such a great video! Simply the best I have seen. I wish I would have found this video series first, it would have saved me hours of watching other videos and reading web articles that give a 1/2 truth of what it takes to refinish a deck properly.

[@timothynovak4315]

Id hire him in a heartbeat if he were in chicago to fix my nightmare

[@timothykramer2551]

Looks good

[@cfmill74]

Excellent!

[@marvinjackson2641]

need this ASAP. how much $, how much time does it take?

[@adrianprieto9394]

Man this is one of the best videos I‘ve ever seen!!! Thanks for sharing it and congratulations for your work’s ethic.

[@karen936]

I used a cabot semi solid and it's peeling. Can I use restore-a-deck to remove it, I will also be sanding first.

[@willroberson1578]

My body stiffens up so much when I pressure wash lol

[@AndYetHereWeAre]

This is the dopest video on the subject matter. Fellow washer here. Well fucking done!

[@donutp4rty]

chillll

[@belquirubimorenoramirez6588]

What is the name of the chemical please?

[@shingdao7]

It appears as if the pressure washer setting was too high and the application was too close to the wood's surface. You generally don't want to go more than 1000 psi and also 12" away from the wood surface otherwise you risk damaging the wood fibers. Some pros will actually suggest not using a power washer for this reason. You mentioned sanding as a next step so you can mitigate some of that damage, but for those of you who are not sanding afterward, use a low-pressure setting and keep at least 1' away from the deck surface. Otherwise, good tips on using a wide sweeping motion vs starts and stops.

[@RestoreProPressureWashin-cg6lw]

Great video! I’ve referenced it several times over the last couple years before doing stripping jobs. It’s a good refresher course for me. Thanks!

[@TortillaBuenoGaming]

I wonder how much a service like this typically costs 🤔

[@kumd]

I spent all day watching ~100 videos and this is by far the best one yet, you couldn't have been more clear. It is so much appreciated, and nobody ever mentions the sweeping motion. I would have never known and messed it all up. Although, you didn't mention, or maybe I missed it, but what PSI is your pressure washer set at? I have an adjustable 4200 PSI washer that puts holes in decks. So I don't want to overdue it. Thank you much

[@trephix6085]

Really detailed video. Gave you a thumbs up! Is it possible to put some links in the description to gear and stuff you used in this video.

[@cressdiligent]

Was that pressure wash to remove the stripper or a softwash. What was the psi?

[@davehaney4875]

This Ain't worth your health the small money you make and the pollution to the Earth

[@regina6827]

Thank you, for this detailed video. I can use a ShopVac instead of a Leaf Blower? I have tall walls around my deck and the Leak Blower would blow the wood debris back onto my deck. Thank you.

[@thecleardifference458]

Holy cow. That was an incredible video. Thanks so much!

[@apostoloskoritas9149]

Really good and detailed video. Thanks for sharing

[@scott17601]

Great video - Do you have any suggestions for stripping a solid stain from a deck without sanding or is that the only option for those types of treatments?

[@kirk2269]

I use to do decks. I would trust you to do mine. You even use Simple Cherry!

[@giere9]

Love the video and step by step! Doing this myself and will remember your shortcuts for next time! I used the RAD stripper and it did NOT wanna take off the previous stain. Maybe it was Behr like you said.

[@ssseeds1]

What a great video. Certainly one of the most informative on the difficult aspect of refinishing a deck. I'm using the RAD stripper for a semi transparent (double coat) stain removal. RAD offers a "Booster" supplement to their stripper. Have you used that? Is the Woodrich HD80 really more powerful than the RAD stripper? Thanks for any input and great tips on using the pressure washer.

[@hashtagscooterswagyoloswag7828]

How did it work out for you? I can't find any honest reviews of their brand, the only source is from the review websites they've created

[@ssseeds1]

@@hashtagscooterswagyoloswag7828 It's been a few years but from my recollection, the brand of stripper didn't matter that much. It was more a ton of elbow grease removing the existing film forming finish and ultimately going with a penetrating oil stain that allowed for a better job. The pressure washer was invaluable for the job and I rebuilt the railing system so didn't have to worry about that piece. I ended up sanding the deck floor to get rid of the furring after the stripping process. The maintenance now is much better. It's basically a cleaning, light surface mildew removal and recoating of oil stain every couple years. Deck has held up much better than with film forming finish.

[@tristanpowers6403]

can you skip this step and go straight to sanding?

[@heidifindeisen98]

Does this method work if you have Bear wood finish on your deck?

[@Rick-kp6wf]

Was the conditioner a stripper neutralizer?

[@aaronm9377]

Can you link the back pack sprayer you are using?

[@willroberson1578]

Awesome video buddy, really appreciate your patience to work/record such an informative video. I hope you stretch every night with that much repetitive motion thats whats keeping me young.

[@okeefepainting1023]

Its back breaking work for sure! Luckily I do less and less of it these days myself.

[@ryanleblanc6810]

What is the machine your using to apply stripper?

[@jameshannon3067]

Did I hear you say a Behr stain? I was just about to ask what type/brand of stripper you would recommend to remove Behr Deckover? Great video by they way, you do excellent work.

[@RestoreProPressureWashin-cg6lw]

@jamesshannon3067 I know this comments 2 years old but if you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t think this stripper will touch deck over. The best thing I’ve found is a diamabrush that attaches to an angle grinder. It’s still a lot of work but the diamabrush takes a lot of the work out of it. You might have figured this out by now but just thought I’d throw that out there incase you’re still at war with the dreaded deck over lol

[@RestoreProPressureWashin-cg6lw]

@jamesshannon3067 I’ve been told by some reputable contractors( with a lot more experience stripping decks than me) that there are some acrylic solvents that can be mixed with hd80 or the restore a deck stripper to effectively strip stubborn acrylic coatings like deck over but never had experience with it myself. From the research I’ve done, these solvents can be hard to get your hands on. I’ve been searching the internet like a mad man trying to source the stuff.

[@reviveexteriorhomecare3989]

What is the pump up spray you’re using?

[@billcurtis6727]

Very hard to hear

[@ScientistPrepper]

Very good video. Thank you sir.

[@yvonnexmass]

What size pressure washer did u use? Will 2500 be too harsh/strong?

[@jamesg863]

He said 3-4 gpm so I’m guessing 3500-4200 psi, however it’s possible with most modern motor (non-electric) to change the pumps pressure via uploader valve adjustment. On the other hand if your using a machine in the 2k psi range just use the white or yellow tip nozzle. On my 4200 psi machine I use the green 45 % nozzle for wood always. Hope that helps.

[@jamesg863]

And to answer your question, no that pressure is fine, but you will likely be washing it for a while. Try not to cut the wood by getting the nozzle to close to the wood. And if all else fails, 90% of pressure washing companies can do this, and decks aren’t usually super expensive to get done. Good luck 👍

[@danielabad8987]

What kind of stripe are you using?

[@okeefepainting1023]

We use either HD80 or restore a deck stripper

[@roberttrujillo2814]

Where you doing? You're not supposed to take a layer of wood off in your pressure washing

[@kirk2269]

He has to remove the old stain/sealer. You are talking about bare, unstained wood. And you do need to remove a little of the old wood.

[@25258721]

Do you know of a stripper that will remove Behr Deck Over? Its the high build product that was designed to bridge small cracks in deck flooring. Thank you!

[@andrewdeem9750]

It will not I own a soft wash company and ran across my first one. If someone has an easy way to remove it I would like to know

[@kirk2269]

@@andrewdeem9750 F-18 from PressureTek