What is the best way to clean an old wood deck? The treatment is long gone from surface,?

Question

When it rains, the deck is very slippery, sort of like black ice.
I want to clean it and do something with it. How about a stain?

Answer 1

Try pressure washing with a wood deck cleaning solution. After it dries, apply a wood stain in a color that you like. The stain will help preserve the wood. Home depot, lowe's, hardware stores sell cleaning solutions & deck stains.

Answer 2

Well, I do lotsa woodworking and no matter how many coats of water seal you put on there, it will have some discoloration due to the natural effects of the sun on the wood. Power washing it would probably be your best bet, it will help to make it look about new, almost but not quite. Just let it dry and voila. If you want to apply another coat of seal, go ahead, but hey thats if you really want to. I recently built a new gate for my driveway using redwood. I first stained it, applied water seal, then applied 2 coats of outdoor polyeurethane. I've used this stuff before for outside wood projects that I didnt want them to turn gray, or suffer from rotting. For you, I would apply it with a paint roller at least 24 hours after you power wash your deck, then applying the second coat 24 hours later. If you want, you can mix in some fine sifted sand to the can, so you can have some traction as it can be slippery when wet. Also, this will make the wood last for at least 20 years, and look good for about 10 to 15 of them. If you want to get some, its on the same aisle they sell stains, etc... Its an outdoor use polyeurethane, can be used for boats above the water line too, is UV tested, etc.... It sells for about $20 to $30 per 1gal. can. Small investment to keep something you worked so hard for last much much longer. But definetely do the power washing if you want some color back.

Answer 3

My neighbor just had her old wood deck power-washed by a local company that provides this surface. Her deck looked very dingy and slippery as you mentioned about yours. After the power-wash it looks like it is brand new. I watched the workers do it and I couldn't believe how fast it was done. I have no clue what something like that costs but I am sure it differs from location and company. I am sure if you had the deck power-washed you could then reseal it with a stain.

Answer 4

Home Depot sells a deck restoring product you can use on it. Your deck sounds pretty inpacted with fungi, so you may need to apply it a couple of times, sand, or ever replace the deck.

Answer 5

Bleach and water in a pressure washer and then there is deck wash. Then some Thompson's WaterSeal.

Answer 6

I had a friend that had a deck in bad shape and he flipped the boards and refinished.

Answer 7

Pressure wash it then stain or paint it.

Answer 8

bleach is all you need for cleaning. bleach then rinse well. I don't know the best way to seal it.

Answer 9

orange oil
you can buy a lot of great products out there but you can also just buy some orange's