Tired of seeing your deck look like this?
Left unchecked, nature’s assault on a wooden deck will cause it to warp, gray and become a haven for mold growth. Moisture, pollen, and the sun can all wreak havoc on wood. You may have tried to perform maintenance by cleaning and applying a sealer, but with the same end result. Finish failure is a combination of factors. The key to success lies in starting with a thorough deck cleaning.
Improperly preparing the wood or using the wrong type of deck stain sets the finish up for failure. You may be spending too much of your valuable time just spinning your wheels.
Home Centers: The Place To Buy Deck Cleaning Products?
Most of the deck cleaners you find in home centers are merely inexpensive household bleach (look for the chemical sodium hypochlorite on the label) mixed with a little soap. Examples would be the Olympic pictured left. These products may remove mold or mildew but they do nothing to address removing a failed finish, removing gray or pH balancing a deck to prepare it for staining.
A 2 Part Process: What professionals use to prep for staining
Step-1: Get Rid of the mold, gray, dirt and old finish
The first stage that needs to be done is deep cleaning. Bleach based cleaners cause unnecessary damage to wood. When viewed microscopically the wood fibers become a jumbled mess that makes it difficult for stain to penetrate. Bleach also causes an unnatural whitening and drying of the wood. A much safer alternative is a sodium percarbonate based product.
Sodium percarbonate is a precursor to hydrogen peroxide and is classified as a mildewcide. When mixed with water you get a solution that will penetrate the wood and kill the mold spores. The oxygenating power of this landscape friendly, user-safe chemical will bubble dirt that is trapped in the wood to the surface. This action is much milder on the wood and causes far less long term issues than the inexpensive cleaners that contain bleach.
Restore-A-Deck’s Step-1 cleaner takes the concept further. The addition of five other cleaning agents and surfactants work to emulsify any stain that may remain on the deck. RAD’s step-1 will also loosen gray fibers meaning with mild brushing or a pressure washer used at very low pressure you will be able to move quickly through the cleaning process. You get the cleaning power of much stronger chemicals without the risk to yourself, pets, children or your landscape.
Step-2: pH balance the wood, preclude the “blotchy” look
The second part of the process is equally important. This step is what sets a professional preparation apart. The first stage of cleaning will leave the wood in improper pH balance. Prior to staining or sealing the wood should be slightly below neutral (acidic). Mold does not thrive in acidic environments, so this is further insurance against leaving any spores in the wood. Mold is the number one destroyer of deck finishes.
The second step has additional benefits. Before your eyes, you will see the wood brighten. The transformation is almost magical. At this point, the wood is restored and will dry to looking much more like new lumber. Your deck will now be “open” to accept a high-quality staining product.
In designing the Step-2 of the Restore-A-Deck restoration kit we sought just the right blend of acids. Many products like Cabot’s Problem Solver brightener contain straight oxalic acid. This is a harsh acid that is irritating to a person’s lungs and will etch metal quickly. We found a combination that includes citric acid that is far less irritating to bronchial passageways and is not nearly as harsh on the wood.
The Real Value
We are not promising miracles, nor do we want to mislead you. Deck maintenance can be hard work. Making it quick and simple while achieving professional grade results should be your goal. Here are the benefits to using Restore-A-Deck:
- Make the prep and cleaning process do-it-yourself friendly
- Your stains will last longer because you performed the proper preparation.
- Eliminate the need for pressure washing. A scrub brush and garden hose do the job.
- You will spend as little as $.07 per square foot by doing the project yourself. A professional contractor will charge you six to ten times that amount in labor alone.
Restore-A-Deck is endorsed by East Teak Fine Hardwoods
Read this testimonial from Vice President George Guy after he tried a sample. East Teak now recommends Restore-A-Deck to all of his customers.
“Restore-A-Deck is FANTASTIC!!!!! I applied your 2 step product to my deck last week. This would be considered new construction I guess as the deck was installed in late November. I used a regular hose.. not a pressure washer. I had much enjoyment watching the dirt and scum bubble up. I would not have thought that much dirt could have possibly been in the grain. A valuable learning lesson for me. After the cleaning, I went to step 2 and again the same end results. Beautiful prep work for my [stain]. I will be sure and tell everyone I sell to that they certainly need to seriously consider having Restore a Deck on hand to complete their deck jobs. Keep up the good work.
I have a new pressure treated deck that was installed about three months ago. I stained it with Valspar semi-transparent stain and it looked blotchy so the next day I used Super Deck stripper from Sherwin Williams and power washed it. I think I want to just apply a solid color stain to it now. Do I need to do any further cleaning or stripping or brightening? Almost all of the original Valspar is gone and I can scrape off and sand whatever is still on there before the new application. It doesn’t seem like I should have to worry about brightening it if I am using a solid stain.
You have to brighten after stripping to neutralize the stripper. It does not matter if using a solid stain.
Good to know it’s tinted thanks. What about how long to wait before it could be stripped and redone in a darker tone if desired?
Next year.
If I use clear rad stain on redwood deck how long should I wait to restain if I want to switch to colored stain. Will the stain stripper remove the clear stain?
Hello,
There isn’t it a Clear RAD stain. Natural is the lightest color and is tinted, not clear.
I used rad paint stripper on redwood shingles. It worked great. I let it dwell for three hours on old sherwin Williams oil full stain and paint under that. Used pressure sprayer like a scraper and it came off well. Should I use brightener before applying Armstrong semi solid espresso stain?
Yes, it would help.
I have used step two and step three to remove the old stain. I still have step one. What would you suggest to further prep this for a transparent stain?
In the second picsture, the darker area is either old stain that was not stripped off or internal darkening from the stripper that was not properly brightened to restore the pH of the wood. Hard to say from your angle of the picture.
What product is best to prep this for staining the railing and balusters/ pickets? The deck has been easy and has came out great. However, I’m being challenged with the railings. Thank you
Looks like you have a old stain on the wood? Best to strip and brighten for prep.
I have a deck that is about 20 yrs old. It was previously stained a dark brown semi transparent stain maybe with Behr. I have used your product to strip and stain the floor. Is this sufficient if I plan to use your solid stain or do I need to sand and strip more.
I plan to do the rails at a later time so the deck can be used since my time to work on the deck is limited. Will the rails require complete stripping and brightening as well or can I just power wash if I intend to use soloed stain?
You can go ahead and usee the solid stain now. When doing the rails, you do not need to 100% remove the old coating when using our solid stain.
I can’t finish prepping my deck in one day. If I premix the stripper and brightener how long do they remain effective? Or would it be better to mix smaller amounts that I can finish off rather than mixing five gallons?
The stripper and brighener will stay effective for months after being mixed with water.
Hello. i live in Northeast Pennsylvania, Last year i used your deck stripper and brightener to remove 20years plus of stain and waterproofing. Your products took everything to brand new looking wood!! Amazing products!! I then used Cabots clear waterproofing. This year the deck has some mild mildew and mold. which i expected. My question is do i use just the Deck Cleaner to prep the surface for a new coat of waterproofing or do i need to use the Deck Cleaner and Deck Brightener before applying new waterproofing and sealer. I plan on using Thompsons clear wood sealer and water proofer. if that helps with my question
You cannot apply a sealer over a stain like TWP or any other brand of deck stain. You have to strip it all down to the bare wood and start over. Use the Restore A Deck Stripper/Brighener kits with both stripper additives to do this.
There is no need to apply a sealer over TWP as the TWP is already a stain and sealer in one.
Hi, I live in northern Ohio and have a 3 year old pine deck that we stained with Restore-A-Deck semi transparent wood stain after we we used the cleaner and brightener 2 years ago. Part of our deck is in the shade under the pine trees most of the day. It has a green color probably from no sunlight. Is there something I can further do to remove the color or just use your cleaner and brightener on it before we re stain it with the same product?
Just use the cleaner and brightener.
I’ve got a cedar deck in the pacific northwest. I was using Duckback Superdeck semitransparent stain, and cleaning with water and a deck brush once a year and recoating with a light coat of stain. This worked well, although it would get heavy after 4-6 years and I would strip it off and start over. However, I am not happy with Superdeck’s change of formulation. I need to start over with something new. Plan to strip and brighten. I’d like to follow a similar maintenance procedure. I have found that trying to go two years between coats in the pacific northwest doesn’t work. My question is what stain would work best given this maintenance schedule?
Yes, it will.
Not sure I understand that response? I was looking for a stain recommendation for a yearly re-application. Thanks.
Sorry, meant to say the Restore A Deck Stain in Semi-Transparent would work for this schedule.
Thanks!
Also, is the goal with the cleaner the same as the stripper i.e. get down to bare wood??
I used restore a deck stripper brightener and stain last year on an ipe deck. Should I use the cleaner or stripper this year (and brightener and stain)?
there are no significant wear or cleaning issues with the deck.
If it looks okay then just leave it and redo next year.
Black spot removal on decking that isn’t old
Post pictures.
It is only on half the decking
Could be rust or mildew. Is the deck stained?
It has a clear non slip stain on it they appeared overnight over half of it
Looks embedded in the stain so you will have to strip it all off to fix it. Use both stripper additives and then brighten the wood after.
Thanks for the reply not what I wanted to be doing 6 weeks after having it built
I used your products this spring on a new deck (I let it season for 6 months) and love the results. Stain is the semi transparent cedar 1 coat. I know next spring it’s definetly going to need a maintenance coat as our decks see a lot of use. Just a question about the prep. Do I use the RAD cleaner and brightener/neutralizer or just the cleaner before I do a maintenance coat. Thanks, Paul.
Clean and then brighten.
Hi, I power washed my 20 year old mahogany deck last summer. I am waiting for my RAD order to arrive. (stripper-with additives and gel, brightener and light walnut stain) I noticed I have raised wood on the railings and stairs most likely from power washing. Should I sand the railings and stairs now before starting the process of stripping? Or wait and do some light sanding after the brightener step? Thank you!
Only lightly hand sand if needed after the prep.
What grit sandpaper would you recommend on railings and deck floor?
60 Grit.
I am currently researching deck treatments such as Restore-a-deck. The last deck fail/ stain we used was the Behr Deck Over, this was the faulty stuff in the class action law suit. A large portion of our has deck peeled off but not all of it & the covered portion is still in tact. Have you heard of Restore-a-Deck being used in a similar situation with Behr Deck Over where it would need to be totally stripped? Is this a situation for Restore-a-Deck?
Sorry but nothing will strip off the Behr Deck Over. You will have to sand to get it off.
I used Restore-a Deck last year for the first time. The deck was old redwood and I used about 8 gals of solid stain for 1 coat. I now want to clean it and give it a 2nd coat. It held up well and it just needs another coat. Which cleaner, how much, and how much stain?
The Restore A Deck cleaner for prep and you would most likely need the same amount of stain or slightly less.
I should also clarify that we did also use a pressure washer…
Hi there, first- thanks so much for all of your help on here. Our deck is PT, 2.5 yrs old, never anything on it. Cleaned with RAD and pressure washer with a bit of bristle broom scrubbing, RAD brightener applied right after. We are going to stain with Armstrong semi. The deck looks a little bit blotchy- is this normal? Also has some fuzzies. What do you recommend about the blotchy and the fuzzies? Should we clean again? Also, I read about the buffing- if you’d recommend this, is this just a typical floor buffer? If so, what kind of pads? Many thanks again.
You did not get all teh oxidation off the wood. That is the gray wood fibers. You should redo the prep and use a pressure washer. The fuzzies happened from removing deep graying/oxidation and yes, use a buffing pad and buffer to remove. You can rent those at any rental yard or HD.
Ok, thank you! After buffing, is there any need to rinse or can we just sweep or vacuum and then stain?
Just blow off or rinse with water.
Sorry, me again! We prepped all over again with both the cleaner and then brightener, it did make a small difference but it still isn’t great. The greying seems to be sticking around the knots and there is still fuzz. Wondering if I should sand? The deck is about 2.5-3 yrs old, part of it is covered with roof. Suggestions? Also, our back deck is same age, but gets full sun, so although it is very clean (very little use) it is grey weathered. Given our experience with the front deck, what do you recommend we do for the back? Thanks so much.
Use the buffer if needed to remove fuzzies. You will have to do the same steps for the back. There is not a way to avoid it.
I have a black locust deck that we recently refinished with your products. We have spotted lantern flies dropping sticky poop all over the deck leaving black stains. How can we clean that without taking off the finish? We tried scrubbing with warm water and dish soap and it got some of the stains, but it also looks like it took off some finish.
I am sorry but we do not know of a way to remove organic matter and not harm the stain in some capacity.
Do you recommend cleaning with soap and water? If the stain has been damaged can a reapply in spots?
You probably cannot spot apply as it will not blend and not sure what will remove it.
Do you ship to Canada?
Yes, for the total cost, add to cart and enter your shipping info.
9 month PT pine deck. Do I need to clean/brighten before staining? There ate no stains, mold or mildew?
Yes, you must clean and brighten new wood for prep.
Seal Smart was applied to our deck 5 years ago by a previous owner. We stained it last year with oil based Cabot. It is peeling terribly. Any advice on how to use RAD products now?
Post pictures.
I’ve sanded the deck. What should be done before the RAD semi-transparent stain is applied? Just power wash?
What grit paper did you sand with?
60 using orbital sander
Okay, clean and brighten for final prep.
Deck was cleaned and brighten previously with RAD products. Sanded to remove over spray when stain applied to vertical surfaces. Sanded to remove over spray. Don’t have 2-3 weeks to wait for more cleaner and brighten. Is it really necessary to clean and brighten a 2nd time? Hoping to get rid of sand dust (sweep? Blower? Power wash? Hose down?) then apply stain.
Yes, you need to open the pores with the prep after sanding.
My deck is 10×50 with railings on 3 sides. I have power washed and drum sanded the entire deck. I am getting ready to use RAD stripper, brightner and stain. What is the best approach for dealing with such a large deck? Should I do the railings and ballister first, a section at a time and then the deck a section at a time. I am concerned about trying to accomplish the prep and staining in the required timeframes. Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Strip in sections until all done. Rinse well and then brighten all at once. Rince that after 20 minutes. Stain all to either damp or dry wood.
Last summer we used RAD products to prep our deck floor and finished it with Light Walnut stain, wet on wet application. This year the floor looks okay, but
we would like to clean it. Can we use RAD cleaner without removing the stain?
If so, how? If not, what is a safe way to clean the floor? Thank you.
The RAD Cleaner is only to be used if recoating. Try warm water with dish soap. Lightly wash with a very of bristle car wash brush.
Can I buy cleaner without brightener?
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/RAD-Cleaner-Only.html
A few more photos.
A few more photos.
Thre is not a way to remove sap outside of sanding it off.
I live in New Orleans and bought a house 4 years ago that had a new pine deck. I bought a full package of RAD products to clean, brighten and stain the deck but discovered sap surfacing from the wood in the first year. I decided to wait another year to let the sap finish surfacing to the top. 4 years later, it is still coming out (mostly in the pieces that get full sun for several hours). I’m not sure how to proceed. I tried scraping off as much of the sap as I can but not all of it is oxidized.
In the 4 years since it was new, it now also has many problem areas of black mold and warping since it has not been stained yet. My deck is roughly 24 feet by 5 feet in size. My guess is that the sellers put in some really cheap quality pine in.
Does anyone have suggestions on how to get rid of the sap before staining? Or would it be better to just scrap the whole thing and start over? Maybe this time with a product that isn’t wood. We have very bad luck with termites here as well.
Thank you in advance for your help!
I’ve included a few pictures.
I live in North Georgia. I just finished stripping and brightening two large decks. I used a pressure washer and got a little aggressive and raised the grain significantly in some places trying to remove the old stain.
I feel like the decks need to be sanded. I have a random orbital sander and belt sander (both recommended on your site). However, both decks are large (one is 12 x 36 and the other smaller).
My concern is I won’t get it all sanded before cold weather sets in. The decks are 2 and 4 years old – both having previously been stained with Cabot transparent stain.
Is it best to sand as time and weather permits and then stain next Spring? Or to sand as much as possible or forego sanding and get stain on it sooner?
I have RAD stain. I also have more of the Cabot oil based transparent stain. Is it okay to use Cabot on the newer deck and RAD on the older deck?
Thank you,
B Taylor
If you cannot get it done before it gets cold then just wait to sand and stain in the Spring. Brighten as well after the sanding.
Due to size of the decks, would it be safe to use a drum sander?
Also, is Cabot oil based transparent stain good to use for the two-year-old deck or is RAD a better choice?
RAD stain is much better than Cabot. Drum sanding may be too aggressive. Do not sand any finer than 60 or 80 grit paper.
Thank you so much! I’ve surely been happy with the RAD stripper and brightener.
So thankful I found this site and help! Thank you…
Help! We hit a snag in our cleaning process today. We mixed and applied the RAD Cleaner, but our pressure washer malfunctioned on us and we were unable to wash it off before nightfall. Tomorrow we plan to rent a new pressure washer and rinse off the cleaner. My question is – can we pick up with the Step 2 Brightener as usual? (Brightener was mixed today – is that a problem?). If not, what can we do? We have an event in 4 days so no time to order and wait for another bag of cleaner to come in. Is there another product we can purchase in store that will suffice? Any advice is much appreciated.
You will need to reapply the cleaner as it is not active at this point. It has a shelf life of about 6 hours. The Brightener will be fine. There is not a comparable or as good of a cleaner but there are other deck cleaners out there if you are having to use another brand.
I have a 20 yr old deck that has several coats of a Cabot Deck and Siding Finish. I used a BEHR stripper (two applications) to try and remove the old stain, but still have areas with the old product in place (splotchy is best description). Will your RAD stripper remove this, or do I need to sand these areas? Based upon several reviews, I also plan to use your stain to complete the process. Thank you, in advance, for the response.
Best to reply with some pictures.
Here are a couple photos of the deck for your comment. Thank you.
It would be best to sand this as the Cabot looks like a solid opaque coating.
I’m brightened a week ago and it just keeps raining…..and raining. I was told to stain within 2 weeks of brightening. I’m afraid it might be longer. Should I brighten again….or ok to stain once its finally dried out? Will be using Read Seal semi-transparent stain.
If more than 2 weeks, lightly pressure rinse and brighten again.
I built a new 30′ x 14′ treated pine deck with one 6′ wide stairway. 2 x 6 deck and handrail with 2 x 3 colonial treated pine spindles. It is 2 feet off the ground. We plan to use dark walnut and have tried sample on spare board. I have sanded 1/4 of deck floor and full handrail. Will complete floor sanding and stain within 4 weeks or so. We originally wanted to stain only the floor and handrail and do the railing and framing white to match the house color. Question – is it more difficult doing this 2 tone method? Taping off everything etc. My guess is the white would need to be done first. This would be more permanent as white paint would likely never be changed back to stain. Would I have to worry about knot bleed thru on this as I have seen this with other projects and needed good primer. If using the RAD solid classic white is it off white? House is bright white. Is there normally bleed through after deck has seasoned a full year? The 4 x 4 posts have knots but the spindles do not. I do have a power washer and plan to do the suggested full process. How much stain for this size deck?
Thank you!
Jeff
See this for new wood tips: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
It is not that hard to do the two-toned look. solid stains first, semi-transparent last. Keep the Solid off the floor and you will be fine. If you get a little bit of semi-trans on the white, wipe it off right away and you should be fine. Do not prime. The classic white is not a bright white but slightly off white.
As for the amount needed, we need a total sq footage added up for both the solids stained areas and the semi-transparent areas.
I have a small deck, 10’x 6′ w/ 1 step (8″). my question is, should I crawl under and treat the underside and structure to protect it from mold, mildew, etc. That would be a tough job, not a lot of room under there to work. (2×8 joists only 8″ off cement pad)
No need to stain underside of a deck.
I’ve stripped pain off
my deck and I have this sappy sticky stuff which gums up the sandpaper when sanding it. Do I need to get it off before using the cleaner? I’ve attached a couple pictures.
That is sap leaching out of the wood. It should be removed if possible before staining.
Will the RAD cleaning product remove it or is there another way to remove it? Sanding it doesn’t appear to work well.
No, it will not remove it. Not sure what will. Try a google search on removing sap from a deck board. If it is only a few boards, you might want to consider replacing them.
I’ve used the RAD step 1 & 2 cleaner/brightener plan and will be using a RAD stain in a few days. Do I need to add a sealant over the stain for added protection?
No need. Just an FYI, you cannot add a deck sealer over the top of a deck stain. It will not work or soak in.
Hi, newbie to deck refinishing/staining. From tutorials I’ve read online it says after you clean/brighten you should sand down rough spots in boards, replace any as needed, then stain. Can we do the clean/brighten/sand steps, and then stain a few days later? The reason I ask is because the days we were hoping to do it (and would have help), it is supposed to rain. Or is cleaning it too early moot, because we would have to clean it again to get pollen/leaves off (a large oak tree hangs over the deck)? Including a few pics to show the boards I think we need replaced.
we ordered the RAD clean kit and should be here today.
Here is another picture
If it rains between prepping and staining, just wait a couple of more days after the rain for the wood to dry.
I cleaned prior year’s TWP 1500 stain with RAD cleaner by power washing and then applied and rinsed off RAD brightener and have waited 2 days for drying. It appears most of the stain has been removed.
Do I need to sand treated pine before I apply a new coat of TWP 1500 stain?
No need to sand.