When to Use a Deck Stripper over a Cleaner
The benefits of regular wood deck maintenance are well worth the time and cost. Regularly cleaning and protecting your deck with a wood stain or sealer is one of the best things you can do to guarantee years of use.
The proper procedure for regular wood maintenance is to clean or prep the wood prior to applying a wood deck stain. The purpose of cleaning the wood it so the new deck stain will penetrate or adhere properly and perform as promised. To establish whether you will need to use RAD deck cleaner or RAD deck stripper you first have to determine what is on the wood surface that needs to be removed.
Deck Cleaners
Restore A Deck cleaners come in a powder form and contain sodium percarbonate along with other additives that boost the overall effectiveness dramatically. RAD deck cleaners will remove contaminants such as dirt, grime, graying, mold, mildew, algae, and mill glaze. They break down these unwanted soils making it easier to scrub or pressure wash the wood to a newly restored surface ready for stain.
RAD wood deck cleaners are designed to clean wood that is grayed and dirty and has little to no existing deck stain present. If you are unsure if your deck has old stain or sealer on it splash some water on the surface. If the water beads up there are some remnants of old sealer or stain, if it absorbs into the wood quickly there is little or no sealer.
Deck Stain Strippers
If it is obvious that a deck has an old failing stain or sealer on it, or if water beads up then it may be necessary to use a deck stain stripper as opposed to a deck cleaner. Restore-A-Deck strippers contain more aggressive caustics than deck cleaners. Unlike a cleaner, a wood stain stripper will emulsify and breakdown most water and oil based transparent, semi-transparent and semi-solid deck stains so they can be washed off more easily.
At the same time dirt, mold, mildew, and all other contaminants are also removed from the wood surface along with the failing deck stain. It isn’t necessary to use both a deck stripper and a deck cleaner during the same washing process. Determine what is on the surface of your wood deck and then decide whether you need a deck cleaner or stripper.
Note that once the wood is cleaned or stripped you need to follow up with an application of the Restore-A-Deck wood brightener. This restores the wood’s pH balance for better stain penetration and enhances the beauty of the wood. It is a necessary step after deck cleaning or stripping.
Do aI use a brush or sprayer to apply solid stain to an old deck? The deck had cabot oil stain bc I found the cans and they say deck stain. It is mostly worn off probably stained once in the 90’s, not rotted and water absorbs & doesn’t bead. You can however see some areas of old red stain. Should I strip it?
I have approx 400 sq feet. Do I need two gallons of stain and one pack of cleaner & brightener ( powder makes 5 gallons size)?
Thanks
Clean and brighten the wood, one kit. Apply the RAD Solid Stain with brushes and rollers. For 400 Sq feet and the two coats needed, you will need 3-4 gallons. More if you have railings and steps as well.
If I use stripper with additives to remove old Behr acrylic stain and it doesn’t work, do I sand and then use brightener?
Yes but post a picture of the current condition.
Here you go!
Yes, correct. You will have to sand this coating off. Too thick to strip. Looks like a paint.
[quote name=”rick123″][quote name=”TheSealerStore”][quote name=”rick123″]We have new mahogany porch boards (about 6 mos. old), partially under cover and partially exposed to the sun and rain. The wood came with a protective “glaze” that initially repelled water but now has weathered off in some parts but not others, so the entire floor probably has to be stripped before stain/UV protection is applied. Would the Restore-A-Deck Stripper and Brightener “bleach” the color out of the wood?[/quote]
It will strip it and remove the gray oxidation.[/quote]
Thank you. Yes, I do want to strip off any of the coating that came on the boards before applying a protective stain to the entire porch. There is very little gray oxidation, since the porch is only a few months old. Can I be confident that the RAD Stripper plus Brightener will not remove the natural pigment in the mahogany boards, but will only prep the boards for stain? Thanks again.[/quote]
It does prep the wood for restaining. The natural wood pigment fades over time though and when you remove oxidized wood cells, you are basically removing a layer of wood so if the color of the wood is lighter after the prep, it is not due to the RAD products but the wood fading.
[quote name=”TheSealerStore”][quote name=”rick123″]We have new mahogany porch boards (about 6 mos. old), partially under cover and partially exposed to the sun and rain. The wood came with a protective “glaze” that initially repelled water but now has weathered off in some parts but not others, so the entire floor probably has to be stripped before stain/UV protection is applied. Would the Restore-A-Deck Stripper and Brightener “bleach” the color out of the wood?[/quote]
It will strip it and remove the gray oxidation.[/quote]
Thank you. Yes, I do want to strip off any of the coating that came on the boards before applying a protective stain to the entire porch. There is very little gray oxidation, since the porch is only a few months old. Can I be confident that the RAD Stripper plus Brightener will not remove the natural pigment in the mahogany boards, but will only prep the boards for stain? Thanks again.