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:

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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.

[adrianprieto]

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

[RestoreProPressureWashin-cglw]

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!

[willroberson]

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.

[AndYetHereWeAre]

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

[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

[trephix]

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.

[apostoloskoritas]

Really good and detailed video. Thanks for sharing

[thecleardifference]

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

[giere]

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.

[kirk]

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

[scott]

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?

[regina]

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.

[karen]

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.

[cressdiligent]

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

[jameshannon]

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.

[ssseeds]

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.

[Rick-kpwf]

Was the conditioner a stripper neutralizer?

[aaronm]

Can you link the back pack sprayer you are using?

[reviveexteriorhomecare]

What is the pump up spray you’re using?