[Sticky] Properly Cleaning a Deck Before Staining

Thanks for all of your help! It's really appreciated.

One more question. How long should I wait between cleaning
and staining?

After cleaning it is normal to let the wood dry for 48 hours. This varies though depending on the brand of stain you choose.

I have 1500 sq.ft. of ipe that I have tried several brands of oils/stains and none have lasted a year. I live in central IL. If I use Ipe oil do I need to sand the deck which is now totally grey or can I pressure wash and then apply the oil? I've sanded this deck twice and really, really don't want to do it again unless I know this product really works. thanks

Hi, I replied to your question here:

http://www.deckstainhelp.com/ipe-oil-hardwood-stain-review/#IDComment361397199

Thanks

I have a fairly new deck with pressure treated pine, 2 years old, never been stained. Do i need cleaner or brightener before staining? Thanks!

Yes you should use both a deck cleaner and a wood brightener to prep this deck.

I used behr stain on my new deck. peeled in one year. have sanded and washed deck. does the deck require brightener before stain & sealer? I am considering Olympic and Penafin stain & sealers. (All redwood) We have many plants around the deck

It would not hurt the wood to use a brightener.

Deck: Pressure treated pine 20 years old in Missouri. Has recently been 800 psi cleaned. Plan to use R-A-D to clean / brighten followed by Defi Extreme stain. Is this a reasonable combination?

Siding: Rough cut cedar treated with CWF 2 years ago. Very poor performance. 80% darkened by mold/mildew. Would you recommend the same R-A-D for clean /brighten followed by Defi Extreme stain.

In the 90s I loved CWF, but recently, even with cleaning and hand brushing, it's been very poor.

Deck: good choice for prepping and staining the pressure treated deck.

Siding: I would use the RAD Stain Stripper followed by the wood brightener. Defy Extreme would work very well for the vertical siding.

I agree with you on the CWF. It was a great stain in the 90's.

I have a 12 year old cedar deck in Northern Michigan which I have sealed several times with a transparent product (cwf, olympic, etc). No specific problems, but I need to treat again because of fading, some mold, not beading. if I go with a semi-transparent stain, what prep is recommended? Or should I just clean, pressure wash, and seal with a transparent product?

Will defy Exterior Wood Brightener fix the mistake of using Wolman Deckbrite on new Redwood? Tell me I haven't turned hardly stained redwood into a grey/black mess. I had been planning to use Cabot Timberoil stain, Redwood.
Thanks.

For best results you should remove the old stain(s) with a deck stain stripper then start over with a stain that soaks deep into the wood.

The stains were black streaks coming out of the new cedar. I used an oxygen bleach cleaner that turned the new redwood black/grey. All of the red color washed out. The question is really will an oxalic acid cleaner bring back the color? The preferred stain is Cabot AMBER not redwood.