How does one wash off the 'mill glaze'?

 

RockPick, you would use a product like this to clean your deck before you stain it.

http://www.cabotstain.com/products/p...eName=Exterior Surface Prep

 

Even 'brand new' wood? This stuff has only been out there for about a month or so now...

 

Yes even brand new treated because it is going to have road grime, diesel soot, and oils from transport and storage as well as the mill glaze that forms after the pressure treating process. It is just like detailing the better the prep the better results you get in the end.

 

10-4... I appreciate that insight. I never would've considered doing it honestly... it makes sense now...

It's just like everything else out there, I guess... it's all in the prep work.

 

Your welcome, enjoy your new deck we have one that is 36x12 and wraps aroud the corner of our house another ten feet and I need to get my tail in gear and seal it with a clear sealer if I can find the time this year before it snows.

 

Rock i just finished my back deck (covered porch) and used Berhr cedar tone and it looks great, i also have a tongue and groove ceiling 1x6x8,10',12's pine and did that also it also came out very nice. But like everyone says power wash the deck with a cleaner first then apply the toner, i used a brush and a rag to smooth, spread and pickup excess. Good luck and without rhe sun beating on it all day the toner will last longer as will the deck. You might want to try a rug type runner on the main walking area it helps clean the shoes when coming onto the deck.

 

Thanks, BD.

Any sites that you'd recommend for a runner type of product to minimize junk getting carried via shoes on to the deck?

 

Let me start off by saying I own a pressure washing company that specializes in wood restoration. I a certified wood restoration contractor and have been doing this for the last 3 years, with no complaints other than 2 customers whos decks were done with faulty product that the company warrantied.

That being said, as others have mentioned, prep work is the key. Since it is new wood, I would recommend a simple percarbonate cleaner. Most are easy to use, and come in powder form. You mix them with water and apply the solution with a pump up sprayer. Like others have said, these cleaners remove any dirt, mold or mildew as well as what we like to call "mill glaze". Mill glaze is the film left over from the process of cutting and treating pressure treated wood. Percarb cleaners will also removed any grey in the wood. Percarb also allows all of these contaminates to be removed using low pressure (no direct pressure washing). I would suggest having a pressure washer handy to rinse though. Will make the job easier.

As far as finishes go, CLEAR SEALERS ARE USELESS. They protect againts water damage, but do nothing to protect against sun/UV damage and graying. What you end up with is gray, water sealed wood. That being said, NEVER double coat wood with two different products.

I recently changed my go-to stain for customer's decks this year, and the stain I use is Armstrong-Clark. Depending on where you are in the country, it may be hard to come by, or may only be sold by contracter grade stores. It is pricey, but it is a very higb qaulity product.

Regardless of what you decide to use, stay away from water based stains. They do not penetrate the wood, and therefor do not last as long as oil based stains. I would also recommend a semi-transparent stain over a solid color stain. Reason being this: when it comes time to re-do this deck, a sem-trans stain will be removed much easier than a solid color stain. With either, in a few years from the date of application it may be neccesary to apply what we like to call a maintainence coat. This is simply a light surface cleaning (no stain removal) and re-application of the product. After one to two maint. coats it will be time to start over with fresh wood.

Dont expect labels on the cans of stain to be truthful about the warranty. Due to EPA regulations in the last few years, stains are not holding up the way they used to, yet manufacterers are still offering the same warranty.

Last but not least, keep in mind that most oil based stains and sealers can and will SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST. Make sure when you are done to dispose of any brushes, rollers, rags, etc. into a trash bag filled with water. I know guys in this business that have lost entire trucks and trailers from these fires.

Hope that helped some. Please let me know if I can do anything else to help out.

Kevin

 

Kevin - First and foremost, thanks for the information and for taking the time to post it. I really appreciate it.

Secondly, you mention a percarbonate cleaner. With Lowes or Home Depot being the source for this product, what specific brand/variety would you recommend?

THANKS!

 

Oh geez... this reminds me of a certain lawnmower thread.....

(just bustin' our chops RP.... hope all is well... if you were closer to NJ/NY, could have helped you with a deal on a composite or PVC deck... )

 

Rock,

I've used half a dozen different brands or more of clears, translucents, transparents, semi-transparent and whatever other name you can think of over the years.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, comes close to Ready Seal or Cabot (semi-transparent) in overall quality and a brilliant finish and longevity. I have Ready Seal on my own deck and Cabot on my sister-in-laws... both are outstanding after almost three years this fall.... still look as brilliant as the day after I sprayed them!

Also, I've used Restore-A-Deck several times in the past with amazing results.... and it's fine on new decks like yours (read the FAQ section at the ling below).

Finally, stay away from the overpriced and worthless cleaners they sell at the local/big chain hardware stores.... they do more harm than good.

The link at the bottom explains more -

http://www.restore-a-deck.com/deckcleaning.html

Good luck.

 

I keep thinking dirty thoughts when I see the title of this thread just thought I'd share

 

ROFL! Only a select few will remember the infamous lawnmower thread. Wow... that was a long time ago. BTW, that lawnmower is still going strong and I've yet to have a single problem out of it (now that I've said that and I need to use it this evening, it'll totally fail).

I wish I could've taken you up on the offer to help out on the composite. I would've loved to have done it but, it just wasn't in the budget.

 

Thanks, Gru. I appreciate it.

Dumb question here... will these cleaners harm vinyl siding or will they totally kill the grass?