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Pressure washing deck and patio - speeding it up?

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  bryanRN 
#1 ·
I've got a patio with ugly paint that is peeling and a deck that needs to be restained. Pressure washed and stained my fence last year, rented a pressure washer from Home Depot. Since then, my in laws moved to town and my father in law has a pressure washer he let me borrow, unfortunately, it's an electric 1800 psi model and it's taking forever.

With the deck, if I go really slow and hold the nozzle close to the wood, I can see a real difference, but it is going to take forever to finish it. With the patio, it gets the paint up right where it's peeling, but a few inches in and it's hit or miss.

1) With the patio, does it matter if I get all the paint up for repainting or just the loose paint/dirt?

2) There is some nice looking brick between the patio and deck that the previous homeowner painted over and I'd like to get it completely clean. The power washer - if I spend enough time on it - is getting it mostly clean. Is there something I can add, like a cleaner, to get the paint the rest of the way off? I don't plan on repainting it.

3) With the deck, how "clean" does it need to be to restain? The wood isn't grey or anything, you can just tell the stain has faded. Will a cleaner help with that? Am I expecting to see too much change?

I can always rent a gas powered washer again, but if I can avoid that, it'd be nice. Plus, my father in law offered me this and I'd rather not tell him, "Your washer wasn't up to it." :)

Thanks!
Bryan
 
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#2 ·
I've got a patio with ugly paint that is peeling and a deck that needs to be restained. Pressure washed and stained my fence last year, rented a pressure washer from Home Depot. Since then, my in laws moved to town and my father in law has a pressure washer he let me borrow, unfortunately, it's an electric 1800 psi model and it's taking forever.

With the deck, if I go really slow and hold the nozzle close to the wood, I can see a real difference, but it is going to take forever to finish it. With the patio, it gets the paint up right where it's peeling, but a few inches in and it's hit or miss.

1) With the patio, does it matter if I get all the paint up for repainting or just the loose paint/dirt?
No, it doesn't matter if you get all the existing, sound paint off. Just be sure to get all the loose paint off. If you put a little trisodium phosphate/water on the surface it will break the dirt better and etch the paint. Give the remaining paint a light sanding. Apply a coat of concrete primer and then finish with an exterior floor enamel. The concrete MUST be dry before you prime it. Test it by applying an 18" square sheet of heavy plastic sealed tightly with tape on all four sides. If moisture condenses on the plastic the concrete is still wet. Allow the plastic to remain for at least 16 hours, and keep it from the sun if possible. Maybe cover it with a plastic tarp to keep it dry during rain and remove to resume drying out when sunny.

2) There is some nice looking brick between the patio and deck that the previous homeowner painted over and I'd like to get it completely clean. The power washer - if I spend enough time on it - is getting it mostly clean. Is there something I can add, like a cleaner, to get the paint the rest of the way off? I don't plan on repainting it.
Not sure about that one, mabe a stripper after removing the heavy coating. Maybe someone else will know.

3) With the deck, how "clean" does it need to be to restain? The wood isn't grey or anything, you can just tell the stain has faded. Will a cleaner help with that? Am I expecting to see too much change?
Use a deck brightener, like Wolman's deck brite. It will remove dirt, mildew, and dead wood fibers that will impede adhesion. Here again, dry, allow 2-3 good drying days before staining.

I can always rent a gas powered washer again, but if I can avoid that, it'd be nice. Plus, my father in law offered me this and I'd rather not tell him, "Your washer wasn't up to it." :)

Thanks!
Bryan
Hope that gets you started. Check back with any more questions.
Joe
BTW, there's nothing wrong with telling him his power washer doesn't cut it. 1800 psi is specified for washing cars. You need a lot more than that.
 
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