Wood is the easiest surface to ruin with a pressure washer. Too much pressure raises the grain and leaves furry, striped boards. We clean decks and fences at wood-safe pressures so they come back looking like lumber, not like they were sandblasted.
The grey is sun damage: UV breaks down the surface fibres of the wood. The green and black are algae and mildew, which settle in wherever boards stay damp, such as under planters, along the shaded side and between the boards. Apart from looking tired, a green deck is slippery when wet.
A cleaner formulated for wood does most of the work by loosening the dead fibres and killing the growth. We then rinse with a wide fan tip at low pressure, moving with the grain. That lifts the grey and green without gouging the softer spring wood between the grain lines.
Composite decking gets a different, gentler treatment again. It does not need restoring, but it does hold mildew in its texture and manufacturers warn against high pressure.
Stain applied over dirt, mildew or dead grey fibres fails early, because it bonds to the debris instead of the wood. A proper clean is the most important part of any staining job. After washing, wood needs a couple of dry days before stain or sealer goes on, so plan the two around the forecast.
We check the wood type, its condition and any old stain or sealer still on it.
A wood-specific cleaner loosens weathering and kills algae and mildew.
Low pressure, wide tip, always with the grain.
We tell you when the wood will be ready if you are planning to stain or seal.
It can when it is done with too much pressure or too narrow a tip, which is what leaves fuzzy, striped boards. We use a wood cleaner and a low-pressure rinse so the cleaner does the work, not the water.
Usually after two or three dry days, once the wood has dried through. Humid Richmond weather can stretch that out.
Yes. Composite is cleaned at very low pressure with a suitable cleaner, which is in line with what decking manufacturers advise.
Yes, wood and vinyl. Wood fences are treated the same way as decks. Vinyl fences are soft washed.
It is based on square footage, railings, stairs and condition. Estimates are free and the price is firm.
Deck & Fence Cleaning is available across Greater Richmond, including Short Pump, Glen Allen, Midlothian, Mechanicsville, Henrico, Chesterfield, Ashland, Powhatan, Bon Air, Tuckahoe and Hanover County. Not sure if you are in range? Call and ask.
No sales pitch. No hidden fees. Just honest work and solid results. Give us a call or send an email, and we'll get back to you fast.
