New Jersey Deck Powerwashing and Staining – Get a Free Quote By Calling or Fill Out the Safe Form To the Right
When choosing a deck cleaning contractor, price should not be the deal breaker.
Spring is when outside living season starts in NJ. Thousands of calls come in for wood, fence and deck cleaning. This is probably one of the most “shopped” services. 90% of the NJ power washing companies called to provide bids will price wood cleaning cheaper than us. Why? Because only 10% have the knowledge and skill to restore wood properly. It takes much more than just starting a machine and blasting away at the wood fibers. Soft-washing is replacing the old style high-pressure washing of the past.
Is there really such a difference in how to pressure wash a deck?
These pictures show clearly the difference between the 2 restorations. Both of the decks in these pictures are pressure treated wood. The picture on the left shows someone who started a pressure washer and blasted away. The stop-and-start marks caused by using too much pressure and improper fanning of the wand will be visible with any stain except a full color solid stain. The picture on the right was cleaned with the proper detergent and a low 600 psi of water pressure. When prepping a deck for staining, the stain can only last as long as how good the deck was prepared. The procedure of the picture on the right has the pores of the wood opened up and all embedded pollutants removed. The staining and waterproofing material will last 30% longer when a deck is properly restored.
How Often Should I Waterproof My Deck?
We often get requests for waterproofing wood and the customer will say they don’t want the wood stained. They don’t want any coloring on the wood and will simply settle for a clear waterproof. The problem with putting on any clear sealer is that it has minimum protection. The protection of any stain is in the pigment. This is why semi-transparent stains usually have a manufacturers warranty of 2-3 years and full pigment stains, or solids, usually have 5 year warranties. Semi-transparents allow the natural wood grains to show through the stain and still display a natural wood appearance. Solid stains tend to cover more of the natural grain of the wood. We usually will recommend a solid if the deck is in poor condition. You don’t have to dramatically change the color of the wood by adding a color. There are very natural looking stains like Cedar Natural tone that can actually enhance the wood plus provide long lasting waterproofing capabilities.
Deck restoration is a skill. Just because someone owns a pressure washer doesn’t mean they know how to clean wood. If one shops by price alone with disregard to credentials, years in business, online reputation, and referrals, they will usually get what they pay for. I am not a vague article writer. I can always be reached to answer any questions about wood cleaning projects in New Jersey. Fill out the contact form on the page or call the toll-free number on the top of this page and ask for Ed.
Attributes: Thank you Phil Rogers from Extreme Cleaning in Maryland for providing this picture of wood that was improperly cleaned by one of your low-priced competitors. http://www.extremecleaningsolutions.biz/More about Ed Thompson on Google+
