Deck Help

Bluecrab3

A few years ago, I had a college student clean/stain my deck, and I'm not sure he knew what he was doing. I have stained decks before and never had the following problem: On parts of my deck, I now have green stuff "growing" on it. Seems to me I need to re-powerwash and seal myself....Any tips out there? Thanks. George

RRP

YES!!!!!!!!!
Please quit hitting the refresh! We GET it! BTW yes I would power wash it and apply ANYTHING other than a crappy Thompson Waterproofing product! That crap is the most over marketed, over priced stuff available - and NO, I never worked for Thompson, invested in it or otherwise!

Spring Chicken

I agree with RRP about Thompsons. Apparently, it is a paraffin based product because anything I applied it to developed a blotchy/waxy look. Although it wasn't doing much to make the wood look like in the ads, it did prohibit other products from being applied properly, thereby worsening the appearance. Never again on Thompsons.

Meanwhile, a neighbor asked if I would pressure wash and treat her 300 sq ft deck. I went to Lowe's and had a talk with their paint department guy. We discussed Thompsons. He basically said, "We sell it but there's much better products available." I forget the name now but I got the one he recommended in a 5 gal container, sprayed two applications on with a garden sprayer and it lasted about three years.

I'm done with wood decks. I'm going concrete, flagstone, tile or composite from now on.

Good luck.

Spring "No More Splinters" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

RRP

you are correct Leroy, Thompson's is basically just paraffin suspended in kerosene! I took a marketing class one time and we did a joint research report on it - the only thing top-notch is their bamboozle marketing hype!

Ripnem

Head off to your local 'paint' store and pick up a deck wash product. It should apply with a stiff broom type brush and hose off.

Too much power washing will remove the softer grains of wood and leave the more stout grains. You could end up with a very rough surface.

Sounds like your deck may be in the shade for a good part of the day. Wet wood will grow green stuff. Trimming some trees may also help.

Little Steven

I used Austrailian Timber Oil at my last house. Got it from HD and it was great.

Steve

Popsicle

I use Flood CWF®-UV5 Wood Finish on my deck. We are on a lake and get a ton of sun daily along with the water spray. I get about 2 years per application and am very happy with its results. I use the clear/ natural stain but neighbors that use darker colors are getting more life out of their cleaning and staining. Very easy to apply once the wood is clean. Home Depot sells it in either 1 gal or 5 gal containers. Good luck with your project.
Popsicle

Capt Frank

As a last resort to remove the green stuff, use a 50/50 mix of bleach in a garden sprayer. Spray it on, scub it with a still broom, let it sit for 15-20 min, then hose it off. Be sure to rinse throughly.

Capt Frank
Homosassa, FL