I borrowed a friend’s power washer to finally maintain our deck and patio furniture. For too long it’s been growing a fine patina of green all over it. Not real problematic unless it’s raining, or damp, as then it becomes like wet ice in terms of friction.
It’s a big job. I’ve got over 1000 square feet to do, and I’m about one third done now.
Each time I use the device, I learn more and more. This last time, I learned that if you get some mud and sand on your foot in the course of power washing, do not reflexively wash said mud and sand off your foot with the power washer. I can not emphasize this enough. DO NOT reflexively wash said mud and sand off your foot with the power washer.
I understand, Racer. I also discovered the power washer is excellent for taking the green mold off the house. However, the difference between taking the green stuff off and leaving the paint on, and taking the green stuff and the paint off is a subtle one, which takes practice to do.
I have this very vivid red line across my left foot, shaped kind of like a check mark. I’d estimate it’s about 6 centimeters long, and about a half centimeter wide. It still stings.
Oh yeah, power washing barefoot is not such a good idea, even if footwear would get very, very soppy.
Power washing barefoot? Quag, you’re smarter than that, Next you’re going to tell me you’re not wearing gloves, or you are wearing shorts or a shortsleeved shirt, or you aren’t wearing safety glasses.
I was looking into using a pressure washer on my deck to strip the finish, however many web sites and the folks at Home Depot said to never use a pressure washer on a deck :eek:
I was told that the pressure will damage the wood fibre and you will get a lot of splinters in a short while… Sounds possible to me, especially if the wood is already old and weather worn. I’m sure a professional that knows their equipment could fine tune the pressure to a non-destructive level, but I decided to do it the old way and scrub away…
Hey, give me some credit! I wore pants! I nearly power-washed the cat, too. That would not have gone over well.
Actually this is the 3rd time its getting power-washed, each time by amateurs. Splinters have diminished after each wash, rather than having gotten worse. The lumberyard man insisted that the treated wood we used would tolerate it. So far he’s been right.
I once or twice used the big gasoline model pressure washer that weighed something like 300lbs. Eventually
I noticed I could do a pretty similar job with a pointed nozzle on a regular hose. As for mold
on wood, I just use a light bleach solution & spray it on. No more mold & the latex stays on the
house. Same stuff on dirty furniture, with a small amount of scrubbing its clean.
Use the power washer. Then you need to get a sander (you can’t borrow mine,) and give the deck a nice light sanding. That will take care of your splinters. Hose it off, scrub some bleach mixed with water into the deck with a brush, hose it off again. Wait until the wood starts to turn grey again (2-weeks to a month,) and then stain with McCloskey’s stain and waterseal.
Sorry Qadgop, but that foot’s gotta come off. PSM (“severe pressure sting with morbidity” for you laymen) syndrome is deadly if not treated quickly. It starts as a red welt line and then after a few days your foot suddenly cracks in half without warning, which can be deadly if operating heavy machinery.
The most common procedure is to remove the foward portion of the affected foot as a prophylactic measure and spray the affected area with Bactine [sub]TM[/sub] for a few days afterward.
I am the pressure-washing queen. Purchased mine this past Spring, 2300 psi. This is now in my plans for a second career. We have come a long way together, this pressure-washer and me. I have this big Z on the front door, where I managed to take the paint off the door. I also have two brand-new front porch lights, thanks to over pressure-washing and shorting out the old ones. I washed my whole house before I realized that none of the cleaning solution was coming out. But that’s another story. I now have the cleanest house in the county, complete with washed deck stained with Olympic Brand watersealer.
I work cheap.