Pressure Washing a Dock
 

I recently pressure washed my dock. It took about three hours. One result is I have received emails or a PM from people that have noticed the difference on www.bearchow.com I was unaware so many people watched that close. One humorous email from North Carolina requested I finish off the last section because it was bugging them.

The pressure washer when held close to the wood takes off the dead, crusty, outer layer of wood. Depending on the wood grain some areas are left a little rough and may need sanding. You can buy an electric pressure washer at a hardware store for about $150.

Looks Great!
 

I washed mine a week ago. It really brings back the color and removes the risk of slipping. Your dock looks great. Funny to hear your progress was monitored and commented on!

pressure washing is great but
 

Now that you have it looking good why not protect it with 2 good coats of Sherwin Williams Deckscapes solid stain will keep it looking that way for years to come. I've had great luck with this product and it is really durable.

Sherwin Williams Deckscapes solid stain
 

I 2nd that! Hands down, absolutley the best deck stain! I used 1 heavy coat about 3 years ago, looks like I painted it yesterday.

I am cautious about putting stain, or in fact any chemical, out over the water. I want to keep things like that out of my drinking water.

Boat traffic causes the dock to be wet much of the summer and I don't want a slippery surface.

BI, Your dock does look good. When I was passing by yesterday I noted that your pressure washing bug has spread to your neighbor around the corner from you by the BI dock. He was PW his cement walkway. Seems you are a catchy guy. :eek:

Does power washing a PT deck release chemicals?

I imagine it would. But the wood on my dock is not pressure treated.

Another good reason not to use PT lumber near a lake.

BI,

Whit is your decking made out of to put up with the elements and not require any treatment such as a preservative?

Thanks

Plain old bleach, hot water, and a little detergent, all mixed together in a bucket, along with a scrub brush, and some elbow grease will most likely accomplish the same results. Using a power washer to get decks clean is simply a 21st century myth courtesy the Home Depot. You don't need a power washer to clean a deck. Bleach is the working ingredient that attacks the mold and mildew and will turn a crummy looking deck into a clean look'n deck. It takes about 24-hours for the bleach to do its' thing. Just sponge the bleach-water-detergent on, and let it sit till it all evaporates. Using a hand pump, garden style sprayer is a good way to cover area fast like for ballisters or stairs.

I believe cypress, cedar and Ipe can be used untreated on a dock.

Fabulous fatlazyless...
 

We had a nice 24' party barge what we used to use on Arlington pond down in Derry NH. Had a small Evinrude outboard motor to get her about.
She was set on four 55 gallon drums, had all the proper bow and aft lighting.
After getting serious about boating on Winnipesaukee, we dismantled, and took her up and made a deck on the camp at Paugus Bay. Still had her bow and aft lights on cept the camp was way up on a hill with tons a trees so you couldn't see her from the Lake... Not long after, the deck started to getting them moss clumps on her, so I got the bleach, hot water and street broom, maybe some California Bop twixt, and she was like new that same day! :)

There were so many trees on the lot that we had to replace the roof on the camp and take some of the trees down to let some sun in. I had to rent a stump grinder to take the stumps down below ground level. Well, to make a long story short, I will go away now...



Terry
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Correct, it should be noted that all these species require a wax end grain treatment if you intend on not applying a finish to them. Ipe requires it either treated or not. I would also only use Western Red Cedar for an untreated application as Eastern White Cedar (Port Orford) is not as decay resistant as WRC.

You can also add Mahogany (cambara) to the list of good choices.

The cedar is the lowest cost option with IPE being the highest. Cedar will check and warp a little (I mean a very little) while the others will pretty much hold their ground if the end treatment is provided.

Anyway unless you treat all six sides of a deck board, you are really just making things look pretty. You are allowing moisture to be absorbed by some surfaces and not others and also creating barriers that the moisture will not be able to get past, while trying to evaporate.

Remember, no wood is completely rot proof. Especially Pressure Treated, it is treated to resist insects not moisture, it will still rot.

Anytime you subject wood to prolonged contact to moisture then dry it out then get it wet and continue, you are creating the right conditions for wood to rot. If water sits on top of your deck boards in little puddles and is slowly absorbed into the wood, it will eventually rot out. Full blastings of sun are tough as well, but you need to pick your battles. Having a product that is not slippery when wet and will resist insects and decay naturally are getting you off on the right foot. The sun comes with the territory and is usually less damaging, if not helpful as it dries the surface out faster.

Anyway, good thread BI, being proactive on house maintenance is often overlooked this time of year.

Not as hard as you would expect
 

I stained 40+ slips at Southdown last year. Yes there is a small amount, a drip here a drip there, which inevitably is going to get into the water. It’s almost unavoidable, but once you seal the deck it will last so much longer then if you didn’t. And if you repeat the process before it’s absolutely necessary then you cut your work load in half.
Untreated wood cracks, water gets into those cracks and freezes making those cracks bigger & bigger until you need to replace the decking.
A good quality stain will with each application eventually fill in the cracks. So essentially you are repairing the deck.
I’ve pressure washed, sanded and stained many decks that were going to need replacement and now look great years later.
FYI if you do decide to do anything I recommend you avoid Cabot’s stain.
From experience it is junk compared to SW products.

Arlington Pond
 

I imagine you must have partied with the Nolan brothers Artie & Alan?