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Warning: the popular advice about pressure washing your deck is wrong
My neighbor Dave spent three hours pressure washing his deck last summer and called me over to show off the results. Two months later the wood started splintering and cracking because he blasted off the natural seal. Has anyone else had a deck guy tell you to use a gentle cleaner and soft brush instead?
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mason28323h agoMost Upvoted
The real issue nobody talks about is the wood species itself. Softwoods like pine or cedar get wrecked by pressure washing way faster than hardwoods like ipe or mahogany. Dave probably had a pressure treated pine deck and just needed a deck brightener and some scrubbing. Why do people buy cheap lumber and then act surprised when it falls apart at the first sign of aggression?
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matthewperry22h ago
Wait, are you saying pressure treated pine is considered "cheap lumber" now? I've been building decks for 20 years and always thought pressure treated pine was the standard, not the bargain bin option.
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