Cleaning Wood Siding Before Staining

It wasn t so long ago that trisodium phosphate tsp was a go to choice for tough cleaning jobs especially on exteriors.

Cleaning wood siding before staining.

Mist a lint free cleaning rag with the spray. When you water pop wood you won t have to do multiple coats of stain either. Don t use paper towels as this will leave behind. Fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water.

Even after pressure washing you may still find that a thin layer of dirt remains on the siding. For moldy siding wait until the weather is also dry to effectively take. Work down from the roofline taking on one 10 foot square section at a time. Point your pivotpro hit the trigger and start spraying cleansing water against your dirty wood siding.

A damp sponge can be used to remove excess wood. The technique of wetting the wood down before staining is called popping the grain. The wood grain is so open that in one coat you should be able to get the look you want. After spot cleaning the affected areas with a nylon scrub brush thoroughly wipe and rinse away any remaining acid to prevent damage to the wood.

Dry the siding first if you notice signs of mold growth. What it does is open the pores of the wood to allow it to take the stain evenly and deeply. Before staining replace rotting or decayed wood and remove loose stain and eroded wood fibers by sanding scraping or power washing the problem surfaces. How to clean wood before staining.

Diluted in water and applied often with a stiff scrub brush it can remove. Manual cleaning is preferred. As an experiment rub a clean white cloth across the unwashed siding. The cloth will likely come up dark gray with a layer of fine soot.

How to clean unfinished wood before staining. Dealing with surface contaminants once the surface is in good condition re inspect for dirt mildew stains cedar bleed chalkiness and other foreign substances. White vinegar for heavily soiled unfinished wood that has sticky residue or similar.