I hired a company to stain my deck. They power washed it on Thurs. at 7 pm and came back to stain it at 11 am the next day. I thought you needed to allow the deck to dry 48 hours,but they assured me it was okay. Is it really? And I've heard that you can feather the wood if you power wash it incorrectly. How can you tell if this has happened?
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Depends on the product used.
The Sherwin William stains say that you can apply them the same day that you wash.
And how wet the wood was.
As far as "feather" if you don't see any problems then there aren't any.
The Sherwin William stains say that you can apply them the same day that you wash.
And how wet the wood was.
As far as "feather" if you don't see any problems then there aren't any.
There are many inovations in deck stains.
Some may be applied right after a deck has been cleaned, and some need to have at least 12% moisture content in the wood (Not on the surface). A good rule of thumb is 48 hours of dry weather if the stain needs 12% moisture content or less, unless your contractor has a moisture meter with the prongs that stick into the wood. Now some decks will be dry to moisture content within the next day if it is hot out.
If the stain was meant to be applied in the moisture level stated then the stain that was applied will not soak in enough as needed.
Now feathering is new for me. Although I have heard alot of terms.
The most common in the wood restoration are
Splintering which is what it sounds like. When to much pressure is used this will happen especially in soft woods like cedars. If you look closely and it looks rough like splinters then it needs to be sanded.
Now fuzzing or furring is when a chemical is used to strip stains that are solids, acrylics or other hard to remove stains. These require larger concentrations a dwell times. This is when you get fuzzing. It looks like velvet and is soft when you rub your hand on the surface. These will disapear within about a week on their own. Some contractors will remove these before staining with a defelting pad. This will not bother many oil stains, but should come off if putting on semi's or solids to let the stain adhere to the surface. If you know the name of the stain I can let you know the waiting time. You should have the name incase the deck ever needs to touched up.
I hope this may help.
Dave
Some may be applied right after a deck has been cleaned, and some need to have at least 12% moisture content in the wood (Not on the surface). A good rule of thumb is 48 hours of dry weather if the stain needs 12% moisture content or less, unless your contractor has a moisture meter with the prongs that stick into the wood. Now some decks will be dry to moisture content within the next day if it is hot out.
If the stain was meant to be applied in the moisture level stated then the stain that was applied will not soak in enough as needed.
Now feathering is new for me. Although I have heard alot of terms.
The most common in the wood restoration are
Splintering which is what it sounds like. When to much pressure is used this will happen especially in soft woods like cedars. If you look closely and it looks rough like splinters then it needs to be sanded.
Now fuzzing or furring is when a chemical is used to strip stains that are solids, acrylics or other hard to remove stains. These require larger concentrations a dwell times. This is when you get fuzzing. It looks like velvet and is soft when you rub your hand on the surface. These will disapear within about a week on their own. Some contractors will remove these before staining with a defelting pad. This will not bother many oil stains, but should come off if putting on semi's or solids to let the stain adhere to the surface. If you know the name of the stain I can let you know the waiting time. You should have the name incase the deck ever needs to touched up.
I hope this may help.
Dave
Hi B Mitchell,
One note on power washing everyone should know. This can cause damage to the wood fibers if done incorrectly. Too much power in the jet spray nozzle. Your question about staining right after it has been power washed. I would check with the manufacture of the stain to see if it is possible. New products are coming on the market that let you stain right away after washing a deck.
As Dave said, a good drying period is a good idea. If you do not have moisture meter uses these methods to see if the wood is dry enough. Place a black plastic bag surrounding the wood. Leave it in place for three hours. Remove the bag. If there is, moisture on the deck boards when you remove the bag it is too wet. Another way to tell if is not dry is to press the flat edge of a screwdriver into the wood. If water appears then the wood is too wet. I have articles on this and much more at http://decks.hemmingsjones.com/articles
Icemancomth,
www.dvdhomestudios.com
http://decks.hemmingsjones.com
www.hemmingsjones.com
One note on power washing everyone should know. This can cause damage to the wood fibers if done incorrectly. Too much power in the jet spray nozzle. Your question about staining right after it has been power washed. I would check with the manufacture of the stain to see if it is possible. New products are coming on the market that let you stain right away after washing a deck.
As Dave said, a good drying period is a good idea. If you do not have moisture meter uses these methods to see if the wood is dry enough. Place a black plastic bag surrounding the wood. Leave it in place for three hours. Remove the bag. If there is, moisture on the deck boards when you remove the bag it is too wet. Another way to tell if is not dry is to press the flat edge of a screwdriver into the wood. If water appears then the wood is too wet. I have articles on this and much more at http://decks.hemmingsjones.com/articles
Icemancomth,
www.dvdhomestudios.com
http://decks.hemmingsjones.com
www.hemmingsjones.com
