Deck stain remover

[hermit]

Does anyone have a good homebrew recipe for removing an iron stain from a treated lumber deck. I recently cleaned the deck using a commercial cleaner, which worked very well, in preparation to stain. Well, I had a cast iron umbrella stand sitting on the deck where I haven't got to staining yet, and it left a nice ring (black stain) where it sat. I would like to try and bleach it out before staining, and don't really want to go and buy a gallon of cleaner if possible. The cleaner I originally used was One Time Two Step deck cleaner. I had to order it over internet, and don't want to get any more. I did see Lowes had some Olympic deck cleaner, but I didn't look at it, just saw it on the shelf, that was before I knew I needed something.

Thanks,
Todd

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning Hermit...

If it's just as small spot and doesn't run deep, a simple strike with a belt sander will remove it. But... ya say it's an iron stain and I suspect it might have penetrated deep enough that the belt sander would dig a pit trying to remove it.

In that case I would mix 1 part bleach and 1 part water and saturate it in that spot. Just sit back and watch it do it's chemical reaction. And when the stain apperars to be gone... flush it immediately with a garden hose. And be sure to flush the entire area aroound where you applied it at this point as the original flush will naturally move some of the bleach being flushed to another spot. You will need to let it dry to see if if got it all.

If the first shot doesn't get it, take another after drying as I clean cedar siding with 1 part bleach and 3 part water sprayed on with a garden sprayer. Then a pressure wash quickly takes away the mildew and stains in a flash after short bleach exposure. I just did it and after 20 years of weathering on cedar siding, I will say the bleach is a god-send IMO if you handle it properly!

Works like a charm for me, any-hoo!

Good luck...

[hermit]

Thanks Sarge. I did hit it with a light mixture of bleach, degreaser, and water, but it was very little bleach, so it probably wasn't enough to do anything. Will try a 1:1 ratio tomorrow.

BTW your house looks great. If that was mine I would be scared to death to get bleach within 100 ft of it!

Thanks again, I'll let you know if it works.

Todd

[mikebanks]

bleach

Bleach alone is a basic PH. YOu have to bring the PH back to normal. Add TSP and Jomax.

Or use oxilic acid. AKA wood bleach.

But what do I know. Just a painting contractor.

[hermit]

Bleach alone is a basic PH. YOu have to bring the PH back to normal. Add TSP and Jomax.

Or use oxilic acid. AKA wood bleach.

But what do I know. Just a painting contractor.

Mike,
thats sounds like the 2-step approach I purchased. 2nd step contained oxalic acid. But, what is TSP? Would vinegar (acetic acid) work as well?

Todd

[mikebanks]

tsp

Tri sodium phosphate. It's actually a substitute for that. TSP was outlawed a few years back.

Household bleach is actually bad for decks. You can wash a deck with it to remove mildew and algea, but it should be followed with oxilic acid.

The bleach with actually "whiten" the deck to an unnatural color, and will actually kill the lignen(the natural glue) that holds the wood together.

[Black wallnut]

Tri sodium phosphate. It's actually a substitute for that. TSP was outlawed a few years back.

Household bleach is actually bad for decks. You can wash a deck with it to remove mildew and algea, but it should be followed with oxilic acid.

The bleach with actually "whiten" the deck to an unnatural color, and will actually kill the lignen(the natural glue) that holds the wood together.

Mike are you sure you are thinking of TSP about being banned? 111tric was banned. TSP is available from paint stores. The household brand Spic&Span is mostly TSP.

[mikebanks]

tsp

Similar chemicals were once common in laundry and dishwashing detergents, but the phosphate, being a fertilizer, would cause algal blooms in the bodies of water that the drains led to. In the early 1970s the use of phosphate-containing products was limited. Now products sold as TSP Substitute, containing 80–90% sodium carbonate, are promoted as a direct substitute.

Cleaning products labeled as TSP may contain other ingredients as well, and may in fact be less than half TSP. So even "regular" TSP found at the hardware store may be half TSP and half "TSP substitute". Savogran's brand actually contains 80% trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate.

[Hellrazor]

I'll add another "beware of bleach" to the pile. Beware of the deck cleaners too.

I know a rocket scientist who wanted a nice oversized cedar deck. He didn't stain the deck the first year and complained when it lightened. The second year he stained it by brushing it on. The third year he didn't listen and tried to spray the stain on the deck. He refused to check if the deck was ready for new stain. Needless to say the sprayed on stain beaded up on about 25% of the deck and he refused to brush it out. Then he bought the strongest variety of deck cleaner he could find. He didn't read the direction and royally messed up a large cedar deck. I had a phone call from him that his deck looked like it had a layer of gray paste on it. He ignored the directions for the mixture and made it atleast twice as strong as he should have and left it dry instead of rinsing it off. It ate a lot of the softer wood and left a rough mess. He hasn't cleaned or stained the deck in atleast 5 years now.

[hermit]

Well, heres what happened. I tried the bleach and it worked real good. got about 90% of the stain out. A result I can live with. I mixed up some vinegar in a bucket to rinse, then I realized I had some oxalic acid crystals laying under the deck! (some of it precipitated out of solution from the original product I bought, and I dumped it there). So, I dissolved that in some hot water and used that as a wash after. Seemed to work real good. I did notice the surface is a little rougher than before after it dried. Didn't investigate real close, cause I was sitting at a table that was over top of the area tonight. No matter, nothing I could do at this point anyway. I think everything should be good, though. Thanks for all the info.

Todd

[SARGE..g-47]

I have read what Mike has stated about using only bleach. 20 years ago I tested different chemicals on scrap wood to find a solution to how I wanted to treat my cedar sided house and deck in the future.

And I will agree that pure bleach will rough up and "pit" the wood if you use too heavy a concentrate and leave it too long. So will getting too close with the spray from a 2400 psi pressure washer even without bleach having been applied. And that is why I stated basically to get it on and get it off by flushing throughly (and I emphasize throughly) immediately.

I have never used the oxilic acid after as suggested by the authorities "to be". But I do watch my mixture of bleach carefully.. and I do maintain the proper distance with a pressure washer (this requires going on a ladder on my home to get high points and I have high points).. and the results are what you see in the two pictures I posted.

I have had 3 paint contractors ask how I kept the cedar looking like the day it was applied? And I personally believe that the answer is I get the mildew off before I stain and I apply the stain with a 4" brush. It is brushed on heavily till it runs, then I move to a fresh area. When spread on that new area, I come back and back-brush it to take away any excess that didn't penetrate the wood.

My personal belief is that most contractors I have spoken to can't get the same results by spraying or rolling it on even if they back-brush it at that point. What you get is like applying lip-stick. Looks good when applied... but it ain't gonna last long under conditions that be.

I have no intention in getting in an argument about using pure bleach that is cut properly and then flushed throughly without using the mentioned chemicals afterward. This is the method I use and the results are in the two pictures I posted after 5 applications (once every 4 years whether needed at that time or not). The picture says a thousand words and I will let it speak for itself.

The rear deck was put together hastilly as cedar or pressure treat was not used.. regular yellow pine. Both house and decks get a large exposure to the Georgia sun and both are faring well using the method I have described... but after determining that method by testing prior to adapting 20 years ago. BTW... the trim gets treated with Porch & Floor paint and leaves a very hard finish.

I am certainly not a professional painter or wood-worker... but I feel I can get just as good or better results as both in some cases because I don't have dead-lines and have the time to do a job as through as I personally feel it should be done, regardless of how long it will take. Quantity doesn't always relate to Quality! If it did... it took Michaelangelo 3 years to paint the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel... h*ll, I could have knocked it out in 15 minutes with a roller.. "So what" if he got the best resluts. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

Just my view from my deck....

Ya'll have a good day!