# deck staining and PH balance



## josey wales (Mar 1, 2009)

Was looking over some posts by PressurePros , some of the decks are just beautifull. I keep coming across part of the prep that refers to PH balancing? can somone expain this to me?

This is not meant to be another how do i price this thread lol I am really intrested in the exterrior wood finishing part of the trade, it is an area that i have no experience in , but would like to gain a little insight into.

Anyone have any resources they might be able to direct me to (links ect) that might give me a little knowledge?


thanks
JW


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

josey wales said:


> Was looking over some posts by PressurePros , some of the decks are just beautifull. I keep coming across part of the prep that refers to PH balancing? can somone expain this to me?
> 
> Anyone have any resources they might be able to direct me to (links ect) that might give me a little knowledge?
> 
> ...


I know that plaster has to have a low PH (not be "hot") otherwise the paint will fail, I have never involved that knowledge with deck coatings.
Google it.


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

A high ph means the alkalinity is high which will darken the wood and cause premature coating failure. "Neutralizing" the wood with an acid will bring the ph closer to a neutral 7. This will brighten the wood up and I believe most stains do better with a slightly acidic ph.

Try reading the PW forums and check out the vendors such as Sunbrite Supply, Delco, etc. 

http://www.dcs1.com/del/videos.html


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

Tonyg said:


> A high ph means the alkalinity is high which will darken the wood and cause premature coating failure. "Neutralizing" the wood with an acid will bring the ph closer to a neutral 7. This will brighten the wood up and I believe most stains do better with a slightly acidic ph.
> 
> Try reading the PW forums and check out the vendors such as Sunbrite Supply, Delco, etc.
> 
> http://www.dcs1.com/del/videos.html


I bleach most of my decks when I do them, does that make any difference?


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

WisePainter said:


> I bleach most of my decks when I do them, does that make any difference?


If I am not mistaken Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has a ph of like 11 I think and it should be neutralized for a better looking and longer lasting finish.


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

Tonyg said:


> If I am not mistaken Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has a ph of like 11 I think and it should be neutralized for a better looking and longer lasting finish.


In addition, it is a chloride or salt particle, absorbs water, expands, and is corrosive. Rinsing bleach is extremely important. Generally deck cleaners leave a proper pH as a coating is more tolerant of a neutral pH.


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## josey wales (Mar 1, 2009)

So when you guys say these decks are rinsed with bleach, are we talking household bleach or something more potent? The bleach would be used for mildew?


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

The problem is that deck cleaners without a good amount of bleach just do not remove mildew well. I have tried every deck cleaner my paint store has carried, and always come back to something that you add bleach to.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

josey wales said:


> So when you guys say these decks are rinsed with bleach, are we talking household bleach or something more potent? The bleach would be used for mildew?


Use the bleach to kill mold and mildew. Apply a bleach/water solution and let it sit a while, rinse well.

You can buy liquid pool chlorine (think super bleach) or Chlorox. I use Chlorox because it is easy to get, and it is stronger than other store brands and even some "Special deck" types. Pool chlorine is like Chlorox times two.

When you get done with the bleach and rinsing, most times the wood looks....well bleached out. Following up with a wood brightener make it look much better and neutralizes (ph balance) the wood before you apply the deck stain.

I am not a deck pro. There are websites for deck pros and you can use the search function here to look up posts by "Ken Fenner". Ken's posts are the bomb! (he IS a deck pro)


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

Chlorine Bleach Effects

An interesting thread on the effects of bleach on mold and mildew.


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

NACE said:


> Chlorine Bleach Effects
> 
> An interesting thread on the effects of bleach on mold and mildew.


Many people have the misconception that mold and mildew are the same. Last fall I tried the Consan Triple Action 20 that Brian had mentioned as a possible remedy for removing mildew without the effects of bleach. It didn't work for what I was hoping for but I did learn a little about bleach/mold applications. It turned out that they were selling their product by the pallet load to the hurricane areas on the TX & LA coasts because the only way to get occupancy permits for residents to move back in was to use a product such as theirs and the HO could not move in if it was cleaned with bleach alone.

Although caustics may remove mildew from the surface sodium hypochlorite is the only thing that will actually kill the mildew. Pool chlorine (12.5% sodium hypochlorite) is the essentially same chem as household bleach (5%-6% sodium hypochlorite) just at different concentrations. When using cuastics on mildewed wood I will add 1%-1.5% sodium hypochlorite and when using chlorine alone I will use 3%-4% sodium hypochlorite.

Most store bought strippers, cleaners, etc are essentially a caustic and sodium hypochlorite mix just at low concentrations and if using any of them on wood they will change the ph towards more alkalinity which means the wood would need to be "ph balanced" by countering it with an acid.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

So we got an article that says bleach does not work, and a guy in the field who says it does. I am confused.


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

bleach is very bad for wood. it starts breaking down the stuff that holds the wood fibers together. It is fine for washing houses as paint prep because they are usually already coated. PH balancing for decks refers to a post stripping procedure. Strippers are very "basic" (low PH value). You need to neutralize this with a deck or wood brightener (the liquid stuff is oxalic acid). This will help the wood accept stain better and also by leaving the deck with a slightly acidic ph it will reduce mold and mildew build up in the future.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

I always bleached followed with a wood brightener. Never had a problem. Of course that does not mean its the right way to do it.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

I use mostly Sikkens SRD. Here is the application guide. They say use bleach.

http://www.nam.sikkens.com/pdf/cetol_SRD_App_Guide.pdf


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

bikerboy said:


> So we got an article that says bleach does not work, and a guy in the field who says it does. I am confused.


The article was really reffering to mold and not mildew


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

bikerboy said:


> I use mostly Sikkens SRD. Here is the application guide. They say use bleach.
> 
> http://www.nam.sikkens.com/pdf/cetol_SRD_App_Guide.pdf


But Sikkens says that is a an alternative to sanding.. They actually prefer you to sand, which we know is labor intensive.


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