Can You Pressure Wash a Wood Deck?

When building pool decks, concrete or other stone is popular because it lasts forever even when around the occasional splash of water. However, no one can deny how good a timber pool deck looks as an accent. Well, it looks good right up until it doesn’t.

Can You Pressure Wash a Timber Pool Deck?

Wood pool decks will always need extra attention. They will need to be regularly stained to prevent rot and they will need to be regularly cleaned to prevent the growth of algae. However, when it is time to clean your wood pool deck, can you leave it in the hands of a power washing company like you would a concrete one?

The obvious worry is that high pressure water will strip the protective stain right off your wood. That is a valid worry if you were pressure washing it yourself. However, pressure washing companies will likely not use high pressure on your timber pool deck for that very reason. Instead, the technician will likely use a technique known as soft washing.

Soft washing uses much lower water pressure to protect delicate surfaces. It instead cleans by using a solution of bleach that is diluted so much it is safe for the landscaping, but not for mold and algae. This technique is often used to clean windows and rooftops, but it is perfect for stained or painted timber as well.

You should also consider that high pressure has a place around a timber pool deck too. If it is time to re-stain the deck, having a pressure washing company out to strip off the old stain with high pressure can be a huge benefit to the lifespan and overall look of your wood. Without stripping, you either have to sand or just re-stain over dirty wood. Sanding can be a lot of work and staining over new stain isn’t doing much to protect your actual wood.

If you have a timber pool deck or any other surface that needs cleaned and believe pressure washing is the best option, contact us to see what CHS Clean can do to help.