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The cleaning process as seen above
involves the removal of the mold/ fungus build up as well as the
removal of any previously applied finishes. The process to remove this
build up involves a saturating mildewcide chemical reaction that
breaks down the growth, dissolves it and flushed it away with low
pressure and hot water. The pressure washer is not used as the primary
tool; it is used as a way to effectively remove the solidified growth
from the surface. As you can see in the pictures at the top right,
mold/fungus is actually lifted out of the deck surface and rinsed away
at low pressure. No-damage is done to the wood and the unsightly
stains are removed.
For finishing we prefer modern
synthetic or water based finishes depending on the wood type and
condition. We usually have a recommendation after looking at the deck
but wait to make a final decision until after the cleaning process is
complete. The finishes we typically use are “Sikkens”, “Defy” and
“Wolman”. There are new finishes being developed every day and having
done literally thousands of decks we get sent large samples to test
each year. Rest assured, if there are any new products out you would
like information on, we probably have samples in the field already.
Water Based / Synthetic finishes
allow us to leave the wood with a light cedar finish that will not
darken with time as commonly seen in saturating oil finishes. Our
finishes also offer full VOC compliance and most are safe to use over
waterways and around vegetation. It is reasonable to expect 2- 4 years
of water resistance and protection from UV rays as well as mold and
algae growth. |