Power washing deck tips?

[Mike]

I've got a fairly large wooden deck on the back of the house that was painted before we moved in a few years ago. Since then the paint has started to chip and come off.

I've got a power washer and am hoping to clean the deck up before I repaint it. Before I do curious if there are any tips I should keep in mind? Use just straight water and and let it do the work removing the old loose paint or use some kind of stripper and/or cleaner before repainting?

 

[Mike]

Well I washed the deck today. Didn't use any chemicals or anything, just straight pressure on the deck and got a lot of the paint up. Will go over it with a quick sanding to smooth out any rough spots and then paint it this week (calling for rain this afternoon till tomorrow).

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yeah, I've been roped into sealing my dad's deck several times which is a large reason why I put in a paver stone patio rather than a wooden deck. We never did have a power washer to use though.

 

[ErnieCopp]

It will have to be real dry for the paint to stick a long time. It might help the paint adhere if you apply an Acrylic Sealer or something else that is designed to help paint stick to a Deck, and of course, be sure to use a paint designed for decks.

There have been a lot of improvements in Paints for all purposes.

Ernie