Pressure washing and staining deck advice?

[Bpreynolds2]

Hey guys, getting the old dependable WG advice on this.  We laid new foot boards on our ground deck outside last year - pressure treated prime wood.  They’ve been down about a year now and we plan to stain them in the coming weeks.  I just purchased an electric Ryobi pressure washer (has about 2000psi) with an external detergent tank  for the wash job.  I also got a stain sprayer for the work afterwards.  A couple questions here. 

1) For this first washing on the 1 year old wood, should I bother using the blue detergent that goes in the external tank or, rather, just rely on the pressure of the water for this first wash?

2) Most places I see online say I need to give the deck 48 hours to dry after pressure washing?  That “might” be hard to come by here in completely soaking wet KY but who knows maybe. 

3) Most online sites say don’t walk or put anything on the deck for 24 hours?  Longer? 

Any other tips appreciated.  It’s a ground deck with no railing, so it’s basically the foot boards and the side boards. 
Here are some pictures of the area and current condition of the wood.  Of course, we’ll mask off the pavilion base and the back of the house against the deck.

[oldbike54]

 Keep that pressure washer as far away from that wood as possible , seriously , it will do damage . Just give it a good cleaning with a broom and a water hose , let it dry thoroughly then apply the stain .

 And yes , I do know about this .

 Dusty

[Bpreynolds2]

Forgot to mention, the pressure washer I purchased does not have near the pressure of a typical gas pressure washer.  It’s more like something at a car wash, seemingly.  Dusty, do you still think it would harm it?

[RinkRat II]

      Newer wood like that should be fine with a broom and hose end spray nozzle.  As far as stain goes I recommend Behr One or Penofin Blue, here in the Arizona sun both work very well and recoats  are about two years apart.  My$.02

       Paul B

[oldbike54]

Forgot to mention, the pressure washer I purchased does not have near the pressure of a typical gas pressure washer.  It’s more like something at a car wash, seemingly.  Dusty, do you still think it would harm it?

 Once again , keep that thing as far away from your deck as possible . Think about this , a pressure washer is forcing water into the grain of the wood , something that isn't supposed to happen . Use a light non-ammonia based cleaner , a broom , and a water hose . You will thank me in five years .

 Dusty

[John A]

Besides the damage to the wood, unless you are very even with the pressure washer,  distance, angle ,time it’ll look like hell.  You’ll thank Dusty again after six years!

[Matt Story]

Just washed my deck yesterday.  Started out with an old gas power washer I inherited form my dad.  It went belly up.  Went to a broom and TSP solution that worked pretty well.  That would have done it if I felt like putting in the elbow grease.  I had been wanting a good washer for some time.  I splurged some of my stimulus money that just came on a new one.  I looked online, and then went in to Home Depot.  Seems like some of the units in store were different than those online.  I am ashamed to say - I was surprised to open the box and find an electric unit.  I was focused on PSI and GPM, didn't even notice the prime mover.  I am very happy with it though I wouldn't have it if not by mistake.  It is a Ryobi 2300psi 1.2gom unit.  About $350 with 2 year extended warranty.  It came with 3 nozzles, soap (didn't use), a flat fan pressure nozzle, and the best is a spinning nozzle that prays in a cone pattern.  I had seen these before and thought they were a gimmick.  Not.  It does have enough power to mark the pressure treated lumber if you get too close as well as strip bits paint off the aluminum screen door.  You can easily protect against this by staying back and making more passes.  It blasted 6+yrs of mildew and oxidation off in about 3-4in swaths.  For me, I can't see needing more pressure.  The best thing about is that the sound level from it is much lower than a gas motor - even when spraying.  If your not spraying, it holds pressure and the motor turns off.  I also like the idea that I don't have another combustion engine.  My son and I were having fun with it.  We went on to wash the deck chairs, the patio table, my bicycle, the garage...  We were looking for stuff to wash.

Reading back over this it sounds like a commercial. 

I may stain the deck and I started to read up.  There is a lot of information out there and conflicting views on stain.  For me it looks like its going to be oil base penetrating stain with minimal coloring.

[Matt Story]

Reading back, I see some have experienced washer marks using a pressure washer.  We had some as I mentioned.  I don't particularly find them offensive - the few we have.  I guess that has to ride on what you value.  I would say the job went quickly and looks a hell of alot better than before it was washed.  These deck surfaces don't last forever anyhow.  YRMV

[dguzzi]

Dusty, What kind of cleaner works bet with brush scrubbing ?

[oldbike54]

Dusty, What kind of cleaner works bet with brush scrubbing ?

 Laundry detergent actually works pretty well .

 Dusty

[kingoffleece]

Most pressure treated wood is cheap pine.  Pressure washing will raise the grain as well as drive water deep into the wood as Dusty says.
Use a broom-stiff bristle.  Ask any woodworker about staining without sanding after raising the grain, or just make life easy on yourself.

[Groover]

I'd take other peoples advice on the power washing, 'cause once I fire mine up I pretty much start power washing everything around me and I can't stop! (mine's a wimpy one so I don't think it would even damage anything)

For the deck paint or stain, I've  used Sherwin William's SuperDeck stains, in their solid stain formula and they are pretty juicy and seems to last.

[larrys]

Most pressure treated wood is cheap pine.  Pressure washing will raise the grain as well as drive water deep into the wood as Dusty says.
Use a broom-stiff bristle.  Ask any woodworker about staining without sanding after raising the grain, or just make life easy on yourself.

ALL pressure treated lumber is Southern Yellow Pine. It is the only species that has an open enough, porous grain to take the pressure treating process. It has soft and hard parts in the grain. Pressure washing tends to dig out the soft parts and leave the hard parts, leaving an uneven surface. Ipe is a much tougher species and has a uniformly hard grain. It is naturally rot resistant and handles pressure washing pretty well. Red cedar, which I see occasionally in outdoor deck guardrail systems is rot resistant but very soft.
Larry

[screamday]

I have about a 700sq. ft. deck and I pressure wash it every two - three years. I used to use deck wash but quit wasting my money on that stuff. It just bleached the wood. I usually get down pretty hard on my surface because most of the deck is covered by trees and gets bad mildew in a couple of areas. The raised grain will settle down in a couple of days.....if the weather cooperates.  I tried staining a small portion of the deck a while ago and decided that to stain the deck correctly, it would be a lot of work. So now I just use a oil based sealer like Thompson's Water Seal and will usually holds up for a good couple of years.

[dguzzi]

Laundry detergent actually works pretty well .

 Dusty

   Oh good, I have lots of that! (worked at a soap company for a few years)

[John A]

We pressure wash and treat my mom’s deck every couple years.  It gets very little direct sunlight so it gets green. It’s been on the house since new in 1970 and was constructed well. Pressure washer does have its places.

[oldbike54]

We pressure wash and treat my mom’s deck every couple years.  It gets very little direct sunlight so it gets green. It’s been on the house since new in 1970 and was constructed well. Pressure washer does have its places.

 Probably made from naturally grown pine , and the chemicals used then were different than what is used now .

 Dusty

[larrys]

I was, for a few years engaged in finishing newly built log homes. They were milled eastern white pine logs. First visit for me, I would go in after they were framed and wash the inside of the logs. We used TSP 90 (trisodium phosphate) for the wash, then after rinsing, wash with wood bleach (oxalic acid) and rinse again. It would turn the wood almost white. The same process is used to renew weathered teak on boats. I would think that the process would clean the hell out of a pressure treated wood deck. YMMV.
Larry

[jpv7]

i use an oil based stain from Benjamin Moore which is quality stuff.  As others have said, no pressure washer.  Benjamin Moore advised a very light sanding, and brushing it on.  Seems to work good for me, but i guess the prep is related to how much crap is on it beforehand. 

[v85kris]

I wouldn't pressure wash.  I use products from Restore-a-Deck, works better than anything else I've tried.  Just be sure to follow the instructions!  Their stain is also the best I've found.  Happy staining!