The presence of dirt and grime stuck on your deck can look bad any time you set your eyes on such a surface. The gunk that accumulates on the deck can equally diminish the beautiful appearance of your favorite outdoor space if you take long before cleaning. The desire to see your deck looking good again can compel you to grab a pressure washer and aggressively try to spray down the dirt. Unfortunately, the pressure washer may leave more harm than good on your once an attractive deck.
It is imperative to use pressure washers with caution on your decks if you cannot avoid them altogether. Have you been asking What problems might I expect when power washing a deck? Read the rest of the article to get comprehensive responses to your concern on pressure washing your decks.
Deck Splintering
Wooden decks are highly vulnerable to severe damages when you subject them to power washing. The pressure that the pressure washer exerts on the deck surface leads to splintering. This problem mainly occurs when there is a section on your deck where the woods show the signs of split apart. Power washing exacerbates the damage and makes the split area to expand further.
Power washing does affect not only wooden decks but also other decking materials in equal magnitude, if not more. The impact of washing your decks under high pressure is profound in softer materials such as PVC. The pressure washer can significantly engrave the PVC on the deck if you use unreasonably high pressures during a routine washing exercise.
Fragmentation of Composite Deck
Washing a composite deck under high pressure can also lead to extreme damages. The damages occur merely as a result of the pressure washing machine taking chips off the composite materials. The most unfortunate scenario occurs when agencies that install such decks do not give warranties for composite decks subjected to pressure wash. The lack of such a warranty means that you will incur the repair or replacement costs when pressure washing damages your decks beyond repair.
Sanding the Deck After Pressure Washing
Power washing makes the wood wet and raises fibers that create a rough surface on the wooden decks. The problem can worsen when the raised fibers lead to splinters. You will have to sand the entire deck to clear the fibers adding you an extra task if all you wanted it to have a clean deck.
You will have to wait for the deck to dry before you embark on sanding. If the pressure washing caused minimal damage, you only need to sand specific spots with visible splinters. However, you ought to sand the entire deck if the pressure washer caused profound damage across the surface.
Loss of Stain and Finish on Your Deck
Pressure washing at times ends up pulling the stain off the wooden surface of your decks. The elimination of stain will be destructive if you never intended to get rid of it through the washing. Such an impact on your deck means that you will have to reapply the stain to restore the aesthetic appeal.
Any paint that you may have applied to your deck will also be wiped off by the power washer. Repainting such a deck will be costly and consume much of your time.
Chemical Damages
Power washing usually utilizes chemicals to attain the highest levels of cleanliness. These chemicals can fall on several other surfaces that may react adversely with the reagents. A point in case is where the pressure washer directs the chemicals on flowers and shrubs in your lawns around that deck, causing them to wither or dry up. Washing the decks under uncontrolled pressure causes splashing, which comes as a critical cause of such accidental damage to the landscape.
It is imperative to shield the garden plants and shrubs around your deck with plastic sheets before using a pressure washer to clean the decks.
