Restore-A- DeckWood Cleaner

I stained a large two-tier deck in a heavily wooded/shaded area with Restore-A-Deck Stain (Cedar) and I am very satisfied with the results. I will say this, whatever amount of time you set aside to prep/stain, double it. Take the time to do it right and you won't be disappointed. It took me 4 days doing this by myself and I'd say I put in about 4 hours each day. I chose to wait a day or two between each step, and later read that this wasn't necessary for all the steps.I'm still glad I did. This was a brand new deck built in the spring of 2018. So I waited a year to stain it. I started with the Restore-A-Deck Cleaner to get the debris that accumulated off (there was quite a bit from nearby cedars and maples dropping cones with sap and such). One bag of cleaner makes 5 gallons which completely covered my entire deck with a little bit to spare. The tricky part about the cleaner is you have to keep the surface moist and not let it dry. I used a pump sprayer to apply, scrub brush on an extender pole to get the hard stuff, and rinsed with a 1900 psi pressure washer. There were times I got a little ahead of myself and found it difficult to make sure the cleaner didn't dry in some areas. After waiting a night, I used a finishing sander with 80 grit to lightly address some uneven areas and remove some hard-dried sap. I then spot cleaned some areas again using the remainder of the cleaner. This is where I deviated somewhat from the directions. They say to apply the brightener immediately after rinsing the cleaner off and while the deck is still wet. However, after sanding and applying cleaner for a second time I ran out of daylight and figured waiting one night wouldn't be the end of the world (this proved to be true). The next day I applied the Restore-A-Deck Brightener which was probably the easiest and most satisfying step. I used the pump sprayer to apply and used the entire bag to completely saturate the deck. I waited 15 minutes after applying (some areas soaked a little longer due to the size of the deck and how long it took to adequately rinse) and rinsed with a hose and traditional nozzle (not pressure washer). I was underwhelmed by the results at first, as the deck was still wet and the effects of the brightener weren't apparent. However, the next day it looked like a brand new deck. The brightener directions say to stain within 2 weeks of applying the brightener. I waited 3 days just because I had to go to work. I lucked out and didn't get any rain during the entire duration of the prep/stain process but I don't think it would have mattered much even if I did. When it came time to stain I wanted to be sure I had an entire weekend (it probably took 8 hours total). I started with the uprights on Saturday and used a pad along the top of the rail and a Wooster brush on an extender pole for the rest of the uprights. I had read that it's unnecessary to do 2 coats and can actually lead to over-application. Because the stain is semi-transparent it was difficult to not have brush strokes conflict with the wood grain. The pad worked well because it just took a single stroke across the top of the railings. The rest of the uprights are treated lumber so the brush strokes didn't really show through for them and the Wooster brush was fine. The next day I stained the rest of the deck using a deck pad on an extender pole and the Wooster brush on an extender pole to back-brush and get into the cracks. This was a very efficient method that I will use again in the future. A roller could probably be used in place of the pad but it would then require more extensive back-brushing to avoid over-application. I ordered the 2.5 gallon size of the stain along with an extra gallon in case I ran out (I didn't want to wait for shipping and have it result in uneven staining if I were to run out). It turned out the 2.5 gallon size was exactly enough for my entire deck using a single coat. Overall I am very happy with the stain. I especially like how easy it is to clean up afterwards and also peace-of-mind knowing that it is a little more environmentally friendly. The deck looks great and I will use this product again in 2-3 years when I need to re-stain.

This is an excellent product. On the deck, beyond using power wash (150 psi), I had to get down on my fours to scrub in some areas.Incidentally, it worked superbly as a vinyl siding wash. Simply stay on, wait 15 min and power wash. Needed no hand scrubbing like many other products I used on the siding.I accidentally spilled a small quantity on a hard wood stairs I was planning on getting refinished. I immediately wiped the spill off, but lo behold, the dirt came off the stairs making the stair clean - nothing else I tried before had worked. I will try a more thorough cleaning and see how that works.

This is my disclaimer:I am in no way affiliated with either Amazon or the other company or companies.I am not being paid by Amazon or the other company's currently for this review please read all directions and precautionsI am not Liable for anything or anyone.To the beginners::You can do this!!!To the pros.Get at it,Tips:: give yourself plenty of time , be patient, you may have to reapply several times as you go.Example: I made a couple of small ignorant mistakes such as wetting the area to just keep it damp as directed, but I believe it might have rinsed off some of the product.I chose to start completely over.Example 2. ::I used a sprayer at first and did NOT like the affects so I then used the 🪣 buckets and the pressure washer siphon hose attachment.I believe this was much more advantageous for me.Example 2.Rinse rinse and rinse again after applications, especially after the brightener. I was instructed by the consumer customer service line rep to rinse for 30 MINUTESYea. 30Your water bill will be higher.l did all types of research for this project ,this consisted of pressure washing, cleaning and restoring my deck without stain.My deck was gray and slightly moldy and over 4 years old in some wood ,the other wood was fresh wood all was "treated pine".My size was approximately 12'x13' not 🚫 including the steps rails etc...I was worried that the two types of woods would not match after I cleaned and pressure washed.To my pleasant surprise I was wrong in my assumption. As u can c in the photos.Step one and step 2 of restore a deckdeck cleaner was amazing.I would also definitely recommend a pressure washer .if you get a pressure washer I would also recommend 3000 PSI minimum , And use the lowest setting first, with a siphon hose attachment trying the product restore-a deck on a small 3 ' non conspicuous or rarely seen area.Go through all the original steps just as you would with the entire deck .These steps are extremely important and the entire process is very time consuming.I chose to dedicate 2 full days to my project., Finishing all the applications in approximately 6 hours.I purchased the step one and step 2 restore-a deck from Amazon, they didn't carry it at other stores approximately a week before I was to begin .It arrived,ISafety itemsOld HatOld extra glovesAn extra person, just in caseSafety googles, not glasses.then scheduled the project , watching the weather to ensure no rain for at least the day.I also purchased these items:A poncho with hoodA complete visible, " see through" face shieldStrong rubber glovesA rough bristle long handle deck brushA small handheld stiff brushI gathered these necessities as wellOld ragsPlastic sheathing , drop cloth tarps, etc..Hot water and cold water in two separate five gallon 🪣 buckets 🪣This is information is predominantly for the first timers .All others please be respectful to my explanation and instructions as not everyone is Mr. or Mrs. Handy.Remember :::::Read and follow directions , and precautions .Do as instructed and I believe you will be pleased.You will be wetYou can Do this!You will be wet so I suggest doing this when you are in your warmer seasonsMy atmosphere temp. Was around 75°f -80 °f. some sun , not much windBasically I was dry in approximately 30 minutesAnd kept getting wet😆 Continually.Conclusion::Easy projectFun projectRewarding projectEasy project!The end result is beautiful and well worth the money, in fact I would say it's borderline cheap

Easy to use. Best product I used to removed old stain from deck.

My dad and husband used this after my dad found this doing a google search. It took a deck back to its original condition after I didn’t have much love from the previous owners. Miracle stuff.

I think this product is OK, compared to other lower prices products available. I happened to have a box of TSP (< $5) around, and saw it said "the original deck and siding cleaner", so I decided to try both on the deck. We had nearly identical results!

I bought this cleaner based on good reviews. It cleaned the wood well and was easy to apply. It's nice that the next step doesn't need to be applied on dry wood so you can do more than one step on the same day.