Cleaning Wood Siding Before Staining

The technique of wetting the wood down before staining is called popping the grain.

Cleaning wood siding before staining.

Manual cleaning is preferred. How to clean wood before staining. After spot cleaning the affected areas with a nylon scrub brush thoroughly wipe and rinse away any remaining acid to prevent damage to the wood. Even after pressure washing you may still find that a thin layer of dirt remains on the siding.

The wood grain is so open that in one coat you should be able to get the look you want. Dealing with surface contaminants once the surface is in good condition re inspect for dirt mildew stains cedar bleed chalkiness and other foreign substances. When you water pop wood you won t have to do multiple coats of stain either. Before staining replace rotting or decayed wood and remove loose stain and eroded wood fibers by sanding scraping or power washing the problem surfaces.

At 46 inches in. The cloth will likely come up dark gray with a layer of fine soot. As an experiment rub a clean white cloth across the unwashed siding. Diluted in water and applied often with a stiff scrub brush it can remove.

For moldy siding wait until the weather is also dry to effectively take. You can dry wood siding using a dehumidifier or a space heater. It wasn t so long ago that trisodium phosphate tsp was a go to choice for tough cleaning jobs especially on exteriors. A damp sponge can be used to remove excess wood.

Work down from the roofline taking on one 10 foot square section at a time. Dry the siding first if you notice signs of mold growth. White vinegar for heavily soiled unfinished wood that has sticky residue or similar. Point your pivotpro hit the trigger and start spraying cleansing water against your dirty wood siding.

Fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water. Mist a lint free cleaning rag with the spray. What it does is open the pores of the wood to allow it to take the stain evenly and deeply.