Wood is a fairly delicate building material and it can be damaged by the power of your pressure washer. Your pressure washer can shoot out water so fast that when it hits the surface of the wood it will permanently mark it.

This means that when you pressure wash wooden surfaces like decking and fencing, you’ll want to use a less-is-more approach. You’ll want to lower the pressure, or if your pressure washer has got a reduction gearbox, turn the revs down.

Keep your Distance

Avoid getting the lance nozzle close to the wood, start from a distance so the pressure on the wood isn’t great and then move the jet of water closer so you can see the dirt/grime coming off. Still, don’t bring it too close as you really have got to be careful with wood due to its relatively delicate nature.

Maintaining and Treating Damaged Wood

Even once you’ve cleaned it, it still may not look great, this is because wood weathers a lot worse than something like stone slabs. Wood is susceptible to woodworm and rot. It will benefit from being both treated with a wood treatment that kills any rot and woodworm, and then afterwards once that has been allowed to dry, then treated with a wood stain to add some colour and protect the wood from rot in the future.

The problem with decking and wood in general is that while it looks great, it’s high maintenance, it really needs staining or sealing every few years. Most people can’t be bothered to look after their wood though, and will allow it to be attacked by the elements.

Wood Treatments

Wood that is suffering from rot or woodworm will need to be treated with some kind of wood treatment that is specifically designed to tackle this problem. You should be able to buy supplies from your local DIY store. If however the wood has got into a really bad state from rot and woodworm, it may have to be replaced as opposed to cleaned and treated.

Staining and Sealing

Staining and sealing basically do the same thing to wood: its acts as a protector against rot.

The difference between the two is that staining adds a colour to the wood whilst sealing won’t.

Wood that has been weathered may need treating with some kind of wood stainer to give it back its colour.

I think you can buy some complete wood care treatments that do everything in one, they kill any existing woodworm and rot, protect your wood from rot in the future, and also add colour to it. 

Is it Worth It?
 
While it is definitely worth the customer looking after and using wood treatments, stains and seals on their wood, is it worth you being the one who applies and charges for them?

Personally I’d try and avoid it because it’s a hassle. You may want to tell the customer they will have to treat and stain their deck themselves, and that you’re only willing to clean the wood. The reason you want to avoid treating and staining wood is because it’s a pain as it has to be done when the weather is good. Pressure washing can be done in almost any weather.

Stains and seals will also usually require the weather to be good till they become dry. If you apply a load of seal on a deck and then it chucks it down before the seal has chance to dry, it will just be washed away, you’ll then have to apply the whole lot again. In England, where the weather is very unpredictable, this possibility has a distinct chance of occurring.

On the other hand you may lose work to other businesses who offer the complete wood care package of cleaning, treatment and staining. You’ll have to be the judge on what wood care options your business will offer.

Which ones to Buy

There is a plethora of wood treatments, stain and seals on the market, you’ll just need to look at the various brands, shop around and decide for yourself which ones are for you.

Don't use a turbo nozzle or pencil jet on wood