I recently built a cabin in Vermont using rough cut Hemlock from a local mill. The interior is all open exposing all the wood framing and the backsides of the exterior walls, you see everything.
The condition of the wood varies from looking very bright and clean to dark and stained with mildew. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out a way to clean it up, to at least get it to look more uniform. I thought about using a standard deck brightener but I’m afraid to introduce all the water from a pressure washer in the final step.
Can I still use the deck brightner and not have to apply the water for rinsing? Does anyone have any other ideas?
I thought perhaps some sort of vac system on the output of the pressure washer like the dust pick-up for sawdust on power tools might work but my searches have found no such device.
I thought that anyone in the job of reclaiming old warehouse buildings for condos must have some technique for cleanup.
Any ideas, would be greatly appreciated.
Mike
Replies
You might try using a portable sprayer (like a cheap garden-type hand pumper) with a solution of bleach and water or your deck brightner (which is probably about the same thing, only more expensive). We used it for timbers when some of them catch a mold. You can just mist it on and be very selective about how much you apply. That should kiil the mildew and will brighten it somewhat. Start with a weak solution and increase if that don't work. You can still go back and pressure wash (my next choice) if that don't work.
If you have someone to help you pressure wash, they could follow underneath the sprayer with a wet shop vac floor attachment and probably catch most of the water. You could also just tape and tarp the floor and catch it that way.
The place sounds nice. Have fun.
Edited 8/24/2002 10:06:04 PM ET by Rick
I think I've read that chlorine bleach is bad fopr wood and that the bleach used in deck cleaners is a different type.
Some web sites recommend using chlorine bleach:
http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/woodbleach.html
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/214.shtml
Some recommend against using it on wood, suc as Tim Carter's:
"Often I have been told by salespeople to use chlorine bleach to clean wood decks. Chlorine bleach - sodium hypochlorite - is a fantastic sanitizing product if you want to kill germs, however, it creates havoc when used on wood. Chlorine bleach removes natural wood color, destroys wood lignin (the glue that holds wood fibers together), can corrode metal deck fasteners and hardware, and can kill vegetation that surrounds decks."
http://www.askbuild.com/cgi-bin/column?222
Edited 8/25/2002 7:03:08 AM ET by Bob Walker
Bob
Not only Jeff, but also Michael Dresdener, and Bob Flexner all recommend the use of chlorine bleach because it DOES not remove color from the wood. It. They are all finishing experts, but mostly for "natural finish" interior applications. There chlorine bleach is used to remove aniline dyes from wood. I have used it on red oak for that purpose and it did not change the color of the wood.
However, Dresdener does warm that if you make repeated applications with a saturated solution (made from pool chemicals) that it will start to draw the color from the wood. But that is 25 times stronger than the diluted bleach used to clean off mildew.
However, the US Forest Products Lab in the book "Finishes for Exterior Wood" suggest chlorine bleach, among others for cleaning mildew off walls and decks before refinishing.
"Paint stores usually carry several brands of mildew cleaner. Some of these formulations contain solidum percarbonate; other contain sodium (chlorine bleach) or calcuim hypochloirte. These cleaners are very effective in removing mildew and cleaning the wood."
Then they go one and give the following forumla;
1/3 cup of household detergent
1 to 2 qt of 5% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach)
2 to 3 qt of warm water.
Also you have to realize that Tim is selling his magic potion.
Just wanted to show that there are different points of view: a quick google search found several sites mentioningh chlorine bleach can damage wood. e.g.
Who is right? I dunno.
See also:
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1998/ross98e.pdf
And, another Tim Carter source, but he's not selling his goop there:
"It is also a mistake to use chlorine bleach to clean your deck. Chlorine bleach, identified on deck-cleaning product labels as sodium hypochlorite, removes the natural color from your wood, destroys the lignin or "glue" that holds together the wood fibers, is toxic to surrounding vegetation and corrodes metal fasteners and components that hold your deck together.
"Oxygen bleach is the better cleaner. When mixed with water, this powdered product releases nontoxic oxygen ions that kill mildew and algae. In addition, the foaming oxygen bleach loosens gray, weathered wood fibers and dirt from the deck surface. It does not remove natural wood color or damage nails and joist hangers. One of oxygen bleach's best attributes is that it will not harm plants, vegetation or you."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/839/48060.html
there is always the tried and true method of bucket and scrub brush - 2% chlorox solution will certainly brighten wood and reduce mold/mildew, and I wouldn't worry too much about deterioration with a one time application - NAPA has a nice selection of different style brushes - a selection is nice to access the different areas and avoid knuckle busting - start at the top, use your garden sprayer to wet the surface with the cleaning solution of your choice, catch slop with towels/shop vac at the bottom - don't try to do it all in a day -
I've used Jomax in a garden sprayer quite a bit to renew rough cut stock for projects and to kill mildew... works great. Mix 1 part Jomax with 3 parts bleach and 16 parts water in a garden sprayer. Spray on, let it sit for a while. Spray again and go over it with a stiff brush. Rinse off with a garden hose. You will introduce water to the cabin but if you're careful you can avoid any future problems. Put plastic sheeting down and be sure to allow for plenty of ventilation afterwards. A good, one time soaking won't hurt much. However, continous exposure to moisture will create problems, so make sure to dry the place out afterwards. Hope that helps - Nick
Oh yeah I forgot to ask. What part of Vermont? My family has a place in Sharon.
mike-e-mike,
Welcome to my world. I've been agonizing over this for months. We are building a log home and I've got to clean the logs and stain before winter.
Anyway, I've been reading the opinions of log home experts for a couple years and while some use chlorine bleach, most do not. They tend to use sodium percarbonate bleaches, which is the stuff that is in Oxyclean and products like that.
So, I've been experimenting with these products and have decided that I like the stuff called Wood Renew made by Perma-Chink the best. I am trying to avoid pressure washing and they say it isn't necessary with their product. They will send you a free sample.
The other option, and you can learn more about it at the permachink website, is to use a corncob blaster. Its like a sandblaster, but more gentle and for wood. It works great and would bring all the wood to a uniform color while removing all mildew.
Anyway, good luck!