Decks Pressure Washing

J&J Power Wash offers residential deck pressure washing services. No matter how dirty or faded your deck is we can help. To set up a free estimate call us 215-703-8306 or fill out our online form. Click on the images below to enlarge them or visit our portfolio page for additional before and after pictures.

Pressure Washing a Deck

Before attempting to pressure washing your deck understand that there are different methods and cleaning agents that should and should not be used depending on the material you are cleaning and the material your deck is made of. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine whether or not your deck is made of wood or a composite material but it does take some to learn the proper cleaning products and cleaning techniques and which should be used on YOUR deck. While we will go over proper pressure selection, tip selection, technique and sanding remember that power washing a deck is not a “one size fits all” process. A contractor may use little pressure with a wood brightening cleaning agent on your deck and no pressure with a bleach and soap compound on your next door neighbor’s deck.

Deck Articles

Why is Deck Cleaning and Sealing Important?
Tips to Spring Clean your Deck or Patio

Deck Cleaning: Pressure and Tip Selection

Needless to say most pressure washers are versatile so they can be used to clean multiple cleaning surfaces. Keep in mind cleaning a hard material like brick and concrete would require high pressure while cleaning a soft material like wood or composite plastics would require low pressure. Furthermore, different types of wood will require different amounts of pressure. Softwoods like cedar, douglas-fir, and pine will require less pressure than harrdwoods like birch, elm, hickory, maple, oak and poplar. Regardless of the type of wood, when pressure washing a deck ALWAYS use the smallest amount of pressure allowable while still being effective.

• Use a fan tip or a rotating tip (see below)
• Try and stay at least 12 inches away from your target area
• Test your ability in an inconspicuous or hidden area

Deck Cleaning: Pressure Washing Technique

If you are unfamiliar with the aforementioned tip size, a tip is measured in degrees of the angle on the tip. A 40 to 60 degree tip size is the standard for wood pressure washing. Start with a small amount of pressure and increase gradually until becoming effective. While most articles you read on the Internet will tell you to clean the surface in a sweeping motion I strongly disagree. When using a sweeping motion it is difficult to remain the same distance away from the surface you are cleaning. The tip of your power washing gun may be 12 inches when cleaning the wood beneath your feet but when you go to either side of your body you are not only changing the distance but also the angle from which you are spraying. For this reason we suggest spraying only the area between the width of your feet and moving from side to side for the length of the wood.