The mildew wash
Why every visit starts with a wash
Mildew on wood grows back from what is left in the grain. Stain sealed over it flakes sooner and hides the problem.
So the wash is part of the plan, at every visit. In a damp climate it is the part that decides how long the stain lasts.
In every wash
A mildew cleaner worked into the wood
Scrubbed, then rinsed
A drying day before any stain
Plants covered and rinsed
In order
The wash, step by step
The same five steps every time, on a deck or a fence.
Step 1: Cover and wet
Plants and grass are wet down and covered, and anything movable is moved.
Step 2: Apply
Cleaner goes on the boards, rails and steps and is left to work.
Step 3: Scrub
Boards and rails are scrubbed with the grain, with a brush where a washer would be too rough.
Step 4: Rinse
Everything is rinsed until the runoff is clear.
Step 5: Dry
The wood dries before anything else is done. We check it before we go on.
Between stains
What the wash catches in the year between
The check visit is short. It is where small things get found while they are still small.
Green on the north side
Shade and damp grow mildew first. A wash at the check visit keeps it from setting in.
Rail tops and steps
They wear first. We touch them up so water cannot get under the stain.
Soft boards
If a board has gone soft, we tell you and quote it. We do not stain over rot.
Questions
Wash questions
What is in the mildew wash?
A mildew cleaner brushed on and worked in, a scrub of the boards and rails, and a rinse. Plants and grass are wet down and covered first. It happens at every visit, not only before a stain.
What about my plants and the grass?
We wet down and cover plants near the work and rinse as we go. Heavy shrubs against a fence sometimes have to be tied back, and we will say so at the walk-through.
What if it rains?
We do not stain wet wood or in a wet forecast. A visit that falls on a bad day moves to the next dry one, and we text you the new day. Wash-and-check visits are more forgiving than stain visits.
Ask what the wash would find on your deck.
Send a photo of the boards that stay shady.