It’s rather common to use a pressure washer to clean a wood fence. But is it really necessary ahead of staining it? That all depends on how dirty your fence is and what you need to remove from it before you get to the staining part.
Cleaning your fence is critical if you want it to look right after you’re finished. The reason being that you need to remove the current layer of finish that is on your fence at the present time. It’s likely faded or chipped or worn away in places so that your fence does not look very appealing. The old finish as well as any dirt or grime that might be caked on there must all be thoroughly eliminated if you really want the fence to look its best.
The Importance of Cleaning
It’s always good to have professional fence cleaning fort worth tx come out and give your fence the tender loving care it needs. But it’s even more crucial ahead of staining it and the reason why is actually rather obvious. When you are staining your wood, you expect it to completely penetrate the surface. But if your stain is not able to accomplish this, you’re not really getting much done.
So what is the solution? Clean your fence and do so thoroughly enough so that you clear away everything. The old finish, caked on dirt, years of use and possibly even neglect, all of these things must be wiped away as your first step towards giving that fencer a new lease on life.
But do you need to go with the pressure washer to get the work done right? That all depends on how dirty your fence may be. If the old finish hasn’t been mostly removed already and/or the surface of the wood is so badly covered in all those years of the filth that comes with wear and tear, you may need the force of water that you can only get from pressure washing.
If not, then you may not need to rely on a pressure washer and all that it offers. In these cases, you may only want to get a bucket of warm water and some soap to do the work for you. This latter option might be tougher to perform than hooking up the power washer and using it to eliminate everything that has collected on your fencing after years of use.
Proper Pressure Washing Techniques
Depending on how much work needs to be done to your fence, you must be cognizant of the amount of pressure you are inflicting upon it. In order to prepare your wood fence so it may be stained, you will need a minimum of 2500 PSI to effectively eliminate the old finish along with any dirt, mildew, and other gunk stuck on there.
If you are going to get the best pressure to do the work, you must choose the right nozzle to get the best pressure without also inflicting any serious damage on the wood. Some surfaces, including wood, may not be strong enough to withstand certain degrees of pressure.
