Brightening and Stripping - The Deck People

The Deck People

The first step in Preparation for previously stained or greyed wood

What is Wood Brightening?

Wood brightening is used on wood that has no product applied and has been left to weather leaving the wood grey, black or mouldy. 

Wood brightener often contains a washing agent, brightening agent and lightening agent. It comes in a gel form that is mixed with water and is applied by hand then scrubbed into the wood. It is left to sit on the wood for a period of time and then sprayed off.  The wood will be left in a lighter more golden state, similar to when the wood was new.

Different types of wood handle brightening differently and all results will vary on the type of wood and how badly weathered it was. The majority of wood will require some level of sanding afterwards to remove any hairs that got pulled up through the scrubbing process. 

What is Stripping?

Stripping can be done either through a chemical wash or through intensive sanding. Stripping is required when a poor quality product was applied to wood, leaving it to peel. High quality products can be applied on top without stripping, but discolouration will always show through. 

Generally, semi-transparent stains are the most common product to be stripped, where sometimes if peeling is excessive, a solid stain could be stripped off as well. It is not possible through these methods to strip off water sealants, paints or well adhered solid stains. 

Chemical washes are the first step with most oil based products, with sanding required afterwards for hard to reach areas. Intensive sanding is required for most latex products. 

How to Avoid Stripping and brightening

Brightening and stripping are only required if wood has been left to weather or if a low quality stain/oil was applied. This is why it is crucial for wood to be treated immediately upon install and for the right team with the right product knowledge to complete your project.

Full Exterior Makeover

Calling them “the Deck People” doesn’t do this team justice. We had the team do an entire exterior makeover including cleaning and staining cedar shake, sanding and painting deck, painting siding, window frames, gutters, and doorways. They did it all. And they did it quickly and well! You will never regret working with them!-Lauren

Top Notch "Care Factor" In Quality Work & Customer Service

The crew did top quality work cleaning all of our windows and clearing the eaves troughs of debris. They went above and beyond clearing debris and tools found on the roof (left by a neighbour’s trades on a past job) and they added a few extras at no cost. Thanks to them for building such a great local business with such a great team!-Unknown

Need Brightening or Stripping?

Our expert cleaners are carefully selected for your unique project

Questions & Answers

Depending on the services needed for your deck, our services vary between 5 hours to 2-3 days.

We use a variety of products depending on your specific needs!

However, for new wood or wood that has been oiled before, we use the highest grade oil from New Zealand that guarantees to never peel. It comes in a variety of colours.

We use all premium Benjamin Moore products for all of our paints and sikkens or our solid stains.

We offer a 3 year guarantee on anything that is not a walking surface.

No! You do not have to be home.

Get An Estimate

If you require cleaning, pressure washing, sealing or staining on your deck, patio, stone or fence, we have you covered.

Quality Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless

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