Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener: The Best Stain Remover for Decks
Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener is a biodegradable, powdered concentrate that is mixed with water to brighten and restore the natural beauty of all species of exterior wood. This product excels at brightening, removing rust stains, and tannin stains caused by fallen leaves. Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener is a safe, eco-friendly product that will not only brighten but neutralize the surface of the wood, creating an ideal surface that is ready to be stained.
This product is the perfect complement to our wood cleaning product, Restore-A-Deck Wood Cleaner. We recommend you use this product as part of our comprehensive wood cleaning system.
The Restore A Deck system is a multistep deck cleaning system, and best results are achieved when using all 3 products. This product is step 2 of the Restore A Deck system.
Uses of Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener
Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener is intended for use on all types of weathered, exterior wood surfaces including decks, fences, siding, outdoor furniture, gazebos, and playsets.
Recommended for surface preparation prior to initial application of semi-transparent finishes and stains. The product can be used as a cleaner and brightener for redwood, or as a neutralizer to further brighten wood species, like pine, that have been cleaned with Restore-A-Deck Wood Cleaner or stripped with Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper. For lasting protection of your exterior wood, after using Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener, treat the surface with Restore-A-Deck Premium Wood Stain.
Note: Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener is not formulated to remove intact paint, stain, or clear finishes. This brightener is not a cleaner. It will not remove grayed wood fibers. It is meant to serve as a wood brightener and pH balance after using a deck cleaner or stain stripper. The best application for use is after a wood cleaning product.
Restore-A-Deck Brightener is used only with the Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper. It is not needed for the RAD Paint & Solid Stain Stripper Gel
ADVANTAGES
- Neutralizes stain strippers
- Brightens and restores wood surfaces
- Removes difficult stains created by rust and fallen leaves
- Restores pH balance of wood
- Powdered formula makes 5 liquid gallons when mixed
- Extremely cost-effective. When mixed, the cost is less than $6 a gallon.
- Eco-Safe formulas
- Improves absorption of wood stains
- Safe to use on all exterior wood surfaces, not just decks
Coverage: 750-1000 sq.feet per container.
How do you rinse a fence for 30 mins? Board by board? That seems excessive
The total area is rinsed for 30 minutes.
Can a hose with nozzle be used in place of a powerwasher to remove deck brightener? Thanks.
Yes but much easier/faster to use a pressure washer.
Thanks. I did end up using my pressure washer–just a bit more of a pain to lug around as opposed to just a garden hose. Worked fine.
Hello,
I sanded the old stain off my deck and then I used the RAD cleaner followed by the brightener. The brightener definitely did do its job, but I feel that it also brought some green color to the wood that I didn’t see before. I will attach pictures.
The bottle says if mold or mildew are present then clean with a 1:1 bleach water. I thought maybe that’s what the green color is I’m seeing so I sprayed the bleach water, let it sit about 5 minutes before rinsing.
Since I just used the bleach water will I have to go back over it with the brightener again? Did my bleach water mess up the pH neutralizer in the brightener?
I also think the bleach helped, but the green is still there.
Once everything dries, is it okay to continue onto my stain or do I need to anything else?
Thank you!
Just make sure you rinse very well after the bleach and you should be okay to stain.
Taking on a DIY salvage scenario of professional improperly prepared new cedar deck. Cabot Timberoil began clouding/peeling after 1 year – manufacturer-evaluated samples revealed dirt and mildew under over-applied double coat. Part of deck has been heavily power washed resulting in light surface gouging but back down to beautiful bare wood. I then took over and have sanded that portion down with 80grit, and will be re-stripping with your products as the Pittsburgh product used by the installer has been suboptimal. Questions: should we let it weather over the winter to let the sanded wood blend with the stripped wood before clean/brighten/stain with RAD next year? Or could we just strip/brighten/stain this year by using just brightener on the sanded wood? Thank you
Send some pictures after the stripping is done.
Thank you. I certainly will!
Stripping worked great with a little elbow grease! Pictures attached. First is post partial heavy pressure wash. Second after suboptimal pittsburgh stripping. Third/forth after thorough RAD stripping.
Question would be to weather over winter (north wisconsin) before clean/brighten/stain next year, or just brighten/stain this year for the most uniform appearance.
Many thanks!
If you are staining next year then final prep then.
We also previously used Cabots timber oil on our cedar deck. What a terrible product. It sits on the wood and eventually starts to crack, chip and peel off which looks really awful. It took us forever to strip it all off too. My sympathies to you.
I mixed too much stripper and brightener when doing my first deck and have some leftover. I am doing a second deck in a couple weeks. Can I use the leftovers, or will they go bad by then?
They will be fine for the stripper and Brightener.
I have a bit of brightener left over after my staining project. I’d like to get it out of my pump sprayer. Any suggestions for other uses or appropriate disposal?
Thanks!
You can use it to clean concrete.
Thanks!
How soon after stripping the old stain and using the brightened does the deck need to be stained ?
Stain within 2 weeks.
I’ve recently used the RAD Brightener product. It wasn’t until after using it that I noticed the packaging says that it contains “sodiumcarbonate peroxhydrate” which is the same ingredient listed on the RAD Cleaner product. The following page however does seem to state that the RAD Brightener contains a mix of citric and oxalic acids: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-safe-product-usage.html.
Can you please confirm the ingredients of the Brightener?
A mix of Citralic and Oxalic acids.
I have an IPE or Ironwood deck that was cleaned and oiled last year. I want to clean and oil it again this year. In addition to the Wood Cleaner product, is it also recommended to use the Brightener in my case or would that not be necessary?
Are you staying with the same brand of stain and color as last year?
Yes .. Olympic Maximum Clear Waterproofing sealant penetrating oil formula
Cleaner only should be fine for this.
I have white cedar railings with a heavy (glossy) coat of stain. I sanded down to bare wood and had green mildew in some spots under the stain. I used Clorox outdoor bleach and it killed the mildew now I’m ready to re stain. Will your brightener be the right product to neutralize any residual bleach and open the pores of the wood to accept stain better?
Yes, it would help.
Ok with “doing it right” in mind, would spraying RAD wood cleaner then brighten be best, or am I at the point where just the neutralizer will suffice?
Using the cleaner first, lightly pressure washing and then the brightener after would open up the pores best for the stain penetration. Just one coat of stain when you sand a deck.
I used the stripper on my deck and used the brightener. Problem is The old stain did not all come off. Do I repeat process,
Restrip and rebrighten and then stain?
Post pics in the comments.
Here are the pics
I did this on Sunday
You have a hardwood deck. What stain brand was used prior? Did you pressure wash off after applying the stripper?
I believe the stain was
PENOFIN. I did pressure wash after stripping.
I have purchased RAD Stain
Yes, you will have to redo it. We are also seeing some swirl marks from your pressure washer and some uneven application spots when applying the stripper? Make sure you follow these steps:
-Apply stripper after mixing correctly with a pump sprayer to all wood.
-Let dwell from 15-20 minutes
-Pressure wash with a fan tip and using a pendulum motion, getting close to the wood about 6-10 inches away with each pass. Always wash in the direction of the wood grain/board.
-Make sure to mist areas of the deck that have not been stripped yet with water to keep the stripper from drying out.
-When done, rinse all wood and posts thoroughly to remove the old stain, dirt, and wood fiber.
-Redo the brightener.
I plan to strip & brighten our cedar deck tomorrow morning. May rain tomorrow night then 2 clear days after. Is that ok & can I stain with TWP on the third clear day?
48 hours after prep or rain when using the TWP stain.
If I’m using a solid stain do I need the brighter or just the cleaner?
Use both.
Are restore-a-deck products safe to use on a dock that will go in the water?
Yes.
so I’m in process of stripping deck…more than a 1 day job to get old stain off. So on the 2nd day of stripping do I just start up again stripping and then immediately use the brightener on the wet deck created by stripper? Spray Brightener on and wait? and then rinse off? and then wait couple dry days to apply a Defy clear stain?…can I wait longer to stain if need be?
Yes, just finish the stripping and then brighten all wood. Apply the sealer within a couple weeks of the prep.
Unfortunately, I used a bleach containing wood cleaner on my 1 year old redwood deck almost two weeks ago. I’m very unhappy with the look of it and have been worrying over it ever since not knowing what to do. Is it too late to use a wood brightener before staining and if not, should I sand/buff the extensive fuzzies off before or after the brightener?
Buff first and then brighten the wood. That should help.
About how long should I plan on taking to stain my 200 sq ft deck using your wood staining brush?
For the floors, about 10-20 minutes.
I managed a coat in 42 minutes, but then, again, I am 85 years old and took a couple of short breaks. At any rate your answer was very helpful in that it helped me understand that “I can do this” before the sun hits the deck. In addition I appreciate your very patient answers to my many questions along the way. The result is not quite what I had hoped, but about what I expected. Many errors have been made along the way like using too powerful a power washer and a less than thorough stripping. At least the wife is happy with it so I am happy, doubly so since I do not have to do anything more until my 88th year. Hooray! See you in 2.5 years.
I stripped and brighter my deck, but am going to need to go over a part of it again as there is some stain remaining. There is a lot of wood fibers after stripping and brightening so I am going to need to sand some of the boards. Do you recommend an order of process? Is it ok to re-strip, brighten, sand then stain? Some of the posts seem to indicate that brightening should be done after sanding, but I wasn’t clear.Thanks!
Strip, sand if needed, then brighten.
Thanks! Couple more questions. 1. I stripped and brightened a my hand railing yesterday. Although I kept the pressure washer 18 in away from the wood, it left a lot of wood fibers and I now need to sand the railing with 60 or 80 grit sand paper. After I sand, do I have to brighten again, or can I just stain without doing another round of brightener?2. The instructions on the stripper say to whiten immediately after stripping. I have a large surface area to strip and plan to strip in sections. Can I wait until the entire area is stripped rather than stripping and immediately whitening in sections? How long is the longest time between when I strip and when I absolutely must whiten? I assume there can be a length of dry time since you commented above that I can sand between stripping and brightening, and sanding on soaked wood wouldn’t be very effective.
1. Best to brighten and rinse well to open up the pores.2. Yes. Brighten the same day as stripping for best results but if sanding do that first and then brighten.
I have started my deck project by using your deck stripper. I then want to sand the deck with a floor sanding machine once the wood moisture meter reads below 18% so it does not tear up the fibers. Once the deck is sanded and swept, is there a specific waiting period to put on the deck brighter? Any wait time for the TLP1500 after the brightener?
You can brighten right after the sanding. Wait 48 hours after to apply the TWP 1500 Series if that is the stain you are using.
Perfect. Yes, it is the TWP 1500 series. Also, I sent an email to your sales@ email address with regards to an issue with my order but I have not received a response.
No email was received.
Nevermind, it was in our spam folder. Someone will reply to the email.
How soon can one apply semi transparent RAD stain after applying brightener?
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-stain-to-damp-wood.html
How long after rinsing brightner off can I begin to stain
You can apply the RAD Stains to dry or damp wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-stain-to-damp-wood.html
re doing brightner after weeks of having stripped the pine soffitts. Do I need to wet the wood before applying brightner or apply to dry wood and rinse?
Mist with water first.
My deck was painted and I have just finished sanding the paint off the entire deck. I didn’t use stripper, I just sanded. Now I am ready to stain. The wood is bright and not weathered. Do I need to use brightener and cleaner or can I just go ahead and stain? Thanks!
Clean and brighten the wood will open the pores after standing and allow the stain to soak in deeper. Just one coat of stain.
Hi, I’m planning on using the semi-transparent stain on a rough (primarily cedar) fence that’s quite aged (7-10 years). I believe I saw somewhere on your site that the recommendation for vertical surfaces was different than horizontal when it came to coats. Would it make sense to do two coats or one for a surface like this? I’m in a very dry climate (Colorado), so while I would like to avoid any peeling potential, I would also love to protect the wood. Thanks!
You will need two coats on vertical rough sawn wood. Applied wet on wet.
I used your cleaner and brightener this spring to prep deck for staining with TWP 1500. Looked great when finished staining but now have mildew /mold growing on deck. cleaned it with simple green, but mold/mildew has come back. Should I clean it with a diluted mix (3 to 6 oz. per gallon) of cleaner? Should I follow up with brightener even though I won’t be staining? If so what strenght? What maintenance cleaner or routine would you recommend for mold mildew?
Try a product called “Wet and Forget” for removal and prevention. You can get it at local stores.
I stripped & brightened my cedar rails. They looked great. Overnight the rain came & I thought in the moment it was a good thing, it would re-rinse the cedar. It’s now been days of rain. The tannins have leached out & made a mess. My question is how do I handle this now? Do I clean/brighten or just brighten? TY
Both.
Just used RAD cleaner and brightener 2 days ago. Cleaner did wonders for the wood. Not sure that I used the brightener properly (it’s just railing that have been done, floor being replaced in the fall).
The brightener didn’t seem to do much… no suds, went on like water. Waited 15 – mins and rinsed thoroughly, though there was really nothing to see washing away.
2 days later, rails look great! No graying, nice grain, nice new natural color. Did I do it right? My #2 tank sprayer was acting kinda sad, but it did spray. Should I really brightener, or cleaner and brightener, or go ahead and stain now? It’s a 4 year old never-been-stained-before cedar railing.
Thanks!
It should be good to stain.
I have stained the railings – the portion that I was concerned about regarding the brightener application, and the portion that I used a new tank sprayer to apply the brightener. Both sections took the stain extremely well, cured nicely, look great, and no difference between the two sections.
Great products! Have already recommended it to friends. Truly does look like new wood!
I am removing a Behr solid stain from a 2 year pt deck floor. PW got 80% off, then used both Valspar and Behr stripper to remove the balance. Both were like using water. Heart wood, knots, protected areas are like a rock. I took back the rest of the stripper and ordered your clearer/brighter/ ST dark stain while I sanded the rest off just the areas that still had stain/primer. I planned on cleaner/brightner/stain as soon as I was done sanding. I just saw the post the post about waiting 1-2 months. Ugh. Not going to go over well with a July 4th party planned. If I am forced to stain, what might happen? Uneven coloring sanded vs not sanded area?
It may not stain evenly if you are spot sanding.
How will I know I’ve waited long enough? What should I be looking for?
Wait the 1-2 months and then clean and brighten for prep.
Did a test run on a small section and loved the results! Now for the rest of the deck. What is the maximum amount of time between brightening and staining when using Armstrong Clarke semi-transparent? Having to work around job and rain. Thanks!
About 14 days after prep to stain.
That works out so well. Thank you!
I applied the stripper and now I am going to apply the brightener. Do I have to make sure that the brightener stays wet and does not dry on the wood prior to rinsing? It’s a sunny, hot day and I’m sure it will dry if I don’t mist it occassionally.
Just mist it if it starts to dry. Needs about 20 minutes to react.
I just re-decked a 10’x16′ deck with redwood s4s 2×6, and am wondering how long to wait until we prep and stain. The deck has been weathering about five weeks. Do i need to sand, and if so should i sand now then let it wait a certain period of time to weather again, or sand just before prep? We like the pink/yellow look of the redwood, so are planning on using natural semi-transparent stain. Thanks.
See here about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
Follow-up re: Sarah’s question from 4/22: Why do you need to wait to clean & brighten after sanding? I just sanded the old finish off my cedar deck and wanted to stain next weekend. What is the advantage to letting it weather first?
This allows the wood to become porous so the stain can soak in better/deeper into the wood grain.
What process should I used to restore pine PT deck that’s been sealed with Boiled Linseed oil and mineral spirt mix.
Use the RAD Stripper and Brightener kit for prep and then the RAD Stain.
Do you also have to keep the RAD brightener misted after applying like you do for the cleaner?
No, just rinse it well after 10-20 minutes.
can it be used with a powerwasher
The RAD Brightener is not applied through a pressure washer but a pump sprayer.
After using the brightener on our deck it turned parts of our wood green. Is this normal?
There is nothing in the brightener that would turn the wood green. The green would be part of your wood or the pressure treatment process.
Will this affect the stain or am I ok to go ahead with this process?
You are okay to stain.
If planing to paint (not stain) after using RAD Stripper, is the Brightener still needed?
Yes.
Hi there. Last fall we purchased the RAD stripper and brightener for our pine deck. We stripped and power washed but needed to stand to ultimately get all the paint off the previous owners put on. Due to baby coming early and the winter weather, we’ve only just picked back up with this project. The deck is now completely sanded. My question is: can we just do the brightener this spring now that we’ve sanded or do we have to clean and then brighten before we stain it? I attached a picture (including a before and after) for reference if it helps. Thanks!
Clean and brighten for best results after letting the wood weather a little. 1-2 months. Just one coat of the RAd Stains.
Do I need to let it weather even though the wood is 7+ years old? I live in Texas and the weather will likely be too hot in 1-2 months to stain. I have a TWP 1500 stain that I plan on using. Thank you.
After the sanding, yes.
Is it okay for the RAD cleaner and brightener to come into contact with metal? Do they corrode or damage metal? Our elevated deck has a metal railing with ipe on both sides of the railing. Thanks.
It should be fine but always test spot first.
Hello, I have a cedar privacy wall on my composite deck. I never sealed it and it looks horrible. I power washed it and in some parts it dented the wood. I tried to sand it and it looks really flat. You can’t see the grain of the wood. I only did this on a little section. What do you recommend I do? If I sand it and use your cleaner and Brightener will the grain and color come back? Will your product be harmful to my composite deck? I have added photos of before I power washed then after the power wash and where you can see it wrecked the wood. I have also attached an image of the board I sanded. Thank you for your help.
You damaged the wood with the pressure washer. Outside of sanding out your damage marks, there is not a way to fix. You will then need to stain the wood to restore some color.
Only stain it nothing else? How come it looks so flat when I sand it? Will that go away when I stain it? What stain do you recommend?
Staining will enhance the grain and color.
Would RAD brightener work on pine tongue and groove boards in the barn? We have them in stalls and on the isle walls. Since it took some time to cover all the areas, the boards installed earlier already yellowed some, so the new boards are brighter. This is all new wood, and we plan to clear coat it with water based poly. If the brightener would work, does it need to be rinsed or is it left in?
Some areas in the stall got dirty – could we use a cleaner, and if so, what is the best way to rinse it off? It is not practical to pressure wash inside the stall.
You would have to clean and brighen all for prep while using a pressure washer to restore color.
Teh RAD Stain in Natural: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-wood-stain-5-gallon/flypage.tpl.html
1. No, you have a total of 1440 sq feet to stain. You will need close to 12-15 gallons for two coats.
Your wood looks rough sawn cut, not smooth and that would require two coats. If you want to only do one, then you will need about 10 gallons.
Can wood brightener be stored once it’s mixed? I made more than I needed but will probably be ready to use it within a week. Thanks!
It will be fine to use in a week.
We’ve got a garapa deck that we’ve neglected for a few years that had previously been sealed with a Messmer’s UV product. We originally used Messmer’s clean/brighten products before we learned that they were now inferior and just used RAD cleaner and brightener (slightly more concentrated) with better results. However, we still have several stubborn stains but can see where the brightener cut unevenly through some of them (where there was less water pooled). We plan to try and brighten again with an even more concentrated batch of brightener to rid of the rest of the deck stains before we stain with RAD hardwood semi-transparent. Any issue with this since we will not be cleaning/stripping first and any recommendations?
I tried to find a product sheet for the components of the brightener (as we’re used to oxalic acid) but couldn’t find one?
Thank you!
No issues but make sure to rinse very well when done. If you leave the wood too acidic and not rinse well, you can have a reaction with the stain.
Hi, I have a previously stained deck that needs to be re-stained, it has green mold/mildew on it. We used the restore cleaner on it and power washed. The green is still there should we use the Brightener on it will this remove this. Any suggestions Thanks
The cleaner removes what is on the surface. If the green is deep in the wood grain then it will probably not come out. The brightener may help
Ok Thanks, can we still stain over it, or should we strip it, if we strip,it will that get the green off if it is deep in wood. Thanks
You can stain over it. Stripping would not remove it either if deep in the wood grain.
Hi, unbeknownst to me I used a bleach based cleaner on my unsealed deck boards and I ended up with some spots and discolouration on my deck boards. I phoned PPG (maker of the Olympic Deck Cleaner product) and they advised a Cleaner, Conditioner and Brightener product that I cannot seem to source in Canada.
I was always hoping to apply a translucent stain to the boards but the blotches will impact this. Would the restore a deck brightener help me? Thank you for your help –
A brightener will probably not even out “bleach” spots.
Ok. Well thanks for the quick follow-up!
Have a 20 year old cedar deck, it has been stained 3-4 times, last time was 4 years ago. That time I just power washed it really good and stained with TWP I used the previous time. It looked good and lasted pretty well but a hail storm has put ping marks all over it. If I decided to do more thorough prep work this time, use your stain stripper then brightener? How much will a gallon do? Deck is large, two tiers (24’x16′ and 10’x16′) and all cedar stairs and railings all around. Lastly, if I need to replace a couple boards, should I let them weather over the winter (in Minnesota) and do the whole process in the spring or can I replace them and do the process right away? Thanks.
New boards should weather until Spring. Strip and brighten all for prep. We would need a total sq footage added up for the amount needed.
It’s approximately 750 square feet of floor/wall space and 150 feet of railing (type of railing shown in picture). Can you guess how many gallons of each mixture I will need?
2 of the Stripper/Brightener kits. https://www.restore-a-deck.com/order-restore-a-deck/rad-kits-best-price/restore-a-deck-stripper-brightener-kit/flypage.tpl.html
I stained my deck with Cabot solid stain and now see some peeling, but not bad. Can you suggest the best way to Take care of peeled areas. I was thinking of clean and brightner then restain ?
Stripper and then brightener.
Used your products ~ 5 years ago to prep new redwood fences and it worked great! Stained with TWP 1500 semi-transparent series and most of the fences still look great. A couple of sections that get more sun could use another coat of stain (no need to strip). I’ll use your cleaner before reapplying the stain, but wasn’t clear if it made sense to also use the brightener. Appreciate your guidance.
No need for the brightener for this.
The fence was never stained before. It is pressure treated lumber and 8 years old.
The brightener neutralizes the cleaner and helps the stain to soak in better.
We just finished applying the RAD wood cleaner to a vertical fence. The wood looks good and bright. Do we still need to use the RAD wood brightener before applying the Armstrong Clark again? Or can we avoid using the brightener and apply stain after washing the cleaner thoroughly with a pressure washer?