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.
I am planning to use the RAD stripper to strip my ipe deck today once it’s warm enough. The stripping step is likely to take all the daylight I have today. Will it be alright to do the brightening step tomorrow if I re-wet the deck before applying? And when rinsing after brightening, is the key thing to make sure no more suds are coming off regardless of rinsing time? Thank you!
Best to brighten same day if possible but if you cannot, you should still brighten the next day. No suds is correct.
Thanks. I’ve been working on the stripping today and its been very slow going. I started by applying the stripper, waiting, and pressure washing off, but there still seemed to be a lot of finish and even mildew left on the deck. I’m using a 3000 psi washer with 40 degree tip and keeping the tip at least 6-8 inches from the wood. I reapplied stripper then hand scrubbed then pressure washed which lifted a lot more finish. Then I repeated that process to get most of the rest of the finish although I could probably do it again and get a little more off. I was really hoping to avoid the hand scrubbing by using the pressure washer. Am I doing something wrong or is my old finish just crazy stubborn? It’s 2 or 3 coats of Woodrich hardwood wiping stain applied over the past 19 years.
Some stains are more stubborn than others to remove. Behr, for example, is very hard to remove. When you add additional coats, the buildup can make it more difficult to remove. Longer dwell times help.
Also, do not mistake the darkening of the wood (stripper raises pH) for old stain still on the wood. The Brightener lowers the pH and stores the color.
Thanks for the help. I finished stripping today and rinsed the deck really well with the pressure washer. I got quite a bit of suds when rinsing after the stripper and kept rinsing until that was gone. I then applied the brightener which definitely lightened up the wood, but I was surprised to get very few suds in the brightening step. I rinsed everything thoroughly twice and the water was basically clear the whole time. The wood did “brighten” a lot though, so maybe I just rinsed most of the caustic (stripper) off prior to adding the brightener? Tomorrow I plan to stain using the RAD semi-transparent in light walnut. It will be in the 30’s overnight so I’m planning to wait until we are above 50 tomorrow to begin applying stain. We will have full sun tomorrow but then down close to freezing tomorrow night. So I’m dealing with cold nighttime temps but bright sun during the day. I read that I should dampen the deck with water prior to applying the RAD stain to keep the surface temp low in direct sun so I plan to do that especially if the wood feels hot to the touch. High tomorrow is in the 60’s but like I mentioned it will be near freezing tomorrow night. How many hours of dry time will I need to shoot for before sundown tomorrow?
4-6 hours.
Hello, Do i need the Brightener if i power sand the deck?
Yes, you should do this while pressure washing lightly.
I have stainless steel cable with turnbuckles on my deck railing with wood posts. When I clean and brighten the wood posts, is it ok for the cleaner and brightener to sit on the stainless steel parts while waiting to rinse? Any special precautions take with the metal?
It should be fine. Pre-wet and rinse over spray while working.
The instructions state to rinse for 20-30 mins after application. Can that be sped up with a power washer? Can you stop rinsing once suds are no longer being produced while rinsing or power washing?
Using a pressure washer makes it easier but not necessarily faster. When no suds, you should be okay.
I stripped and stained my deck in September 2023 with RAD Paint & Solid Stain Stripper and Semi-transparent stain. It needed a resfreash this Spring, so in May I cleaned and brightened and restained with RAD cleaner, brightner and stain. The deck looked great until we got some 90 degree days then odd things began to happen. Erutions of a gritty powder began to appear. At first I thought it was garden dirt that came off my shoes, but the eruptions spread to any part of the deck exposed to the sun on hot days. It looks terrible now. How to I correct this problem. Photos attached.
Not sure what that is, but it is not coming from the deck stain or prep. It looks to be on top of the stain? Does it wipe off with a wet rag?
The powder can be washed away, but the stain is permanently discolored. It does not come off with repeated hosing, scrubbing with a bristle brush or even a very heavy rain. The attached photo is of a section that I repeatedly hosed off and scrubbed. Some of the typical discoloration can be seen in the circled area. The powder comes up through the stain and seems to remove the stain. The powder just appears. It is not the result of spilling any gardening materials such as fertilizers, insecticides or soil additives.
Unfortunately, we have no idea what this white powder is or where it is coming from. We have not seen this before. It seems to be a product of your environment or coming from the wood itself.
Hopefully, it stops soon, and next Spring you can lightly wash the deck and apply a maintenance coat to the wood to even it out.
Sorry if this has already been answered. Tried looking through comments for my answer but not finding. Anyway, I built our deck in ’23. Cleaned/Brightened/Stained (semi trans cedar) in ’24. The stain held up great. I’m now preparing to put on a second coat of stain. I should still clean and brighten first correct? Or is brightening only for untreated wood?
Best to do both.
Please help me. I stained and brightened today. Now the wood is drying but several areas on the deck boards are turning black. Spindles, railing and lattice look good but the flooring is all discolored. What did I do wrong? How can I fix it?
You did not brighten properly, most likley. You should redo the brighener step.
Here is a pic this morning. I cleaned and brightened yesterday. What do you think? Should I pressure wash brightener off again?
Reapply the brightener to all flooring, let sit for 20 minutes, and then pressure rinse off when done.
I have to order more. Is it okay to wait a week or so to do that? Or will I need to clean as well?
Yes, it will be fine. No need to reclean.
Sorry, me again. Now, it looks like this after fully drying. Does that mean it’s okay to stain? Or will the dark spots come back after wetting it?
It looks good to stain.
THE PRINT ON THE PACKAGING IS SO SMALL. PLEASE RESTATE THE STEPS FOR THE CLEANER AND THE BRIGHTNER. Thanks
This article will help:
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-directions-for-use
I’m re-staining the cedar trim on our porch railings/columns. After I use the cleaner, is it absolutely necessary to use the brightener before staining?
It is needed to neutralize the Cleaner.
Ok, thanks! I’m placing the order now!
I cleaned and brightened a 1 year old cedar fence that had no previous coating or stains, just naturally grayed from the elements. I let cleaner dwell 15 minutes, scrubbed with brush, then removed with power washer. Followed by brightner application and 10 minute dwell time. I still have pretty significant graying after drying. Is this prepped well enough for stain or does further cleaning and brightening need to be done to remove all the gray?
That is oxidation that did not fully come off. Wet a section down with water and send a pic. If it looks good when wet then it will look good when stained.
The gray is definitely not nearly as noticeable when the wood is wet.
You can go ahead and stain then.
I’m intending to
Is this a good plan?
Yes, that will work.
I’m planning to spray the deck with brightener, rinsing it off after 4 hours then leaving overnight before staining tomorrow.
Is this a good plan?
do you need to protect walls and foliage when using brightener?
Cover or prewet and rinse overspray right away.
Good morning. I used cleaned/stripped the deck a month ago and then paused bc the weather has been way too hot to continue the process.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, we are ready to resume. Question: do I need to repeat the cleaning/stripping step or can I go straight to the RAD brightener? Many thanks
Redo all steps.
Last year – I refurbished an older redwood deck – used RAD stripper to remove old unknown stain then used RAD brightener then applied two coats – wet on wet of RAD Cedar semi-transparent stain. I used a belt and orbital sander (60 grit) to sand the boards since I completely refurbished an old deck which was really worn.
This year – I was just going to use the RAD Cleaner with a power washer to clean off all the grime then simply brighten and re-stain. Unfortunately, the previous years stain peeled during the power wash cycle as I believe that I used too strong of pressure on power washer causing it to remove the year’s previous stain off the boards. The RAD cleaner seemed to work too good and ended up lifting or removing the previous RAD stain applied last year. So I ended up removing all the previous stain through a process of power wash then sanding with 40/60 grit belt sander to remove all ridges caused by power washing plus dirt and stains as it’s an older deck with lots of wear n tear.
Now since I have completed sanding should I just brighten then stain (only one coat of stain after sanding) OR would you recommend using RAD Cleaner (again) then RAD Brightener before staining with RAD Cedar semi-transparent stain?
I am a little confused why I couldn’t simply do a light cleaning / brighten then re-apply stain this year? The cleaner seemed to do it’s job too good and lifted or removed the previous year’s RAD stain – possibly I over applied and used too much stain last year…
Yes, brighten after sanding. No need for the cleaner at this point. You could try and use the Cleaner at less strength (2 oz per gallon of water) next time for a maintenance coat and just lightly rinse, not pressure wash. This varies based on the condition.
Ok thanks for the quick reply – will do. To confirm a single coat of stain is recommended after staining (NOT a two coat – wet on wet application like I did last year correct?).
Just one coat will work.
I completely pressure washed my cedar siding on my house. It had black mildew and really greyed the wood as well. I used a sealer last year but that did not keep it from fading badly. Pressure washing has taken allot of time and I seem to have restored allot of the natural red cedar color but it shows some fading. Will the brighter get me more or better color back without bleaching like deck wash. Then I want to put something on it to keep its natural color. Not sure what the best sealer to use to block UV and that may be mildew resistant. Don’t want a solid color just wast a transparent stain or sealer. Any recommendations? Oil base I have never used but I’m leaning that way this round.
You cannot stain over a sealer so at this point you need to use the RAD Stain Stripper and then the RAD Wood Brightener. After that, use our semi-transparent stain in any color that you like.
Hi,
I have solid wood posts on my front and back porch. They are a blond softwood. Probably pine. There is some checking. Most of the weathering is near the bottom. The worst is on the plinth.
Is there anything special I should know?
Wash, strip, brighten, stain?
🙂
It looks like a varnish on the wood. Try this stripper to remove: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-paint-solid-stain-stripper-1-gallon.html
Getting ready to stain a deck made of pressure treated wood ( part of it built last year, another part built 4 years ago). Other brightener products say it make the wood rough, requiring sanding. Does the Restore a deck Brightener leave wood rough and in need of sanding?
No, and you always have to use the RAD Cleaner first.
Our deck currently has Behr Deckover on it & it is time to stain it again. Will RAD work with the Deckover & be able to cover it and be stable once dry? Do we go through the Prep & Brightener as well?
No. No stain can be applied over the Behr Deckover. It has to be power sanded off to fix this product.
Hi. I’m using cleaner, brightener then RAD semi-transparent stain on exotic hardwood deck (garapa). I got the cleaner step done but now it is raining and will be on and off for the next few days – how would you recommend I proceed?
Brighten now and then stain when the rain stops.
i have some boards that i needed to sand and the rest of the deck has just grayed/weathered a bit. will this help brighten the greyed area to more closely match the sanded boards?
fwiw the deck has never been sealed/stained.
You need the RAD Cleaner to remove the gray first and then use the Brightener after.
I have a pressure treated deck, installed 6 months ago. Minimal greying in some areas has begun. Do I need to complete both step 1 (cleaning) and step 2 (brightening) before staining?
Yes, it has to be prepped.
Can RAD cleaner and brighter be used on teak wood?
Yes, it can.
How many days before staining can I clean and brighten the deck? I’d like to break it up a bit if possible
Stain within 2 weeks of prep.
I power-washed my deck with another brand of deck cleaner, and it is very dry and ready to go. Do I need to start with your brightener, or can I start directly with stain?
Brighten for best results.
I used your products to strip, brighten, and stain our deck 2-3 years ago (solid stain). I would like to restain it with the same solid stain. I believe I saw you tell someone to powerwash with the stripper to remove loose stain and then go over what is left with the new stain. Does that mean I do not need to brighten after stripping and before applying stain?
That is correct.
We used your products 22 months ago and stripped, brightened and stained. Now needing to clean. Do we need to brighten after using the cleaner, or is it only when stripping?
Use the Brightener after the Cleaner to neutralize.
Needed for nuetralizing after using the RAD Deck Stain Stripper
Do you have safety data sheets for the stripper? Label says check the website but I can’t find it. Thanks
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/pdf/RESTORE-A-DECK%20STRIPPER%20SDS%204-25-18.pdf
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.
Brighten again.
Ok, will do.
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.
It typically does not show after staining. See this for tips: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/wood-fuzzies-furring-on-deck/
Ok thanks… one last thing…since yesterdays thread… the deck this morning is a horrible mess of white fuzzies… so appears that sanding is unfortunately going to be needed… which means i’d have to wait a couple days for it to dry out and sand first and then apply brightener? Correct? If brightener neutralizes stripper… won’ t fuzzies get worse over this time?
Fuzzies happen from oxidation removal during the cleaning or stripping. They do not get worse over time.
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.
In the dirt outside.
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