Once you receive your DIY deck kit, you are ready to beautify your hard earned investment. These instructions will also be sent with your kit.
Here are the tools for the job: (available separately)
- Two Gallon Pump Up Sprayer
- Garden Hose With Pressure Spray Attachment
- Wraparound protective eyewear and gloves
- 5-gallon empty bucket
- Stirring stick
- Optional Equipment:
- A Second Pump Sprayer (not necessary if you choose to rinse properly between steps)
- Pressure Washer
You will receive two separate containers in your kit. One will be red labeled and marked Step 1 “Cleaner”. The other will be blue labeled and marked Step 2 “Brightener”. THESE TWO CONTAINERS ARE NOT TO BE MIXED
CLEANING / LIGHT STRIPPING
1) Put on your optional safety gear (protective eyewear, gloves, and mask) The chemicals in R-A-D are mild but can irritate those with sensitive skin. For liability reasons, we recommend always wearing safety gear.
2) Open the red labeled container marked “Professional Grade Cleaner”
3) Fill your 5-gallon bucket with warm water. Leave some space at the top to allow for foaming and stirring without spillage.
4) For aggressive cleaning or when mold growth is present, pour one red labeled container (Step-1) into the bucket and stir contents until dissolved. If you are going to reseal with the same sealer that is presently on the wood and there is no visible mold growth, you can use half of a container. This will yield milder cleaning action. On grayed wood always use full strength.
5) Prepare the area surrounding the deck by wetting all vegetation and soil generously. If you have landscaping directly under the deck, you may prefer to use plastic to cover. Though biodegradable and not harmful to soil Ph this cleaner may cause temporary browning of plant life. The plants regenerate in about four weeks but we understand this may not be desirable. Use your discretion. In our experience, keeping the vegetation wet with clean water prevents this from happening altogether.
6) Spray the entire surface to be cleaned with Restore-A-Deck cleaner. Apply generously.
Note: It is very important to keep the wood wet with solution. Work in small sections and go back and re-wet any sections that appear to be drying.
7) Let Restore-A-Deck dwell for 15 minutes (new construction or no previous sealer on wood) to 20 minutes (mold covered or previously sealed). Keep the solution wet by re-misting frequently. If the product dries, it is not working. You will see Restore-A-Deck cleaner’s foaming action pulling the dirt from the wood fibers.
Note: While the product is dwelling, it is a good time to re-wet surrounding vegetation.
Note: Depending on the level of care your deck needs, heavily grayed wood may need brushing especially if you are not using a pressure washer to rinse.
8) The rinsing process is critical. If you are comfortable using a pressure washer you may speed up your rinsing process by using one. Keep your tip at least 12 inches from the wood surface. If you are using a garden hose, set your hose attachment to the strongest setting and rinse slowly and thoroughly. Error on the side of caution. When you think you have rinsed the deck thoroughly, rinse it one last time.
9) As a final step rinse everything that has come in contact with the solution including siding, windows, or plant life. It may seem like overkill, but doing the job correctly should be your goal.
- Any leftover cleaner can be used to clean sidewalks, vinyl siding, or lawn furniture.-
BRIGHTENING
The deck brightening stage is where the magic begins to happen.
Follow the same steps and mixing process as above using the blue labeled “Professional Grade Brightener” being sure the pump up sprayer you are using is clean. We recommend using two separate sprayers, one each for the cleaner and the brightener. You may use a single sprayer doing a triple rinse process making sure no cleaner remains in sprayer tank or hose.
You are now ready to apply the finish of your choice. We recommend using a high quality, semi-transparent stain for maximum durability.
We’re right up against it with a sales agreement on a new house, dependent on the sale of our old house: we live in northern Vermont where the low temperatures each night can be as low as 32 degrees in April.
We can make our old deck look much nicer than it does by stripping it and brightening it in April, if the use of these chemicals is not temperature dependent while they are actively being used. We would choose a day where it was 50 degrees or more, knowing that the low could fall at or near freezing.
Is this OK? Clearly, we can’t stain in these conditions but we’d be way ahead of the game if we could strip and brighten right away.
What is the minimum temperature for use of the stripper and brightener and does this minimum temperature only pertain to the hours it is wet before being rinsed and allowed to dry?
When we went to stain the deck in warmer months, we would, of course mist the wood to wet it before applying stain.
Prep products are okay in 50s but it may take longer to activate in these colder temps.
I used RAD Cleaner & Brightener to clean the walls/doors below my deck. These walls/doors had been stained with TWP 1502 Redwood and TWP 1515 Honeytone and I will re-stain using the same stains. I was not able to remove all the stain with the RAD Cleaner as you can see in the attached image. Does this look “good enough” to stain after it is dry since I’ll be using the same stains as has been on the wood? Or does it look like I need to go through the Cleaning/brightening steps again?
Looks good to stain.
I’m going to use your cleaner and brightener on a new deck. The railings are stained and in excellent condition. Do I need to cover the railings prior to applying the products on the deck to protect them or can I just keep the railings watered down and well rinsed? I don’t want to damage any stain on the railings.
Hard to say for certain as it depends on the stain brand and type. In most cases, pre-wet and rinse any over-spray will work.
Thanks
I used 2 coats of Cabot’s Gold, moonlike mahogany, oil based stain.
Should I lightly sand my deck after cleaning and brightening?
No need.
When I use the stripper and the brightener, how long before I can apply a Clark water-based stain on the deck?
48 hours after prep.
Summer 2022, I stained with RAD semi-transparent — one coat on new wood installed Summer 2021. Now, I am ready for second coat, but please clarify if I only need to clean (with your product) or need to clean and brighten? I feel like I have seen both answers on here, but I may be missing the distinction. Thank you! (And you guys were awesome last summer when my Amazon-order product showed up damaged and you were able to expedite from your shop so I wouldn’t miss my window to stain before traveling.)
To be safe it is always best to brighten after cleaing as it neutralizes the cleaner.
The sprayer we bought from you clogged and stopped working, mid-job. Nothing we do can get it to work again. How else can the cleaner be applied, other than with a sprayer? This is very frustrating.
You cannot mix the powder in the sprayer as the granules will clog the tubes. Mix the cleaner in a separet bucket then transfer over to the sprayer making sure no undissolved powder gets into the sprayer. You can clean out your sprayer tube by removing it and flushing it with water. Once sprayer is cleaned and you have fully isoolved cleaner in the sprayer, it will work great. The other option is to mop it on but it will take much longer.
Sorry if this has been asked before but I have a large deck, retaining wall, and two front stair cases. I plan on doing them in sections. Can I mix the 5 gallons of stripper and brightener and use it over three days or should I guess at how much I will use on each section and only mix that amount? Thanks
With the Stripper and Brightener, you can mix them all at once and use them as needed. They do not go bad. Only the Cleaner has a shelf life and once mixed, it should be used the same day.
I have an electric sprayer. Would you recommend using it, or should I opt to buy a cheap pump sprayer specifically for deck purposes?
You can use the electric sprayer for applying the stain.
I used RAD cleaner and brightener about 3 years ago and left the unused quantity in the spray jugs. Should I assume either, or both, are no longer viable for cleaning and/or brightening?
They are not good anymore.
Thanks. I appreciate you confirming my suspicions.
I have an original Trex deck (wood capped) Manufacturer says they can be cleaned and stained. Any recommendations regarding using your products on a composite deck. I like the idea of cleaning and immediately staining a damp deck. I see no comments about composite decking. Stains seem to absorb into the composite material.
You cannot apply our stain to a “damp” composite deck. It should work fine on a fully clean and dry composite deck. Just one coat.
After applying brightener, Do I need to rinse it off later or just let it dry? Thanks!
You must rinse for 30 minutes to fully remove all suds. Directions are on the packages.