Before and After Our Process:
How Do We Do It?
Wood Decks
We begin our process by pre-rinsing the house, grass, bushes and anything else near the deck. This helps us protect everything around the deck and keep everything as clean as it was when we arrived, if not even cleaner. If necessary, we will put tarps over items that cannot get wet. Next, we apply the appropriate environmentally-friendly cleaners to the deck to lift up dirt, grime, moss, algae and anything else that needs to be removed from the deck. After we do this, we begin to power wash the deck. By using the right equipment and amount of pressure, we can get the deck completely clean without damaging the wood. Once the deck has been cleaned, we rinse down the deck and surrounding areas to keep them clean. Then, we apply a brightening agent to brighten up the color of the wood and help restore its natural color. Finally, we rinse the deck and surrounding area so that there are no signs we were ever there, except for a pristine deck!
After allowing the deck to dry, we will return to apply the stain color of your choosing. You can read about our stain in the "more information" tab at the top right corner of the website. We will check the deck for moisture levels and make sure it is dry enough for the stain to set in properly. At PhDecks, we apply stain by hand. This allows us to give the deck an even coat throughout. While some companies prefer to spray decks in order to save time, we believe this gives an uneven, unprofessional look. It is very important to us that we keep the deck and surrounding area clean, so we use tarps and painters plastic to cover items surrounding the deck. We also make sure that the deck is the only thing to get stain on it. During the process, we will stain vertical surfaces once, and horizontal surfaces (top of handrails and floor) twice. This allows the areas with heavy traffic to keep their color despite getting more use.
Painted Decks
For painted decks, the process is a little different depending on the customers wishes. If the customers entire deck is painted and they wish to keep it that way, we will spend a day rinsing off any mold and dirt, then return to scrape off loose paint chips and repaint the deck whichever color the customer would like. If the customer would like to have the stain/paint combination for their deck, we will spend a day sanding the horizontal surfaces. When the sanding is complete, we will repaint the vertical surfaces and stain the horizontal surfaces (floor, top of handrail and steps).
Composite Decks
Composite decks are clean-only projects, in which we use a safe composite cleaning chemical to lift up algae, moss, dirt and grime. After 15 minutes, we will power wash the composite material. Keep in mind that some composite material is porous and therefore subject to shotgun fungus (little black dots). Shotgun fungus is typically impossible to completely remove, but the cleaning process will make the fungus invisible when the deck is dry. For comparison pictures, see the gallery page.
Housewash
During a housewash, we spray a combination of cleaners onto the siding of your home. Once they have taken effect, we will use a combination of short and long distance nozzle tips to pressure rinse the cleaners off. This removes algae, dirt, and other unsightly areas from the siding, restoring the curb appeal to your home! Works best on vinyl siding.
Asphalt Roofs
Asphalt roofs are cleaned by technicians who are locked into harnesses and equipped with power washers. Depending on the condition of the roof, only some areas may need cleaning, saving the customer time and money! Our special mixture of cleaners will take those dark streaks off of your roof and remove moss and algae as well. Not only will this restore the original look of the asphalt shingles, but it will increase its longevity as well.
We begin our process by pre-rinsing the house, grass, bushes and anything else near the deck. This helps us protect everything around the deck and keep everything as clean as it was when we arrived, if not even cleaner. If necessary, we will put tarps over items that cannot get wet. Next, we apply the appropriate environmentally-friendly cleaners to the deck to lift up dirt, grime, moss, algae and anything else that needs to be removed from the deck. After we do this, we begin to power wash the deck. By using the right equipment and amount of pressure, we can get the deck completely clean without damaging the wood. Once the deck has been cleaned, we rinse down the deck and surrounding areas to keep them clean. Then, we apply a brightening agent to brighten up the color of the wood and help restore its natural color. Finally, we rinse the deck and surrounding area so that there are no signs we were ever there, except for a pristine deck!
After allowing the deck to dry, we will return to apply the stain color of your choosing. You can read about our stain in the "more information" tab at the top right corner of the website. We will check the deck for moisture levels and make sure it is dry enough for the stain to set in properly. At PhDecks, we apply stain by hand. This allows us to give the deck an even coat throughout. While some companies prefer to spray decks in order to save time, we believe this gives an uneven, unprofessional look. It is very important to us that we keep the deck and surrounding area clean, so we use tarps and painters plastic to cover items surrounding the deck. We also make sure that the deck is the only thing to get stain on it. During the process, we will stain vertical surfaces once, and horizontal surfaces (top of handrails and floor) twice. This allows the areas with heavy traffic to keep their color despite getting more use.
Painted Decks
For painted decks, the process is a little different depending on the customers wishes. If the customers entire deck is painted and they wish to keep it that way, we will spend a day rinsing off any mold and dirt, then return to scrape off loose paint chips and repaint the deck whichever color the customer would like. If the customer would like to have the stain/paint combination for their deck, we will spend a day sanding the horizontal surfaces. When the sanding is complete, we will repaint the vertical surfaces and stain the horizontal surfaces (floor, top of handrail and steps).
Composite Decks
Composite decks are clean-only projects, in which we use a safe composite cleaning chemical to lift up algae, moss, dirt and grime. After 15 minutes, we will power wash the composite material. Keep in mind that some composite material is porous and therefore subject to shotgun fungus (little black dots). Shotgun fungus is typically impossible to completely remove, but the cleaning process will make the fungus invisible when the deck is dry. For comparison pictures, see the gallery page.
Housewash
During a housewash, we spray a combination of cleaners onto the siding of your home. Once they have taken effect, we will use a combination of short and long distance nozzle tips to pressure rinse the cleaners off. This removes algae, dirt, and other unsightly areas from the siding, restoring the curb appeal to your home! Works best on vinyl siding.
Asphalt Roofs
Asphalt roofs are cleaned by technicians who are locked into harnesses and equipped with power washers. Depending on the condition of the roof, only some areas may need cleaning, saving the customer time and money! Our special mixture of cleaners will take those dark streaks off of your roof and remove moss and algae as well. Not only will this restore the original look of the asphalt shingles, but it will increase its longevity as well.