Fences are especially susceptible to gathering dirt and debris since they’re outside 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For this reason alone, keeping your fences in good condition is essential for their longevity. Read on to learn whether you should pressure wash a fence before staining.
What Is High-Pressure Washing?
Pressure washing is the process of spraying high-pressure water onto a surface to remove dirt, old paint, muck, and mold. It is often used on buildings, vehicles, and, of course, fences.
Do I Need to Pressure Wash Fence Before Staining?
It’s important to make sure the wood surface is clean and free of debris, such as dust, fibers, grease, mildew, dampness, or anything else that has accumulated on it before applying any stain or paint to it. When an outer layer is not clean, the paint will have difficulty sticking to it, which results in early peeling of the paint. Without pressure washing, not only will your paint peel more quickly, but most of the dirt and imperfections will show through the stain, causing you to lose both your time and money.
Why Is Pressure Washing a Fence Before Staining Important?
Even though it seems that applying stain to a fence is the most crucial step in staining a fence, this is not particularly true. When painting a fence, one of the most critical stages is to thoroughly clean the fence before applying the stain. Cleaning a fence before staining it using power washing is a quick and efficient technique to get it clean.
Pressure Washing vs. Soft Washing: What’s the Difference?
A regular pressure washing procedure uses high-pressure water to remove all types of build-up from the fence surface. If washed properly, pressure washing is capable of preparing the fence surfaces for refinishing or staining. However, it’s important to know that pressure washing can cause damage to your surfaces if it is not done properly. For example, if you apply too much pressure on your fence or deck, it may create gouges in the wood, and this is where soft washing comes in.
Soft washing is a low-pressure strategy that uses safe, environmentally-friendly chemicals to remove undesired materials. Soft washing may be used on a variety of surfaces, including your deck, fence, roof, and siding. Soft washing is not only just as effective as traditional pressure washing, but it also helps to keep your finishes looking newer for longer — all without the danger of causing harm to them.