Should I Pressure Wash My Deck?
It Depends!
In a recent post on Active Rain by Jay Markanich, you should "NEVER PRESSURE WASH A DECK". To say never is not fair. For there are many professionals that pressure wash decks. Never say never.
The wrong pressure may cause various types of damage tothe wood. For some woods problems may occur. However, by the time the deck "needs to be" pressure washed, mnay times damages have are already occured due to lack of regular maintenance. At that point, pressure washing merely exacerbates the problems; however, pressure washing in and of itself IS NOT the cause.
Primarily decks are made out of pine because it is cheap. However, pine is a softwood and has high moisture content. As pine wood dries, it splits, twists, and warps to a much greater degree than something like oak or cherry, which are hardwoods. Soft woods grow faster than hard woods, so they generally are less expensive than hard woods.
The best wood to use is redwood, followed closely by cedar, that is unless you can afford to use some woods that generally are not available commercially, such as mesquite or osage-orange.
So, for the general public, don't let just anyone pressure wash your deck. Always hire a professional.
