Powerwashing Composite Decking???

dougchips

I was talking to a national rep from Elk, a manufactor of composite decking. He states that their decking has wood fibers and the fancy name for plastic (no surprise). He claims that if your powerwash the decking you can expose the wood particles that can then stain the decking that would lead to the need for more regular cleaning. Basically the decking would look clean but you would kill the protection.

My questions;

1. Did you know this and do you care?

2. Do you clean the composite decking at a lower psi or do you scrub it with a brush like they recommend?

PressurePros

We usually brush and never go over a couple hundred psi to rinse. I am contracted by a large composite company to do their maintenance cleaning. I hate composites. You should probably clean and seal your compostie deck every couple of years. Wait, isn't that what composites are supposed to prevent. Surprise.

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Ken Fenner
Pressure Washing PA
Roof Cleaning Services PA

PlainPainter

Everyone and their grandmother want to make a product that will retire natural wood products - anything from vinyl siding to composite decks. And all the products suck. Everytime I hear a whiny customer talk about how the paint keeps peeling - and that they're going to go 'vinyl' - I laugh, the wood siding has been protecting their home flawlessly for over 120 years on most homes around me. But the second a new homeowner moves in, they think the're the first family to take up residence in the home - mind you, they're probably about the 30ieth, and sometimes a home needs some updating. Everything needs replacing over time and maintenance. Give me wood siding and wood decks any ol' day of the week.

-plainpainter

Barry M

I don't like composites because like everyother thing man makes up it was suppose to be maintenance free. Did you know aluminum siding was suppose to be maintenace free when it first came out....lol what a joke. Anyway I clean composite decks the same way I do wood decks, with my pressure washer using only 600-800 psi. The only difference is the chem. On composites I use 4-6% bleach and let dwell for awhile then wash. It's the only way I've found to get those tough black mildew circles out of it with hurting the wood/plastic material.

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Barry Maddox - Midwest Pro Wash
Pressure Washing Indiana
Deck Cleaning