Pressure Washers - stripping paint off wooden deck

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I am planning on stripping and repainting my deck in the next week or two. The paint is peeling badly and so it will need to be stripped before I repaint it. Does anyone know what type of pressure washer would best work for this? What is the minimum PSI and GPM required? I have a few friends with electric units but I am not sure if they'd work. If not, I will rent an appropriate unit.

Any recommedations/tips?
 
I have some experience using pressure washers to remove paint from wood. They remove the bulk of the chips that have delaminated and is a timesaver in that respect. You still have to follow up with a scraper to finish the job. You also have to be careful not to get too aggressive with it, or else the wood starts splintering.
 
Something around 3 gallons per minute and 3000 psi would do it. If you are renting, get something that will go a little higher so you can dial back to the most effective (and least damaging) setting.
 
Keep in mind you're going to raise the grain of the wood by stripping it that way. If that would be unsightly for you, sanding or scraping might be better options.
 
No matter what, you have your work cut out for you.
You will probably need other subsequent steps to prepare the surface for coating.
Most pressure washers have adjustable settings. Use as little as possible to avoid damaging the wood. BTW, my brother in law just cut off his finger with one of those.
 
What condition is your wood in? I did this job 3 years ago. I started with an electric --rated at 2200 max PSI with the Turbo nozzle. When the wand was clsoe, this would actually mar the wood. The power washer crapped out after a few times. I went down to about 1500 electric. It was just fine -- didn't mar the wood -- but still strong enough. On the horizontal surfaces, ended up sanding down to bare wood (with belt sander). It was not fun at all. I had solid paint -- and went to a semi-solid. On the railings, I just got rid of the loose paint, primed, and went with a solid. It has held up well. Cabot semi-solid was rated #1 at the time (supposed to last 4 years). I will get 4 years out of mine. You can now buy Cabot at Lowes. I went with Olympic Ultimate for the solid railings -- rated #1 at the time. I'm very pleased with both products. Next summer I will have to re-apply the deck portion -- which should only take a few hours.

PS -- my deck is 16x16. I would not want to sand a larger one with a belt sander. I went through many belts, and 1 sander. (buy new at Cummins -- they offer warranty) It took many evenings/days.
 
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I got a 13 horse Honda power washer and it was way powerful enough. Chips are going to blow everywhere, so if your a neat freak, be prepared to do some yard cleaning. Also, make sure the paint is not leaded. Depending on color and other issues, I'd blast everything off that I can see and get to, let it dry for a day or two. Go over it with a sharp putty knieve to get rid of some of the pieces still sticking up, and then paint. Your not going to get all the paint off, there's just no way. Just paint over it and check to see if it completely covers it. If not, may require more than one coat.
 
Thanks for all the great advice.

Should I use a chemical stripper before I use the pressure washer? Is it necessary to sand after pressure washing? It will add A TON of work to sand this deck, but if it has to be done, I guess I will do it.

My deck is quite large, probably 35' x 20' (it's irregular shape so hard to get an acutal area). The wood is in good shape, but like I said the paint is terrible. It is peeling off in large chunks.

I don't expect to strip every last scrap of paint, I just want a good solid base for the new paint. I am not changing colours or anything like that. I just want to make sure it's painted well with good paint so I don't have to do this job again for a long time.

Keep the great advice coming!
 
I think the pressure washer is a good idea to get the bulk of the loose stuff off so it won't load up the sandpaper when you follow up with belt sanding.

I'm not a big fan of chemical strippers for this type of work. Chemical strippers are more for refinishing furniture.
 
Someone mentioned a turbo nozzle. DO NOT use one of those. You want one of the fan-type nozzles. They come in various fan widths. You probably want to use something on the narrow side and match your pressure to do the job with the nozzle you've chosen. (again, this will be somewhere near 3000psi and 3 gals per minute.) Even with the water stream fanned out, you will damage the softer wood, but no one notices it on a deck. It adds some character...
 
I am not sure what type of wood the deck is made of, probably spruce? I know it's not cedar though. I haven't decided what type of paint I am using, but I do know I will be painting it again as that is what is currently on it. I much prefer a stained deck, but I didn't build this deck, so I have to work with what I got.

Ray, thanks for the tip of the turbo nozzle. Are you saying that sanding won't be necessary if I don't mind the character?

I haven't decided if I will use a stripper or not. I found a few sites online that go over the procedure, and they recommend stripper, pressure washer and sanding. This is not sounding like a fun project....
 
I have a 33' pool with 2' of walkway around it and a 10x20 deck connected. I have a 20x25 deck on a lower level from that. Handrail around it all.

I use stain for the wood. And if you use a 4-6 year deck/fence stain, it will last about that long. Pressure washer takes it up...ALL OF IT. No need for prep chemicals...waste of time and good money.

No need for sanding...just let it dry and re-stain.

Also, I would suggest that you never use a silicone type sealer. When they weather a bit, they are horrid looking.
Stains with lots of paint in them are harder to take off...and silicone type sealers are almost impossible until they wear out...which is several years.

I find that a natural ceder makes cleaned, pressure treated wood look great.
 
Jaybird has it down. The problem is -- never start with a solid color -- then you'll never have to worry about peeling/stipping. Semi-transparent or Semi-solid stains work great.

Ray is also correct about the fan-pattern vs. turbo nozzle.

I learned from experience/mistakes on both these topics.
 
Quote:

Ray, thanks for the tip of the turbo nozzle. Are you saying that sanding won't be necessary if I don't mind the character?

I haven't decided if I will use a stripper or not. I found a few sites online that go over the procedure, and they recommend stripper, pressure washer and sanding. This is not sounding like a fun project....


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regarding sanding: After pressure washing, let it dry thoroughly. Personally, I sand the areas that will be in contact with hands. ie railing, seating platforms and the like. Just a quick sanding with medium paper. Watch for nails so you don't rip the paper.

Chemical Stripping shouldn't be necessary. In any event, I would do that after pressure washing.

I think pressure washing is fun with a good machine, but I generally like hosing things off. ymmv
 
I was at home depot tonight to pick-up some items, and while there I checked the rental rates on pressure washers. The guy at the rental counter told me that this was NOT a good way to strip a deck. He recommended that I sand the entire deck, then paint. They have a large floor sander there specfically used for decks. It's basically very similar to a unit used to sand hardwood floors.

Any thoughts on this? With a machine that large it doesn't look like it any more work than a pressure washer, and I wouldn't be on my knees all day like a belt sander.
 
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