Tidying up gate and fence.

[dishman]

I have a farm style gate and fencing that has gone a shade of weathered green and is a bit mossy to boot.

There is no rot as far as I can see, even at the base of the posts.

Is the best course of action a good sand all over and an application of preservative?

I want to keep a natural untreated/unstained/painted look, so I am thinking preservative is the best route to take?

Thoughts?

 

[foxhole]

http://www.gardenstreet.co.uk/prote...-p2212/s4274?gclid=CLbigs2F68kCFYyRGwodjmcAbQ

 

[JohnD]

can you lay your hands on a jetwasher?

 

[dishman]

It is not that bad, just age and a bit of green....

Furthermore, I am not convinced that pressure washing wood is ever a good idea. Pressure washing anything except for a car is usually a bad idea in my opinion.

http://www.jaymarinspect.com/never-pressure-wash-a-deck.html

Just did a quick google search and came up with that, which sums up what I thought. I would assume it could have a similar effect on a fence/gate.

I always prefer the elbow grease route anyway.....I love to make things hard for myself!

Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[JohnD]

you mentioned it was "weathered green and is a bit mossy to boot"

At this time of the year it will be damp so it will be interesting to try sanding it clean.

I only needed to use my jetwasher on neglected fencing after 20 years. It takes off old stain as well as moss and mildew, back to bare rough wood.

 

[gregers]

sounds like cobblers to me,
exterior timber is open to the elements,it gets rained on,it gets blown on and it gets heated by the sun.
so it is going to move,jet washing it removes all the crud that gets built up over time.
i used to jet wash my deck all the time to remove moss and general slime.
id rather have a clean and safe deck then an ice rink.

a belt sander might do the trick,but i would imagine the belts would clog up very quickly.

 

[dishman]

Won't be doing it till summer, that is for certain.

 

[dishman]

sounds like cobblers to me

I don't see why it sounds like cobblers. Rain does not hit and strip the wood at 1400psi. Most people will whack it up to the highest psi and hold it close to the decking/fence. This can easily end up tearing the grain (as I thought) splinter the wood and deeply saturate the timber. Pressure washing wood will certainly penetrate and saturate the timber deeper and quicker than average rainfall.

Here are some examples of bad pressure washing results.

While I do not doubt that for large areas the careful use, a pressure washer can be very productive and yield good results. I was just making the point that a pressure washer can end up doing more damage, especially the way most people use them. I have seen poor results myself which is where I got the impression it was a bad idea.

Thanks for all the replies and opinions!

Decided to do a good manual sand, some preservative and then a stain...

 

[gregers]

aha there lies the problem,my jet wash wont go up to 1400 psi.

 

[dishman]

aha there lies the problem,my jet wash wont go up to 1400 psi.

I don't doubt it

Although you'd be surprised, even most basic pressure washers go up to 1100psi, which is still very powerful and would/could easily have a similar effect. The standard ones go to 1600psi and the beast ones go up to 2300psi!