Power washing your deck, patio, fence, siding, or any other outdoor structure can brighten it up and make it look new again. And while it may be tempting to apply a new coat of stain immediately after pressure washing, most experts recommend waiting at least 48 hours before applying any new products.
After pressure washing your house, you have to wait for it to fully dry before you can paint it. This waiting time can be anywhere from 24 hours to 3 days. Pressure washing isn't for beginners. If you're not experienced, the high water pressure can easily damage portions of your house's exterior.
In a perfect world, you should wait about three to four days afterward before you start exterior painting. This gives typical surfaces like wood, brick, and other porous materials time to fully dry. It's never a good idea to paint onto still wet surfaces.
After pressure washing your fence, let it dry for at least 48 hours. You want to allow enough time for all of the absorbed water to evaporate from the wood so it doesn't get sealed in. Once your fence is fully dry, it's important to paint or seal it so that it doesn't become damaged by the sun and wind.
Quick Answer. After pressure washing, wait 48 hours before staining to ensure the treatment thoroughly seeps into the wood. However, the number of hours will vary depending on the weather. This rule applies to either a fence or deck – no matter what you're staining, you need to wait.
This looks like very small raised wood grain fibers or hair on the decking boards. When you are prepping a deck you essentially remove a layer of oxidized or damaged wood cells. The more you need to remove, the greater the chance of making the wood look “fuzzy” or “soft”.
Once you pressure wash your deck, it'll look like new timber again but it won't stay that way for long. If you like the grey look, then you could pressure wash to remove the grime then let it grey off again. It is best to seal it if you want it to last longer but you won't get that grey look.
Best Time of Day to Power Wash
House washing can be performed at basically any time of the day, as long as you have sufficient light needed to safely complete the job. Extreme summer heat can make it difficult to properly wash your house, especially while working with certain chemicals.
Cleaning in the Afternoon: The best time to power wash your house in the winter is during the afternoon when the temperature is warmer. There will likely be some sunlight to heat your surfaces and dry the water quickly. This will help prevent the water from freezing and damaging your surfaces.
Most homes should be power washed a minimum of once a year. Power Washing your siding will actually extend the life of it so it won't need repairs and you won't need to replace it as often. It also makes your home look as good as new when it's tidy and clean on the exterior.
Pressure Wash Before Scraping
This will give you enough time to allow everything to dry properly. It is always easier to scrape off dry paint instead of wet, soggy paint. After pressure washing, you will be able to see where you need to do the most scraping.
Pressure washing works best for cleaning exterior surfaces to remove tough stains, whereas soft washing works best on delicate surfaces like wood and vinyl siding. That's why you pressure wash before you paint and use a soft wash to maintain the paint.
If you have an average 2,000 sq ft house, you can expect pressure washing it to take between two and four hours. A smaller home will go quicker, and a larger one will take longer.
Rain keeps the drying time manageable for high pressure washing. On a 35oC day, if you pour a bucket of water on your driveway, it's going to evaporate quite quickly. On a cloudy day, this water is going to take a much longer time to evaporate.
The power of pressure washing can result in holes in your siding, breaking off vinyl panels, and more. When you're using a pressure washer, you're likely shooting water up toward the top of your house.
Ideally, you would pressure wash your house between March and November. But, if you must do it during the wintertime, make sure to avoid temperatures below 40 degrees. If the temperature is too cold, it could damage your pressure washer, put you at risk, and freeze the surfaces you wash.
You want the temperature to be between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit when you pressure wash. If it's too cold, the water can freeze on contact and damage your home. If it's too hot, or if you are under extreme temperatures warnings you shouldn't power wash.
Pressure washing is an effective way to clean your home using a high-powered stream of water that strips away dust, grime, and dirt. In many cases, the best time to pressure wash the home and clean dirt off the outside is on a sunny and mild day. When it's sunny, the weather gives the home a chance to dry thoroughly.
It depends on what you're cleaning. Cold water is recommended for high volume low pressure applications to knock away caked on mud and debris or when stripping away paint. For all other applications Hot water will allow for faster cleaning and reduce the amount of detergent required.
That being said, sanding is a lot of work. You can get the same clean, fresh surface with a good pressure washing. A pressure washer removes the deteriorated finish and some of the decayed wood fiber leaving a like-new surface after the wood dries.
For cleaning a wooden deck, you'll be best served by using the lowest pressure setting that's still effective. For soft woods like cedar or pine, this is usually about 500 to 600 psi. For harder woods, it can go up to 1200 to 1500 psi. Choose the right tip to use as well.
When the deck is dry (36-48 hours after washing, depending upon humidity and weather conditions), it's time to sand the surface. You can use a pole sander with 80-grit sandpaper to remove all the loose wood fibers that were lifted by the pressure washing.