Cleaning Wood Siding Before Staining

A damp sponge can be used to remove excess wood.

Cleaning wood siding before staining.

What it does is open the pores of the wood to allow it to take the stain evenly and deeply. Diluted in water and applied often with a stiff scrub brush it can remove. For moldy siding wait until the weather is also dry to effectively take. You can dry wood siding using a dehumidifier or a space heater.

Work down from the roofline taking on one 10 foot square section at a time. The cloth will likely come up dark gray with a layer of fine soot. When you water pop wood you won t have to do multiple coats of stain either. The technique of wetting the wood down before staining is called popping the grain.

The wood grain is so open that in one coat you should be able to get the look you want. Manual cleaning is preferred. Don t use paper towels as this will leave behind. It wasn t so long ago that trisodium phosphate tsp was a go to choice for tough cleaning jobs especially on exteriors.

Fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water. How to clean unfinished wood before staining. White vinegar for heavily soiled unfinished wood that has sticky residue or similar. Even after pressure washing you may still find that a thin layer of dirt remains on the siding.

Before staining replace rotting or decayed wood and remove loose stain and eroded wood fibers by sanding scraping or power washing the problem surfaces. As an experiment rub a clean white cloth across the unwashed siding. How to clean wood before staining. Mist a lint free cleaning rag with the spray.

Dry the siding first if you notice signs of mold growth. At 46 inches in. Dealing with surface contaminants once the surface is in good condition re inspect for dirt mildew stains cedar bleed chalkiness and other foreign substances.