With spring on its way, now is the perfect time to start getting your outdoor areas ready for the season. Here are some tips for using an air compressor to help you clean your wood deck and patio, strip and repaint your wood deck, and then clean and stain your wood fence.
Wash Your Wood Deck and Patio
When winter's snow and ice melt away from your yard, a layer of salt, sand, and dirt may be left on many surfaces, including your outdoor deck and patio. By cleaning your deck and patio, you will get them ready to enjoy this spring and also prevent your family from tracking the dirt into your home. Using a compressor-powered pressure washer will help you quickly remove winter's residue from your outdoor spaces.
Add a power washer attachment onto the end of your air compressor's hose, then attach your garden hose onto the power washer's water inlet attachment to spray your patio and deck clean. This will provide enough pressure to clean off dirt and any mold or mildew that can also grow on your deck or patio. Make sure to use the green-colored 25 degree pressure washer tip to clean off your deck and patio so you don't damage your deck paint.
Strip and Repaint Your Wood Deck
If your painted deck has begun to peel and is in need of repainting, you can use an air compressor-powered pressure washer to strip the paint from the deck. Use a red pressure washer tip to give you a zero degree high-concentration pressure spray of water. Be careful that you spray at the painted surface at an angle, not straight on, and be sure to move the nozzle tip in smooth motions. Letting the water spray in one spot for longer than necessary can gouge it into the wood of your deck and cause damage to its surface.
After you have sprayed to remove the deck's peeling paint, allow the wood to dry completely. Reapplication of paint over a wet wood deck will not be successful. As the wood dries out, it will shrink and cause your paint to peel off.
Instead of painting your deck with a brush or roller, rent a paint sprayer and attach it onto your air compressor's hose to make the painting much easier. Brushes and rollers can leave streaks, globs, and drips in your paint. An air compressor paint sprayer is a tool many professional painters use because of its smooth application.
Clean and Stain Your Wood Fence
Mold, lichens, mildew and other wood stains can make your wood fence look discolored and ugly. And as your wood fence ages, its surface becomes grey in color. While you have your air compressor-powered pressure washer out maintaining your deck and patio, take some extra time to clean off your wood fence as well. Because you are using a high-powered pressure washer to clean the fence, use the green-colored 25 degree tip to prevent damage to the wood.
With the pressure washer, spray your fence to remove any mold and mildew, and to remove the fence's gray surface layer. Aim the pressure washer nozzle approximately 18 inches from the surface of your fence. Sweep the nozzle using a smooth and steady motion, just as you did while cleaning your wood deck. As the wood's dead cells are stripped from the fence, the wood's bright golden color will be revealed. Allow the fence to dry completely.
Using the paint sprayer and your air compressor, spray an oil stain onto the fence to coat and protect the fence from moisture and the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. Allow the stain to dry on the fence, following the manufacturer's instructions. Reapply your stain once a year to prolong the life and attractive look of the wood.
Use these tips to help you ready your yard for spring. For more information on air compressors, contact a company like Compressor-Pump & Service, Inc..
