If you’re considering using a wood brightener but you want to know what a wood brightener is and what it does, then this short guide will tell you everything you need to know…
Let me explain…
First up, a wood brightener is used to bring the natural colour back into a wood deck, to neutralise any chemical strippers you used on your deck and also help to open the surface of the wood so it’s ready to absorb deck stain…
Yep, it’s pretty exciting stuff…
Well, it’s very boring and dull to explain what it does but wait till you see it with your own eyes…
How about I show you exactly what a wood brightener does and why you need to use one…
What exactly does a wood brightener do?
I’m just going to jump straight in and show you the amazing effect it has on an old, tired and weathered deck…
Take a look at this deck below…
This is your everyday, I haven’t been cleaned in 5 years, type of deck…
Now look at what happens when I scrub it with a wood brightener…
See, I told you it’s amazing!
And that’s without any deck stain on it…
Not as boring as it sounds, hey?
I do have more pictures that I put in another post about deck cleaners so I won’t repost them here…
Anyway…
As amazing as a deck brightener is to see in action, there’s actually more going on than you realise…
Wood brightener also neutralises the pH level of a deck…
You see, when you use any type of chemical stain stripper or any type of potent wood deck cleaner, the pH level on the surface of your deck rises…
And a high pH level on the surface of your wood can have catastrophic consequences when applying a fresh coat of deck stain…
Have you seen a blotchy coating of deck stain before?
Well, if you stain your deck straight after using a deck cleaner, you will soon enough!!
That’s why we use a wood brightener…
It is actually an acid…
Oxalic acid to be exact…
And the acid is what neutralises the pH level on the surface of your deck…
Now you can apply your deck stain and not have to worry about any blotchy finishes…
Sound good?
Perfect, but we aren’t done just yet…
Wood brightener has another important role to play…
It also opens the surface or your deck timber…
If you stain a deck and it merely coats the surface of the timber instead of absorbing deep into the timber, that can be a real problem…
If your stain does just sit on the surface, your deck stain will be like a film waiting to peel off like a snake skin…
And this is the last thing we want…
We want that deck stain to absorb as deep as it can into the surface of your decking boards…
And do you know the best way to help that deck stain soak deep into your deck?
That’s right…
By scrubbing it with a oxalic acid…
When you scrub your deck with a oxalic acid, it not only removes all of the unsightly black stains…
It not only does all the amazing sciency pH balancing stuff…
If that wasn’t enough, it also opens the surface of your timber, so it can absorb as much stain as possible…
Is there anything a deck brightener can’t do?
Well, yes, there’s plenty…
But for what it does, it’s irreplaceable in the deck restoration process…
You can’t do without it…
Now at this stage, you might be thinking that it looks great and all that, but…
What is in wood brightener?
Is it some type of dangerous chemical?
Let me address that right now…
What is in wood brightener?
Ok, let me start by saying that this is not some dangerous acid…
It’s actually oxalic acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables…
Now in its purest form, it can be dangerous to use if you don’t know how to handle it but it’s not one of those “melt your hands off” type of acids…
And the wood brighteners that we use on your deck is only about 10% oxalic acid so it’s definitely not at any dangerous levels…
The question now is, if wood brightener is 10% oxalic acid what is in the other 90%?
Well, don’t panic just yet…
The rest of the solution is usually water and surfactant…
Surfactant is just a fancy word for soap…
Yep, so wood brightener is made up of oxalic acid, water and surfactant…
Nothing too scary…
Well, I think we’re at the point where maybe you should go and get yourself some wood brightener…
Wouldn’t you agree?
A great place to get a quality brightener is Ace Hardware…
Either way, as long as you follow the instructions and pair it up with a quality deck cleaner, you won’t be sorry…
That’s about all I have time for today…
If you have any more questions, leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer any questions that you have…
Peace,
Jason…
Need some Expert Advice?
If you’ve been searching the internet trying to find an answer to a specific deck problem and you’ve found it impossible to get a straight answer…
Why not just reach out and ask me directly for an answer?
I’ve got 10 years of deck knowledge crammed into my noggin. I can pretty much guarantee I’ve got an answer to your problem just rattling around in there…
Come on, don’t be shy…
FAQ’s
Wood brightener does 3 things. 1. It neutralises any chemical stripper that is on the deck. 2. It brightens and returns old timber to its natural colour. 3. Deck brightener will open the surface of the deck so it can absorb more deck stain…
Yes, you definitely need to use a wood brightener before staining. It will clean the wood and neutralise any chemicals that are on the surface…
Wood brightener is not the same as wood cleaner. A cleaner will remove mould and contaminants on the surface of your deck, while a wood brightener will neutralise the cleaning chemical and brighten the colour of the timber…
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