USE OF NAPISAN FOR CLEANING DECKS: PROS, CONS, ALTERNATIVES, AND STEPS

To keep your timber deck looking good and lasting for a long time, it must be kept clean. After just a few months, your decking can begin to look shabby and faded, but cleaning it with the appropriate product will revive it and restore its sheen. Have you ever heard of  cleaning timber decks with napisan? Well, let’s take a look at the pros, cons, alternatives, and steps involved.

How Does Napisan Affect Your Timber Decks?

Napisan contains sodium percarbonate, which is the main component of most deck cleaner products. As a result,  cleaning timber decks with napisan is more popular.

• Pros

Napisan makes cleaning a wooden deck very simple. Mold, mildew, and algae are frequently found on wood decking, and the sodium percarbonate aids in their elimination. Since napisan contains sodium percarbonate, you’ll get a compelling result from using it as a cleaner. Removing unwanted elements in your deck with sodium percarbonate helps improve the color of the wood and prevents it from becoming slippery in wet weather. It is also effective in removing residue left behind from damage by UV rays.

• Cons

Regularly cleaning timber decks with napisan requires you to buy it, which can be costly compared to other common cleaning methods.

• Alternatives

You can clean your deck with a homemade solution. A homemade solution is an inexpensive alternative to commercial deck cleaning formulas, as well as using a jet washer, but you need to be very careful. Your power washer can clean all the little buildups of dust and dirt, but it can also damage your timber decking if you are not careful. You can also use sodium bicarbonate, which acts as a degreaser and helps to remove old traditional decking oils, debris, alcohol, bird droppings, and more, but it will not remove water-based sealers.

How Do You Clean Your Deck?

You’ll notice that your timber decking doesn’t look so new anymore. It appears pale, and there are stains, dirt, and debris on it. These are all clear indications that it is time for the right deck cleaning. To begin, ensure that you have all the necessary tools and cleaning agents, and then you can get to work. Here are the steps you should follow when cleaning your deck:

1. Check The Weather Forecast

For your decking to properly dry after cleaning, you need at least two to three sunny days.

2. Prepare The Cleaning Agent And Tools

If you don’t have a hose or a pressure washer, you will need a cleaning solution, a hard brush, and a pail of water. You can use any napisan-based cleanser as the cleaning agent, or you can select one of the products designed specifically for cleaning wood decks.

3. Apply The Cleaning Solution Or Napisan

To use napisan to clean the deck, mix 500 grams of it with 9L of warm water as this performs best. The warm water helps to dissolve the chemical to make a solution that will work. Apply it to the complete deck surface and leave it for 15 minutes.

4. Scrub The Deck

To remove all the dust and dirt from your deck, use a hard brush to scrub it. Your decking needs to be moist while you scrub it, so if it dries out, splash it with some extra water. 

5. Rinse It Well

Make sure that all napisan solution residue, dirt, and debris are washed away.  You can use a hose or buckets of fresh water. Once you have done this, you will need to let the decking boards dry for about two days and make sure that there is no water trapped anywhere.

How Do You Use Napisan As A Cleaning Solution?

Things you’ll need:

• Napisan mixture
• Bucket for napisan mixture
• Mop
• Sturdy broom
• Hose or washer for rinsing
• Brush

Step by step:

1. Get the mixture of napisan to clean the deck. Do not over-clean as this will saturate the wood and cause problems. After cleaning once, leave the deck in place for about 15 minutes. It is best to mop the deck when it’s not sunny. If the sun starts to dry the deck, spray it lightly with water or add a little cleaner.
2. Get the brush, dip it in the napisan solution and scrub your deck. Tough brush is needed when cleaning your deck so you need to be careful to avoid scratches on the deck.
3. Clean the deck with a broom and use a hose to thoroughly rinse the surface. Allow the decking to dry for a few days after removing all of the solution. It needs to be kept for at least a full day. Now that the dirt and old oil residue have been removed, the decking will likely need to be re-oiled.

You can now sand back the surface if necessary and apply a fresh coat of decking oil, depending on how your decking currently looks. The surface won’t need to be sanded unless there are remnants of an old water-based coating. Water based sealers would need to be stripped using sanding or strong chemical strippers. We typically choose to sand vs strip back chemically as it’s better for the environment, safer, and delivers better results. 

How To Do Oil Decking?

The wood is now clean, dry, and ready for you to treat with a fresh layer of decking oil.

Here’s what you’ll need.

• Your choice of color oil
• A brush for your deck
• Mixer (a stick for oil stirring)
• Pole/applicator
• Paint tray
• A rag for cleaning

Step by step:

1. Thoroughly blend the color pigment by giving the oil a good stir with the mixer before you start applying it to the wood. Apply the color stain evenly to each board. Use lengthy strokes for optimal results. Before moving on to the following board, thoroughly coat the board with deck oil.
2. Use no more oil than the wood deck can absorb. Apply the oil and wait 5–10 minutes to see if it has all absorbed if you are unsure of how much to use. If there is too much, you should get rid of the extra, and if there is not enough, you can add additional oil while you work on the deck.
3. Apply a second layer after letting it sit for the period of time indicated in the oil directions. Because it won’t be absorbed as easily the second time, use less of the second coat than you did of the first. If you use too much oil, it will accumulate on the surface and draw dust.

If you are trying to remove a traditional decking oil, which is typically a turps based wash-up product, you should apply the napisan solution and let it dwell for a minimum of 15 minutes so it has a chance to react with the timber and lift the old failed decking oil. During this process it will also remove various contaminants such as bird droppings, food leftovers and so on.

A timber brighter treatment is also recommended. Typically an acid treatment in the form of oxalic acid is needed to brighten up the timber after the napisan. Oxalic acid will not only brighten the timber but also help to remove any black metal stains accumulated over the years. To read up on sanding vs. chemical stripping as well as oxalic acid treatment of decking, click here.

Cleaning the timber deck with napisan is pretty simple. While applying oil to the wood decking may take some time, the extra outdoor protection makes it worthwhile. The oil will preserve the wood from rain and also serve as a wonderful color stain, so it will be able to resist stormy weather. 

Request advice and inspections from skilled local decking installers who can do your tasks affordably and in the best possible way. Our team is willing to help and do the work for you. Please check-out our recent works http://deckrejuvenation.com.au/ and call us via 1300-363-478.

Until next time!

Deck Rejuvenation Pty Ltd Team