HD80 Deck Stripper Review  3.6/5 (10)

This post was updated on February 22, 2024

HD80 Deck Stripper Ratings (1-10)

HD80 Stripper

HD80 Stripper Review

HD80 Stripper ReviewRemoval of Graying, Dirt, Grime: 9

– HD80 as with most stains stripper scores exceptionally well when it comes to the removal of dirt, grime, and mold.

Cost Per Square Foot: 8

– Scores very well when it comes to cost-effectiveness. One container of stripper sells for $39.99 and makes 5 liquid gallons. This translates to about $7 per liquid gallon. Each gallon covers 150 square feet.

Removal of Old Stain: 7

– HD80 contains a mixture of sodium hydroxide and surfactants. When stripping the Olympic deck stain, the HD80 had little trouble. The coating was softened to the point that light agitation removed the Olympic. A small test on a difficult to remove an acrylic stain (Behr) showed adequate results. The HD80 did darken the wood considerably but the use of its sister product (Citralic Wood Brightener) reversed the darkening and lightened the wood significantly.

Ease of Application: 7

– HD80 is a very strong formula and special care needs to be taken when mixing the powder with water. It is important to wear protective gloves and eyewear. If any of the HD80 gets on your skin, rinse immediately. Once the powder had dissolved in the water, the Hd80 was easily applied with a pump sprayer. Coverage was better than average at 150 square feet per gallon.

Final Appearance of Stripping: 7.7

– The Olympic semi-transparent stain was 70-80% removed when done. A few small areas of stain that were unexposed did not come off.

Overall: 7.75

– HD80 gets a better-than-average score for a deck stain stripper. The low cost of the product allows for repeated applications if needed for difficult stain removal.

Product Information:

Where To Buy: Select Stores or Online
Product Type: Powdered Concentrate Deck Stain Stripper
Available Sizes: 2 Pound Container Makes 5 Liquid Gallons
Application Temperature: 45-95 F
Coverage Per Gallon: 100-200 sq. ft
Application Tools: Scrub Brush, Pump Sprayer
Manufacturer: Extreme Solutions

Test Deck Stats:

Deck Wood Type: Pressure Treated Pine
Deck Square Footage: 400
The condition of Deck: Heavily worn Olympic Oil-Based Semi-Transparent Deck Stain
How Much Product Used: 
2 Pounds. Retails for $44.99.

*All products tested and results are from our experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Take into consideration that results may differ due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.

The Best Deck Strippers Video – DeckStainHelp.com


Please Rate This. You may also post comments or ask questions below.

author avatar
Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993
#As an article and comment contributor to the site, Scott has been around the pressure washing industry since attending college. In 1993 he started his first company called Oakland Pressure Wash specializing in exterior pressure washing and deck staining. That company evolved into OPW L.L.C. shortly thereafter concentrating more on exterior wood and deck restoration. Scott and his Deck Cleaning Michigan company have restored over 10,000 decks in the Metro Detroit area since the early years. He has become an authority in the deck restoration industry and has contributed to numerous wood restoration forums and informative sites. All the products he suggests through this site are sold through online sites and in retail stores, allowing the consumer to choose their own means of purchase. Scott’s eCommerce sites do sell many top brands he endorses and if you appreciate any of the help he has offered then feel free to purchase from one of them.

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Jeff
Jeff
3 years ago

How long should you let it dwell?

Chris ernst
Chris ernst
4 years ago

It there a MSDS fo HD80 stripper?

Chris ernst
Chris ernst
4 years ago

Do you have a MSDS for HD80 stripper?

VJ Watts
VJ Watts
4 years ago

Unfortunately, this stuff does not work on peeling solid stain. Kept it wet for > 15 min section, scrubbed the boards, and used pressure washer on low power. Even tried double treating several sections, still failed. Only removed about 25% of stain. Big fat waste of time that cost me $50. I need to find a new product to finish cleaning my nasty looking deck. Any suggestions?

Don
Don
5 years ago

Do you think this product would work better than restore a deck stripper to remove sikkens srd?

Mary
Mary
5 years ago

Help! We have a western red cedar home and deck and have 2 coats of Olympic Maximum semi transparent stain on it from 2007. Some of the stain has turned black. We have just attempted to strip a small part of our siding using Restore a Deck stripper and after 2 attempts, it’s just not coming off that easily ..including scrubbing. We are concerned as we have a huge – nearly 3 story high wall to do that has a lot of black on it. (we have an entire house but it’s not blackened by the sun exposure) We just need to know if we should switch strippers? I didn’t buy a different brand? I didn’t buy a lot of Restore a Deck – just a few bags to try. Should we try this one instead? Thanks

Mary
Mary
5 years ago

Thank you

Tina
Tina
6 years ago

Used BM Arborecoat semi-trans 3 yrs ago – it’s flaking off in full sun areas and stuck on in shady areas. 1150 sf deck so working in sections. I’ve cleaned, power washed and just re-stained a section with original product in different color- It looks like plastic to me. Q1: can I use this product on 20 yo cedar to removed the original stuck on stain? Q2: can I use it to remove newly applied stain I just applied this week so I can re-stain with one of the superior quality products I’ve been reading about on this great forum. Q3: if I get everything free of old stain and then run out of good weather (we know what’s coming) would it hurt the deck to leave it totally untreated until the spring? Thank you for your suggestions.
Tina

dawn26
dawn26
6 years ago

I used this to strip my massive wrap around deck and it made it so much easier. It works great on semi solid stain. pretty much came off like butter. we applied, kept the product wet with product during the 15 minutes. on some sections i would let it sit longer. Used the pressure washer.

deck2.jpg
Willis Lenzner
Willis Lenzner
6 years ago

will this hurt vinyl siding

Laima
Laima
7 years ago

A berettine oil based wood treatment was applied over some dirty footprints. Will hd80 remove the wood treatment oil? Thanks

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

I just stained my 5yr old deck with Cabot Gold Fireside Cherry. The color looks terrible next to my house. Will the HD80 remove the new stain?

Mary
Mary
7 years ago

Do you have to use a pressure washer with this product to remove the old stain once it has been applied or can you use a regular water hose?

tom nash
tom nash
7 years ago

I believe the best way to do this is with a nylon brush and actual work. The PW can easily damage cedar, as this product softens the wood as it works. They manufacturer states 1000PSI, but then this depends on what size nozzle. A garden hose is at 50PSI or so.

Just do the work. This stuff works pretty good.

Dorothy
Dorothy
7 years ago

We also have a 20 year old deck with a solid stain on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. I see how to remove the horizontal stain from response to RWS. I already wanted a two toned deck but want the color of the rails to be white; a brick color is on now. Can we just apply the white solid stain over what's left of the brick solid stain?

scott
scott
8 years ago

Any opinion on the newer EFC 38 from Woodrich? I'm guessing it was developed to be a "mild stripper" — one that's more eco friendly than the venerable HD-80. (Unsure though if "milder" means less powerful, or just less harsh….? I'm reading conflicting guidance on whether EFC 38 requires a "brightener" afterwards.) Have need to remove CWF-UV cedar semi-transparent from several years ago — that went on too dark. (thought I was putting on "tinted toner" — but apparently not)

Jim
Jim
8 years ago

Will most deck cleaners neutralize different types of strippers? Been using a big box store brand stripper which is quite expensive and still have rails and residual deck stain to remove. I would like to use a more efficient and economical stripper like HD 80.

John
John
8 years ago

I have a deck in which the previous dunderheads apparently used acrylic latex paint. Very strong NaOH in water pumpsprayer (4 lbs NaOH dissolved in 2 gallons) will not really take it off. What can I use? Thanks.

John
John
8 years ago

We always stripped decks with sodium hydroxide, let it do it's work for 30 minutes or so, then pressure wash it off. The pressure washing dilutes it to such an extent it's no longer aproblem

Jen
Jen
8 years ago

Has anyone tried this with Rustoleum Deck Restore latex paint? We this dark brown paint on our deck that is peeling & need something we can use to strip it easily.

RWS
RWS
9 years ago

Also is 2lbs enough for a large 2nd story deck with a staircase to the ground level?

RWS
RWS
9 years ago

Hello,

I am taking on the project of restoring a 20 year old deck. I believe it is made of pressure treated pine. The current stain is a red/brown solid stain that was applied ~5- 7 years ago. I am a new home owner, and looking to completely remove all of this stain so that I can apply one of the highly recommended stains on this site. Upon looking up HD80, I see that it is contractor grade and it is not recommended for shipment to homeowners. Assuming that I follow instructions, use common sense and safety precautions, is there any reason that I should not purchase this product?

Also, my general plan of attack is:
1. Use a grinder with a wire brush attachment across the whole surface of the deck.
2. Use a stripper, HD80 and power washer to remove.
3. Sand the deck with a belt sander.
4. Apply a new stain.

Any flaws in my plan or other helpful recommendations?

Also, this site is awesome, thank you for the amazing amount of information that has been posted already!

RWS
RWS
9 years ago

Thank you for the insight and guidance! Much appreciated!

Janet Altendorf
Janet Altendorf
9 years ago

Where can we find HD8o stripper in Amarillo, Texas?

Drew
Drew
10 years ago

The HD-80 does a great job stripping old stains including oil-based ones but we have found that it leave the wood surface with a significant amount of 'fuzzies' that need to be sanded. This especially happens on teak furniture. Can this be avoided so not as much sanding is required after stripping?

Fran
Fran
10 years ago

Need your help. It was cobat clear natural stain (oil based) on my deck in 5 years ago. I believed my deck is about 23 years old and good condition. I have been sanding, cleaner and then brightener. So I looked at my deck which I thought it was done. But I noticed when the rain come down and then the water beaded still there. I'm surprise to see the deck is not absorbed the water ( in some area). What should I do?

Fran
Fran
10 years ago

Should I use remover stain( can't see stain)? Or should I show u the images when u able to give me some answers? Where should I upload?

Rj Anderson
Rj Anderson
10 years ago

Update: My contractor just finished stripping and brightening our back deck using the HD-80 & Citalic kit from Woodrich. He never used this product before but I think he will for now on. He said they both worked great! Here is a link to before/after photos. Note the "after" photo is before staining but after using the stripper & brightener/neutralizer. If link below is not "clickable" you'll have to copy & paste into your browser.
https://bit.ly/18NFqdp

Rj Anderson
Rj Anderson
10 years ago

We thought so as well. Oh…I just uploaded a new photo to that link I posted above. The deck is now stained using Armstrong-Clark's Rustic Brown in semi-transparent. Not too shabby I believe.

ashley
ashley
10 years ago
Reply to  Rj Anderson

Thanks so much for the pics! This is exactly what we are going to do with our deck.

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