This post was updated on April 4, 2025
How to Remove Wood Fuzzies on a Deck
At DeckStainHelp.com, we remain committed to being your go-to source for expert deck staining tips and industry updates. One common issue that arises during deck prep is wood fuzzies, also known as wood furring—a rough, raised wood grain texture that appears after using a deck cleaner or stripper. If you’re dealing with this problem, don’t worry! We’ve got solutions to restore your deck’s smooth surface before staining.
What Causes Wood Fuzzies?
Properly prepping your deck before staining is critical to ensuring a long-lasting finish. Whether you’re cleaning the wood or removing an old stain, the prep process can sometimes cause wood fibers to lift. Here’s why:
- Deck cleaners and deck strippers break down surface contaminants and oxidized wood cells.
- The more damaged or grayed wood you remove, the higher the chance of exposing loose fibers.
- Older, weathered wood and multiple layers of stain removal increase the likelihood of fuzzies appearing.
Deck Furring
When to Use a Deck Cleaner vs. a Deck Stain Stripper
Use a Deck Cleaner When:
✔ The wood has no existing stain.
✔ The wood is heavily grayed from UV exposure.
✔ The deck is new and needs to be prepped before staining.
✔ You’re applying a maintenance coat of stain.
Use a Deck Stain Stripper When:
✔ You need to remove a failed or peeling stain.
✔ The old stain was over-applied.
✔ You’re switching to a different stain brand.
💡 TIP: Always follow up with a wood brightener after using a deck cleaner or stripper to neutralize the surface and minimize wood fuzzies!
When Are Wood Fuzzies More Likely to Occur?
1️⃣ Heavily Grayed or Neglected Wood
- Sun exposure oxidizes the wood, creating a damaged layer that needs to be removed.
- The grayer the wood, the more aggressive the cleaning process, increasing the risk of fuzzies.
2️⃣ Multiple Layers of Older Stain Are Being Removed
- Deck stain strippers contain mild caustics that may roughen the wood grain.
- The stronger the stripper, the higher the chance of getting wood fuzzies.
How to Prevent Wood Fuzzies
✔ Use only the necessary concentration of deck cleaner or stripper—stronger isn’t always better.
✔ Apply a wood brightener immediately after cleaning or stripping (while the wood is still wet) to restore a neutral pH balance and minimize fiber lifting.
✔ Don’t let new wood sit too long unstained—exposure to sun and moisture can lead to early oxidation.
How to Remove Wood Fuzzies
If wood fuzzies appear after prepping, follow these steps to smooth out the surface before staining:
1. Rinse Thoroughly After Cleaning
- Use a garden hose or pressure washer to rinse away any loose wood fibers.
- Ensure the wood is completely free of excess pulp before letting it dry.
2. Lightly Sand or Buff the Surface
- Once the deck is dry, gently sand or buff the wood to remove the fuzzy texture.
- Use sanding buffing pads with a floor buffer instead of traditional sandpaper to prevent over-sanding.
3. Use a Floor Buffer for Large Decks
- Contractors often use a floor buffing machine (available for rent) with a sanding pad for quick and efficient removal of wood fuzzies.
- A 500 sq. ft. deck can be buffed in about 10 minutes using this method.
4. Hand Buff Railings and Tight Areas
- For railings and small spaces, use a handheld buffer or a handheld sander with a smaller pad.
💡 TIP: Never sand finer than 60 to 80 grit! See How to Properly Sand a Deck
Final Thoughts
Wood fuzzies are a normal part of deck prep and can be easily managed with proper techniques. By rinsing thoroughly, using a wood brightener, and buffing as needed, you can achieve a smooth and stain-ready surface.
Have questions or tips to share? Drop them in the comments below! Also, feel free to post pictures of your completed deck projects—we’d love to see them.
This web site has been very helpful in my process of cleaning and staining my deck. What seemed to be just a labor intensive chore required knowledge I did not have and every question and obstacle was answered by deckstainhelp. Sometimes what appears to be a simple job is more detailed than first glance.
Thank You
Wayne
Thanks, Wayne!
HI! I have been reading this website when my huge deck project started in 2018. First, pressure washers, in my experience, should be banned. They ruin wood, cause leaks in windows, split cedar, spelled, expensive, etc. I began with my Insurance underwriter and mortgage company writing me up for “unsafe deck due to no stair rails and some rotted boards. I did not know where to start. My deck was old redwood, 1200 square feet, electric, benches, speakers built by a talented carpenter in the 1980s before the now, 9 pages of deck code, chapter 507 of the IRC. I got estimates of up to 50,000 for a rebuild. Yikes. I studied your website, the code, Professional Deck Magazine, YouTube videos, the, bought tools. Cutting to the chase, after lots of rain, cold, heat, and Covid, I am at the end of rebuilding my deck to current codes. Did, I say, since the original deck had been built, 3 trees dumped leaves, algae, mold, and were never cleaned. I have, so far, spent over 15,000. on materials, including twp stain, brightener, cedar, pressure treated framing, hardware now required, copper naphenate, now required, and am, after 400 hours, almost finished. I hired a few helpers for a week to push the project along and had to redo their work. If you want your deck done correctly, study and stand over any carpenter that you hire or your inspection may fail. Wood, especially cedar, and forget getting redwood in the northeast, has become irreplaceable. Mills are shut down and those still in business are working at 50 to 25% capacity plus the fires on the west coast. I wrote this so that homeowners will take care of their decks. My neglect could have caused me to lose my house. Decks are high maintenance but make a house so much more enjoyable. I bought my house partly because of my deck and then took it for granted. Follow the great advice on this website. An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure!😎
Would it look bad if I clear coat deck over wood fuzzies?
With a clear, it would show through.
Thank you! I got the deck sanded. There are still some bleached out looking very light areas. When wet it looks great. Will the clear coat give it that look of when it’s wet or will the light areas return once sealer cures?
Clear coats do not give a wet look. You need a tinted stain color. Try Natural color by Restore A Deck or TWP in Honeytone for a wet look stain color.
Thanks!
I have a moderate amount of fuzzies after prepping.
With an orbital floor machine, will an Oreck 80 grit
sanding screen take care of the problem?
It should, but we like the pads better. Make sure to remove the sand dust when done if you use the screen. Light washing should help.
This site has been extremely helpful! I’m having trouble understanding why the deck came out a certain way in some spots and beautiful in 80-90% of the rest. I took some pictures where there are “spots” and then I assume fuzzing. Would we have to strip it and then sand it / redo everything? We did not sand but the employee used deck cleaner and then power washed it twice. Any advice on this would be great! If there is something we can do for this season to help us not have to redo the entire process that would be awesome.(ignore that white mark – he painted the bottom of the rocking chair and it didn’t completely dry before placing it back)
Is this porch mahogany or IPE? Or another hardwood? What stain brand did you use?
I’m honestly not sure what kind of wood it is. Is there a way for me to find out? We used Thompsons Water Seal. Didn’t use a stain (Previous owner said they didn’t and only used the water seal but I don’t know for sure and this is our first year at this property.) Last year it looked beautiful (they did it)- not sure what was the issue this time.
Thompons is useless, and yes, you need a hardwood stain. Strip it off and then brighten the wood. Use the Restore A Deck Stripper Kits. Stain with Restore A Deck Stain in Natural tint or Armstrong Clark in Amber tint.
What is the shelf life of mixed stripper and brightener?
Can I store it for a week? A month? How about a year or more?
I always seem to mix more than I need but don’t want to dispose it.
A few weeks shoulf be fine.
I sanded by deck with 80 grit to remove 2 coats of solid stain a month ago. I blew off the sanding dust and washed deck with a garden hose. The wood looks clean with no stains or mildew on it.. I plan on using RAD cleaner and brightener, if needed, before using RAD solid stain on the deck. I have several concerns.
1 Do I really need to use a cleaner and brightener if I am using a solid stain?
2 I read that the cleaner will cause furring and I would have to buff all of it off. I am elderly and have no one to help me. Also I have no way of renting a buffer and transporting it from the rental place. How can I prevent furring so I do not need to do the extra work?
3 If I need to use a cleaner and brightener can I still do it after the deck has been sitting without any prep work done on it?
4 I can not stain the same day if I do the prep work. Is that ok?
5 Do I need to use a pressure washer or can I use a garden hose with a strong spray nozzle?
Attached is a picture of the deck after sanding. There is some spots where I could not get the old gray stain off. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
We sanded an old cedar deck to remove several coats of old solid stain. We are planning to stain with TWP-100 – cedartone. There was a light rain last night and hearing from some folks we need to resand because it raised the wood grain. Is that true or should we just wait the recommended dry time to ensure that the wood is sufficiently dry before staining?
Rain does not harm the wood and actually helps. No need to sand again. Wait 48 hours to stain.
Next step after fuzzies-my deck is stripped now and I am ready to revive and sand to get ready to stain. Which should I do first? Sand and then use Revive or use Revive then sand? Thank you.
Revive? Do you mean brightener? You do that after sanding.
Thanks!!
White cedar deck has never been treated/stained. Powerwashed every year with citrus solve cleaner. How do we get rid of the fuzzies and then best protect it! No obvious staining or discoloration, other than where planters stand on the deck. Not planning on staining…
See above in the article on how to get rid of the fuzzies. If you want to properly protect the wood after, then you need to stain it: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
I have a treated wooden deck and every winter the raccoons trample all over it and leave muddy footprints that we cannot get out. Any suggestions? thanks for your time
Try a deck cleaner and pressure washing.
Hi. My husband stained our deck with redwood stain. Red red. I hate it! Ruined the deck and entire exterior look of home. Is there any way to fix this? I can not live with this red. Open to possibly painting over this stain. Wanted a much more natural and neutral color. Please advise. I cry everytime I see it. Also reflects red into my home. Could not hate it more! Please help! Heart broken.
How to remove depends on the stain type you used and the brand? Best to post pictures as well.
Thank you so much for your response. I wrote again ~ so ignore that second inquiry. Could not find my original question so rewrote. The product he used was behr , he says water based. Will take photos later this morning of this hideous deck and the can of product. Will be home in an hour or two. So thankful for your reply.
Just go ahead and stan it, you do not have to sand or buff, and most likely it will not show when stained.
We are using RAD system to clean 4 month weathered kiln dried cedar. After step 1, we have furring. We’ve tried lightly sanding but it’s not really coming off. When we use the brightener, will that help? Can we stain over it or do we need to thoroughly remove the furring?
You can stain over it. Brighten now.
I am building a deck before winter. Is it alright to wait until Spring to stain it? Will it be ok with the snow and all?
Thank you.
Yes, it will be fine.
Hi,
I have a new clear cedar deck that is 4 months old. I did a restore a deck cleaner and brightener. It had a lot of the white fuzzies on it so I tried a buffer but that didnt do anything then i tried power washing it gently (not too close to the wood) and made sure it was rinsed really well. It did look good when wet so the next day I put 1 coat of restore a deck semi transparent cedar stain temp was 70 deg no sun. it is a large deck. This is what the entire deck looks like the next day.
What do recommend I do? should I put another coat on it, etc?
Also can I wait until spring time since it is fall now?
Thanks Harry
Looking at all your brush marks, etc, it seems it was not applied evenly. We would wait until Spring. Prep by lightly pressure washing with a deck cleaner to remove any dirt.
thanks will the remaining fuzzies go smooth with time or will the spring cleaning help get rid of them?
These are what it looked like prior to the final pressure wash. there were still a lot there though before i stained?
i read if it look good when wet they it was ok the fuzzies are mostly cosmetic?
You did not remove the oxidation fully. You should have used a stronger pressure washing while using the clear to remove the white oxidation.
again thanks for the quick response. so in the spring would using just restore a deck cleaner then rinsing it will a power washer before putting the next coat of stain on should correct this?
Hi, just a follow-up. I stained my cedar deck with semitransparent stain at the end of last summer. (was the first time staining) the deck has some areas that are whiteish, assuming it is where the stain didnt survive the harsh winter.
Do I just use the cleaner/light power wash and add 1 more coat of stain?
Thanks, Harry
For a recoat of all that would be correct.
Hi, your tips worked. thanks….Deck is finally restained and looks nice. except for one issue.
It is a large deck and 1 place (of course right in front of the door) has a 2 foot section where i didnt get the excess stain off.
it left little stain dots. plz see my picture.
what is the best way to remove this?
I read to wipe it with lint free range and paint thinner and then lightly reapply?
but they didnt give details like how long to rub it, do you clean the thinner off with water and let dry before you reapply the stain etc…. thanks harry.
I do not think you can spot fix this. It will just make it worse. Best to leave alone.
Hello,
I really appreciate your article and am trying to get rid of fuzzies from cleaning my deck. Could you please give me a bit more information on sanding buffing pads. I’ve tried googling sanding buffing pads.and didn’t find anything. Could you please give me a more complete description?
Many thanks.
Eric
You get them at the rental yard when you rent the buffer. They will know.
Hi again, I’ve called a couple of rental places and they haven’t heard of sanding buffing pads. Anything else you can tell me so I get the right pads? Thanks.
They have them in the rental palces for floor buffers for any rental place. Just go there, you will see them.
Hello, we had a 13′ x 17′ red cedar deck installed in July 2015, it looked gorgeous and smelled even better! August 2016 we were finally able to stain and protect. We power-washed the greying off deck (perhaps a little too aggressively), then used “C2 Guard Waterproofer Ultimate Wood Protection” (this stuff is NOT cheap at $115.00/gallon). It was recommended by our deck builder, so we bought it. The application is a “wet on damp” procedure, then second coat goes on while first coat is still damp. It took 2 gallons and looked good. We didn’t get all the areas around the edges, posts and sidewalls done because I ran out of energy and C2. Fall of 2017, I was about to protect the rest of the wood that wasn’t done the previous year, but someone insisted he had to power wash (again too aggressively) in order to have “everything looking the same”. Took another 2 coats of C2 after the power wash, and looked only ok this time. Fall 2018, floor of deck doesn’t look too great, so another light power wash and another gallon of C2. Fall 2019, you guessed it, another power wash and another gallon of C2. It is only on the horizontal areas though – floor of deck, top of the railings, and bottom of spindles that are looking crappy, the upright areas look great. Here we are fall of 2020, and after reading copious online Q&As, we are hesitant to sink more $$$ into this deck with C2. If you think we should stay with C2 Guard, we will. We have already put 6 gallons of C2 Guard into this deck and it looks horrible, but what to do? I would love the deck to all look like the vertical areas, but not sure how to get there. We did a water test yesterday and it beads in most places, only a few spots where the water sinks quicker, but not too quickly.
We would appreciate any insight or suggestions. Attached are photos of the current ugly deck, and 1 from 2018 showing it’s not looking good.
Remove all coating and start over. Use the Restore A Deck Stripper/Brightener Kits with both additives: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-stain-stripper-booster-thickening-gel-review/
Stain with TWP 200 Series if in Canada. If not, use the TWP 1500.
I was rather afraid you were going to say that 🙁 OK, well we now have a project for next spring! Where to buy the RAD and TWP 200 in Canada and how much will we need for the 13×17′ deck? Do we have to do the upright areas that look nice or just the horizontal ugly areas?
You would have to check with their websites as to where to buy.
Loved TWP for my deck and porch. I have moved, though, and new issue. I had a company build a beautiful western red cedar fence that has almost NO knots…it’s beautiful. They recommended I go with an oil based, not water, UV, algae and mold protectants, clear stain/protection. We want to keep as close as possible to that new milled western red cedar color/appearance. Most sources say you need stain for UV protection. One said you MUST use a semi-transparent at the least. I am on the far north west coast butting up against Canada, about 1 mile from the sound/ocean. It is cool, wet, rainy, for almost 9 months. Summers are, ironically, almost drought like…lots of sun. While most discussions are for decks, what about the western red cedar fence? How can I give it UV, water, mold/algae protection while staying as close to natural as possible? Recommendations?
oops…I may have posted in wrong forum…how do I move it?
You must have a tint if you want UV protection. Use the TWP 100 Series. Honeytone is the lightest color.
I’m to new to cleaning a deck and made a newbie mistake- I started power washing my deck last night with the spray pointed directly at the deck. I was so excited to see clean wood emerging that I didn’t realize I was gouging the deck a bit here and there. I have the fuzzies you mention in the article but also some unevenness. Will sanding/buffing smooth this out?
You have deep gouges and stop mark lines from your pressure washing. The only way to remove is heavy-duty sanding with a floor sanding machine. A buffer will not fix this.
Thanks for the reply. Should I power wash the rest of the deck (obviously more gently) first, or should I just go straight to sanding at this point?
Finish the pressure washing first.
This deck fuzzy forum has helped me out so I want to contribute. I have a 20 yo deck that I recently stripped and prepared using the TWP gemini kit (cleaner and brightener). This resulted in a bunch of fuzzies which was very stressful given that my deck was scheduled to be stained by a professional painter in 4 days (and I was trying to time via the weather). The advice of “if you put water on the fuzzies and if they don’t show, then you’ll be good” was key. I almost called off the entire staining to completely re-do the deck to sand off the fuzzies and re-brighten. Again thank you for the advice. For those facing the fuzzies, do the water test and make your decision. I’m attaching before/after pictures. Again, I did NOT need to sand off the fuzzies even though my deck was practically white. The stain is TWP 101 cedar. Now is the deck “perfect” – no. I can see areas where the fuzzies are stained, esp around the knots due to wood density differences. But its looks good enough (my wife & friends don’t even notice) and I’m glad I didn’t redo the deck.
So there is hope if you have fuzzies!
And BTW, the TWP products are the best!
I built a really nice pine wood deck for a lady about two years ago. She decided she wanted to have it stained and hired someone else. They sent a 16 year old kid with a power washer and made a total mess of the decks, steps – everything. What was a beautiful outdoor living space now looks hideous. She contacted me and on first inspection I was horrified at how bad the damage was. Fuzzed wood everywhere, “pencil” swirls all over the place, other areas under railings not touched and other parts of the deck not washed at all. I last looked at it about 3 weeks ago. We have had a series of serious heat (100+), heavy rain (3″-5″) and high humidity over this period. I am going to look at this deck on Monday and initially I was thinking of sanding the entire deck, but the rental sanders look extremely aggressive to me and I certainly do not want to do any additional damage. I really want to help this lady out but I am just not sure of what direction to go – any suggestions are appreciated.
Sounds like you have two options. Sand or replace. See this for sanding tips: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/how-to-sand-your-wood-deck/
Hi, had a deck put up 2 summers ago, hasn’t been stained yet. I power washed it first. Boards looked grey. After using 1800 psi pressure washer the one section looked like regular wood again but there was I guess wood mulch all over and I thought I over did it, so I only did the rest of deck with lighter power but they still look grey.
Am I supposed to power wash it till it looks like normal wood color all over? And then sand it?
It’s 16×20 deck😫
I also bought a solid stain hoping it will cover it, but you mention after fuzzies, (mulch?)
So now I’m freaking out, was just gonna try solid stain over the whole thing but now from what you’ve said…… ack! Lol
Thank you for your input!
Kim
Get a quality deck cleaner and then pressure wash off. Brightener Last. No need to worry about any fuzzies if using a solid stain.
I came across this site because I was in a panic, (2 hours ago, yes been reading each Q & A), I recently got a pressure washer and decided I would “strip” my picnic table. Well it is furrier than my dog is.
I am going to let it dry, then try to buffing.
Thank you all for the help and advice. I am thankful I did not do my deck yet. I was a LITTLE aggressive with the power washer wand.
Since it is a picnic table, it would be easier to just use a palm sander.
I will try that tomorrow, we have thunderstorms heading our way. I have table covered with tarp and asked a friend if I could use her palm sander.
Thank you so much for your time and your knowledge!
I’m having some troubles with furring on my deck after i stained. the deck is about 2 years old now.
I power washed then used a strip and stain remover, washed with a garden hose. Then used super deck Revive and brighter then washed the deck again (all shirwin willamns products). I then noticed deck furring. I used 150 grit sand paper paper sanded everything down. I stained the deck with oil based superdeck transparent stain. It looks horrible. the deck has fuzzy spots everywhere. Before i stained i thought i took care of all the deck furring. Any suggestion of what i should do next?
Do i need to start over and strip / revive the deck again?
Can i stand then re stain those spots?
You would have to remove the stain to sand again. It does not look that bad in the pictures.
hi! Great read!
We have a deck that was built about 2 years ago right before we moved into the house. It no longer repels water so we want to stain it.
I was hoping to use a semi-transparent stain in a cedar color because I want to see the wood grain & i want it to look natural.
My husband power washed the deck and we now have a lot of fuzzes.
I plan to rent a floor buffer so whats the best way to tackle this project?
Should I buff the deck first, then brighten then stain?
Yes, that is correct.
Do you think I could skip the brightening step. I will attach pictures.
We are also going to Home Depot today to rent a floor buffer. Can you please specify what type of buffer or attachment I will need for the machine!
🙂
Do not skip the brightener step. Use pads like this.
Do you have a picture of the machine I should rent because when I search it on Home Depot website it brings up about 40 machines
Just a floor buffer. The rental counter will know.
Refinished a deck for a customer and ended up with horrible mess of furring that I didn’t notice until AFTER the oil based product was put on! I really thought I studied and read and talked to enough people to know what I was doing…..To prep I stripped with Valspar deck stripper, rinsed thoroughly with sprayer (not pressure washer) and could still feel a “slime” (supposably no other product was needed to neutralize it, just water) so I called the customer service no# for the valspar and they said just rinse with True Green Cleaner to neutralize it. Five days later (today) I went back to stain it and noticed a slight furring so I sanded it lightly with a palm sander 60 grit. I didn’t think the slight amount left was anything uncommon so I applied the oil transparent and within half hour it began drying horribly. What now? I assume wait several day for it to dry ? and re-sand with ? and then lightly wipe on some more oil stain ? maybe ? OMG I’m in a panic.
You probably have to strip this off then sand/buff the deck to remove the fuzzies and then restain.
oh my… why wouldn’t I just be able to sand/buff it as is then restain it? knowing the stain will only stick to any particles of wood that have been stripped via the sanding process.
Because it may not dry evenly.
I treated it as if it were any wood project: the first coat needs a light sanding to smooth it out, then re apply a top coat. Yea, diff. product altogether but worth a shot. It worked excellent. So far. Seemed to be drying down good. I went very sparingly on the “second” coat… a 400 sq. deck only used about 1/5 of a gallon.
I have moderate fuzzies after stripping & brightening a 30+ year old cedar deck. More fuzzies on the vertical paneling and railings/spindles than the flooring, for some reason, so a floor buffer won’t help. Planning to stain with TWP 100.
After reading through most of this Q&A, I am still left wondering:
1. Why not just cut a 17-inch buffer pad down to 5-inches and glue to a random-orbit sander disc?
2. If that’s an option, which color buffing pad — red or white?
Thanks!
1. You could try this, let us know if it works.
2. Red.
Will do.
One other related question…
I did a quick test by hand, buffing a small area with a Scotch-Brite pad (which I think is similar material), and while it did remove a lot of the fuzzies, it also left the wood surface glossy.
This makes me wonder if the buffing left the wood less able to absorb the stain.
There are a lot of comments in this thread about brightening after sanding, but I got the impression you don’t brighten after buffing.
So question is, do you find that buffing negatively impacts stain penetration? If yes, do you normally re-apply brightener to compensate? If no, I assume I just buff and then rinse with water.
We have never had an issue using a floor buffer and pad but if you over “buff” then yes, you can have a stain penetration problem. It is not supposed to be shiny.
OK, so I spent $7 on the 17-inch red floor buffer pad at Home Depot, cut out a 5-inch circle and glued it with Gorilla Glue to a sanding disc for my random-orbit sander.
A few observations:
1. It was very easy to do and technically worked as a hand-held buffer. See photo.
2. It seemed quite a bit less aggressive than the Scotch-Brite scouring pad, which I’d say was more effective but also left a more glossy surface.
3. It took off the most egregious fuzzies fairly easily, but left a lot. See middle board in photos. This may have been my technique as I did not apply a ton of pressure.
4. Perhaps a lot of the “smaller” fuzzies are just normal raised grain that I shouldn’t have been worried about in the first place?
5. For the railings, a light hand sanding with 80-grit was just as effective if not more so, but also took off quite a lot more wood.
Overall, not really sure how much difference it will make. In my case, most of the boards didn’t have as many fuzzies as the one in the photo, so the results weren’t really that noticeable.
Perhaps the experts here could comment on #4, above?
Thanks to everyone here for all the guidance. Hope this is helpful.
4. Correct.
How did it turn out? I had very minimal furring on the deck, I mean, I had to crouch down and REALLY look to see ANY… but I lightly sanded it down “just to be safe” yet after applying an oil base stain it looks horrible and I’m in a panic! Oil, so it’s going to take quite a while to dry (assuming my solution is to buff it down after it’s dry and try to re apply stain and hope to hell it does something.) IDK. I’m a painter not a deck refinisher but was talked into this project. I did a lot of reading and calling and it seemed pretty simple and just common sense. Yet, here I am.
I had mixed results. Mostly it looked good. In some cases it was noticeable but not really terrible looking. In just few spots, it looked kind of bad. Seemed to depend a lot on the differences in the wood. It’s a 30+ year old deck and seems to have had some of the wood replaced over time. The stain absorbed very differently in some of the boards.
I’m sure the experts here could comment more intelligently. I’ve never done this before either, and frankly was surprised at how many landmines I ran into during the whole process, so I can emphasize with your panic (though in my case, it’s my own deck, and I would say overall I’m satisfied with it despite some of the imperfections).
I am sure it looks great!
Yes, I should clarify that overall it does look great and I am very happy with it. You have to be closer or looking with a critical eye to see the imperfections, and frankly I am probably the only person who will ever notice them!
Usually the owner is the most critical, I know I am. and that is why I do a lot of my own work, I have no one to blame but me.
Could you clarify what you mean by start over?
Refresh: deck had rain on it 3 hours after being stained
Now has spotting. Can it be touched up after it dries or can a light coat of stain be applied?
The reply was to start over. Could you clarify in detail?
Would touching up or lightly coating work?
Central Mn. Powerwashed deck. Let it thoroughly dry. Applied semi trans stain with brushes. A sudden burst of unexpected rain came up 3 hours after we finished.
This mornind there are water spots in some areas especially where the deck was shaded.
How to proceed with getting rid of spotting???
Thanks!
You will need to remove all and start over most likely.
Do you mean strip stain? Can we let it dry and touch up spots? Can we put on a light coat of stain over all floor surfaces?
You cannot spot-treat as it will not blend and applying another coat on top does not always work. Send a picture.
Pictures of spotting
It honestly does not look that bad. We would just leave it as is as it will be a lot of work to remove it all and start over.
Thank you so much! This is a wonderful site! I appreciate the professionalism, knowledge, and quick response time.
So we are cleaning 3000 sq ft of fence and getting the furries. Can we just use semi over it or do we really need to sand? 😕
You can stain over it, it will be less or not noticeable.
Hi! Thanks for the helpful article!!
We recently built our house/deck coming up on 2 years. First time power washing it and I’m wondering if we were too rough, I’m afraid I took too much off. It’s a cedar deck and kind of looks uneven..and there are some fuzzies. After power washing, used a deck cleaner and scrub brush, and now sanding. Will it look good with just a sealant on it or should i do a semi-transparent stain?
Pics
You will need a semi-transparent stain for this.
Help! My husband pressure washed our new untreated unsealed deck staircase including steps and railing. He did so to the point that he etched patterns into wood and knocked out some knots here and there. Wood is fuzzy and covered with splintered wood fragments hanging to wood. Plus loose wood shavings all over floor/steps. He thinks his next step is to stain and thinks this will fix all. I am telling him it needs sanded then gently rinsed free of sawdust. Then stain.
Yes, sand it.
Yesterday I cleaned my deck with Olympic All -in-one deck cleaner. I scrubbed the deck with a brush while the cleaner was still on it. This morning I noticed a lot of fuzz. I sanded the deck with 80 grit but still have some fuzz left. The pictures below are after sanding. Do you think I should use scrub sand pad on it or do you think it is ok to stain. Thank you advance for you help.
Photo after sanding. Sorry can’t send more because the other pictures are over 4MB
I adjusted the size of the photos to fit.
Pics
Buff it off would be best.
We cleaned our cedar deck and Re happy with results. We do have wood fuzzies. All we want to do is apply water seal, not a stain. Can we do this over the fuzzies?
Yes.
Yesterday I cleaned the deck with a bleach-based wash before discovering this site. When the deck is dry, there are parts that appear with splotchy, white patches. But they mostly disappear when I get the deck wet (pictured). Do you think I should go over this again with the Restore-A-Deck cleaner, or is that not necessary?
My next steps were going to be to use the Restore-A-Deck brightener/neutralizer and then a semi-transparent stain. I’m located in Wisconsin and the front half of the deck is in sun most of the day, where the back-half is in sun probably 1/2-3/4 of the day as the sun moves across the sky. The front half of the deck are new, pressure treated boards that I added last year. The back half are the old boards that I flipped and sanded before reattaching. Not sure what the best stain might be? I assume there will always be a bit of a color difference between the old and new boards, but I would prefer a semi-transparent stain, or even a fully transparent stain if it has the UV protection. Thoughts?
You do not need to prep anymore. Just go ahead and stain with a semi-transparent.
Hi there,
I was directed to this excellent article because I need to remove a fair amount of white fuzzies and some residual oxidation (now white vs. gray) from a brand new cedar deck that aged over the winter and then was treated with a cleaning solution and power washed. My takeaway from this article and the discussions that follow is that I’m best off renting a floor buffing machine. At Home Depot I assume this is a orbital “Floor Polisher” as opposed to a “Square Buff Floor Sander”? If this is correct, what color of the 17″ pads do I need? In this discussion I have seen pictures of the red pads but also a mention of the white pads. It doesn’t seem to matter if they are 3M or Diablo as the color coding seemed to be universal? Also, is there any danger of leaving circular marks with this Floor Polishing / Buffing machine?
In addition, I still have a little mold in a few spots. Should I carefully spot treat with a 50/50 bleach solution using a paint brush then rinsing after 5 minutes to avoid damage to the fibers?
Lastly, I plan on brightening, then allowing to dry before staining with a semi-transparent TWP Cedar-tone. Is this the correct final order?
Thanks in advance. Great website!
Lee
Orbital buffer. White or red pads. It does not matter the brand. Never seen circular marks with a pad. You can try the bleach for the mold. The order is correct.
Piggybacking off this comment because it seems to mirror my situation perfectly. I had used a cleaner, but didn’t presoak the deck first because the deck wash I had got didn’t tell me too. I then didn’t let it soak for 3-5 minutes like the bottle said because I was concerned it was drying to fast with the direct sunlight and the hot day. So while I scrubbed it with a stiff bristle brush my wife helped keep the deck wet. Then rinsed it off.
I did NOT use brightener because I didn’t think I needed that (didn’t research much, thought I just had to clean and stain). So, after letting the deck dry I was presented with fuzzies and white residue which I thought was from the cleaner. So the next day I took a orbital sander by hand with 180 grain grit across the entire deck. But still have white spots near the knots. You can see the spots in the picture.
I’m also curious about the dark brown/black spots, but I’m guessing it is because I didn’t let the cleaner sit long enough to work. Sanding those dark spots didn’t change the color.
So my question is, do I hose down the deck with water and apply a brightener or do I just stain over it (plan on using Cabot Australian Timber Oil Natural). The white spots vanish when the deck is rained on or wet, so hoping I can just stain it and be done now that the fuzzies are gone.
NOTE: First picture is after my sanding (current state of deck). Second picture was taken last fall right after the deck was installed for comparison.
Try the brightener before staining to see if that will remove the darker internal spots. You will need to apply to all wood, not spot apply.
So I can sneak by with just wetting the deck and applying brightener?
Also, the pic I previously posted apparently wasn’t a current picture. These two are. I’m concerned the white stuff is residual cleaner that is embedded into the wood.
The white stuff is oxidation/graying of the wood that you did not remove fully when you cleaned. It typically does not show when stained.
Wet deck down and then brighen the wood.
Quick question as my wife and I have a dispute… Our deck was installed last fall and are just now finally being able to stain it. She saw one of your previous replies to an older gentleman that asked if he really had to go through all the cleaning and brightening process in order to stain his deck. You guys had replied that he would be fine as you saw no oxidation. She is convinced that when I used deck cleaner on our 8 month old deck that the cleaner and me using a stiff bristle brush on it caused the furries to appear. She thinks that our deck never had oxidation or graying. I beg to differ as it seems quite evident of some graying. So should I have never even used a cleaner (brightener tonight) and instead just rinsed off surface dirt and stain it?
The cleaning products do not create fuzzies. It is the oxidation/graying removal that does and it has to come off prior to staining. That and the mill glaze that is on new wood.
You did correct and tell your wife sorry, but she was wrong. 🙂
My deck is three years old. Pressure washed last year but discouraged by fuzzy appearance on many boards. Unable to upload pictures but my boards look exactly like your picture of fuzzies at the top of this article. Any recommendations? Thanks
Forgot to add I am looking to bring deck close to it’s original look then protect. Thanks
Yes, please read the above article on how to remove it with a buffer.
After buffing are we looking at brightening then protecting? Thanks
Reread article. Got it thanks.
Recently pressure washed my deck, no cleaners or scrubs. I am thinking I took too much up…. It has sat for about 2 years since being built by the builder. I got the furring as mentioned…. I figured I had to do some sanding and borrowed a belt sander from a neighbor. I was planning on starting with a 120 grit with light pressure to get things level. Is this a good process if I plan to use Sherwin Williams waterborne semi solid stain. Pictures of the current state included. The dark spot was the before state and has since been washed. Thank you for any advice in advance.
You really damaged the wood with the pressure washer but the good news is it does not matter that much since you are using a solid stain. Sand but use 60-80 grit, not finer. Do a light cleaning after with a deck cleaner and pressure washer but as a rinse to remove the sand dust.
Thank you, once I get passed this hurdle and finish I will post the final results. Again thank you!!
We have cleaned our deck with Jo Max deck cleaner, and rinsed using a power washer. Most of our deck we replaced a year ago, so the top of the deck was not that oxidized. We did not replace the steps at that time and when we cleaned the steps we had furries. We have sanded those out, but on the older wood there are powdery bleach spots, Sanding has helped mitigate some of the bleach streaks, but not all. How can the bleach streaks be removed before we put on the sealer?
Post a picture.
After you sand the wood “Fuzzies” do you have to power wash it again prior to stain??
Yes, just lightly to remove any dust.
I just stripped and brightened by my cedar deck over the weekend but have fuzzies I want to take care of. Can I just sand the deck w/ 80 grit to remove them. Also, do I have to ‘re-brighten’?
You should brighten after sanding. It helps the stain to soak in better.
Thanks for the response. So sanding will eliminate the effects of the brightener I already put on?
Brightening will help open the pores.
I power washed my deck without using a cleaner. By the looks of it I still should use a cleaner correct? And then sand it to get rid of the wood fuzzies? What would happen if I didnt get rid of the fuzzies prior to staining and is it ok to wash the deck multiple days prior to staining?
Thanks!
Yes, use a cleaner with this. Brightener after. Buff off those fuzzies after.
Should I also scrub the deck while the cleaner is on it? Is it ok to not drain the deck for 5 days-week after it is cleaned?
Thanks
Pressure wash after using the cleaner. I do not know what you mean about draining the deck.
Should scrub the cleaner with a brush?
So clean. Let dry- sand. And the use the brightener?
Does it matter if the spindles are scrubbed as well. I think they have quite a bit of black mold on them
Clean and brighten then buff. Use a pressure washer while prepping.
We followed the advice above and used a floor buffer to remove the fuzzies. It worked amazingly well on the floor. We were very thankful for the advice. Now we need to do the railings and spindles. What do we use to get the same results?
Handheld buffer will work.
What type disc would we use with an orbital sander/buffer?
Try a buffing pad on the orbital.
I cleaned and used defy brightener on my 14 month deck today. Hosed off between applications and after brightener. A few hours later the boards under a roof look fine but the boards that are always exposed to sun/weather have many that just look way to white. Do I need to redo any or all the prep or will these stain appropriately.
Post a picture.
I don’t have a way to post photos, but it looks just like Joe Baker’s below only somewhat less bleached out look. I was sold on Ready Seal Light Oak mostly due to ease of maintenance and re app down the road.
Go ahead and sain but we are not fans of RS. It will maybe last a year on your deck. Better brands that that: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-stain-to-damp-wood.html
Hi! I appreciate all the info. First question, which craft beer do you recommend to keep me calm on this project? Next … Here are pics of my genuine mahogany hardwood deck after cleaning and brightening to remove oxidation. I have some bad fuzzies and the wood looks almost bleached out after drying, even though the brightener was on only 15 minutes. One pic is when mostly dry and other is a close up of the fuzzies when wet. Does it look To you like I need to buff, or will Penofin hardwood oil even this out and hide the white and fuzzies? Thanks!
1. I stopped drinking craft beer, too many calories. Go straight to Tequilla.
2. You should be good with staining but why are you using Penofin? It fades in months and sometimes turns black on decks: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/penofin-hardwood-wood-stain-review-2014/
Try a better hardwood stain: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/ipe-exotic-hardwood-stain-review/
Thanks for the tip! I’m going with Armstrong Clark Amber stain for hardwood, after I buff/sand the fuzzzies away.
Okay we change stain on our log home from sikkens to Wood guard they stripped the house with stripper and power washer then sand it some of it and now I added stain well it is furring what can we do they claim it will lay down in a couple weeks from the wood guard
It probably will not show when stained. Try a test spot.
Had a spot where it appears cleaner soaled into wood and didn’t rinse away, resulting in a spot where sealer failed, what is the best remedy?
It is not possible to spot treat an area and have it blend. You would have to redo all.
We just performed an initial deck clean on Cedar prior to first ever stain. We are left with oxidization white fuzzies. When wet they don’t show. Can we stain over them or should we remove using the buffing suggested? Can we use vinegar to dissolve??
Stain now or buff first, up to you. No, vinegar is not a miracle solution :).
So stain should cover the fuzzy crap up? Planning on sanding the big fuzz off.
Typically if it does not show when wet with water, it will not show when stained.
Does this apply if using a light colored semi-transparent water based stain? I plan to buff the worst looking places
Yes, it does.
After fully sanding down to bare wood I applied the RAD deck cleaner and brightener over the weekend, but I wasn’t able to apply the Brightener until the next day and have some fuzzies on the deck which otherwise looks great. Is it ok to use a buffing pad on my small random orbital sander (need to figure out if they sell these) to remove the fuzzies before applying the TWP-1500 or would I need to apply the brightener again?
Oh and btw – it’s a cedar deck that I’m going to treat with TWP-1500 in clear so that it goes grey naturally over time.
Yes, you can use a buffing pad on an orbital. It should work.
Great – so something like this buffing pad should work? I went to HD yesterday and they didn’t have smaller versions of the buffing pads used on larger orbital floor sanders or buffers. Thanks!
No, that will not work. You need something with grit.
Ok thank you. Looks like I’ll need to rent a floor polisher from HD for the day since it appears those types of buffing pads aren’t available on hand orbital sanders.
Could I also just wand out the fuzzies with a hand orbital sander and 80 grit sandpaper? Would I need to brighten the deck again after I do that?
Easier to use a floor buffer. Brightener after will help the stain to soak in better.
hello, what is the brand and number of that buffer pad? thank you
3M makes them. Not sure on a number,
lol sorry
Help! We did not stain our new deck last year, waiting a year, we cleaned it, got fuzzies but stained thinking it would not show. But it does. Will they wear away or should we sand and restrain? We stained a pecan color so it a darker color.
They do not wear away. Sometimes adding another coat will make it less noticeable. Another option is to sand all and start over.
Affriad deck pad will get caught on deck splinters, can it be rolled on? What would be best?
Depends on the type and brand of stain you are using?