Cleaning Exterior Wood For Painting

Scrub off the chalk with a strong solution of water and spic and span or tsp detergent or a nonphosphate tsp alternative.
Cleaning exterior wood for painting. Stain bonds well to unpainted weathered wood. If mildew is a common problem on your exterior wooden surfaces consider repainting with a paint designed to prevent mildew. Move the rag in small circular motions as you remove any obvious dust from the surface. Pour the cleaning solution into a spray bottle.
Flat surfaces such as moldings and soffits can be easily sanded with a belt sander. Use a long handled scrubber brush and a mild detergent to gently scrub away accumulated dirt grime mold and other residue. Wipe down the wood in smooth circular motions. Use a new bottle or one that has been filled with only plain water to prevent the tsp and bleach from interacting with residue from any leftover.
Clean it by hand for a slow but deep clean job or clean it with a power washer for a faster but less thorough job. Before painting new wood sand all surfaces and edges lightly to smooth the grain. If the paint color comes off on your hand the paint is chalking. A simple exterior paint prep step but one that can save you an immense amount of aggravation.
Try working from left to right to ensure that you clean off the entire painted surface. When you re satisfied with the wood s appearance rinse the exterior from top to bottom with a garden hose. According to experts the easiest method for cleaning exterior surfaces is pressure washing. For larger structures a wire brush is an easy way to knock off the remaining pieces of paint and surface fibers while also roughing up the wood s surface for better paint adhesion.
Give the surface a full day to dry before moving on. If you re using latex paint that will be water and clean rags. If you plan to paint sand or power wash the wood to smooth siding that has been exposed to the weather for more than a few weeks. If you plan to paint or use a solid color stain set any nails that the carpenters missed below the surface and fill the nail holes with caulk.
Take the damp cloth and rub it along the painted wood working to reach the edges and corners as well. Then remove the sanding dust and apply a suitable primer. There are two schools of thought about cleaning siding. Caulk after you stain or prime.
Some exterior paints such as those used on aluminum siding intentionally chalk for self cleaning. If there are creases or hard to reach small places on your wooden surfaces use a small scrub brush or toothbrush to clean it. Make sure to brush the wood clean working from the top down.