Fence Restoration - Suggestions for Cleaning?

[TAHUSKER]

Moved last year and the house we bought has a fence built by the previous owner. Looks like he didn't do much maintenance as far as staining goes--but structurally, it's in decent shape. Just a little gray (it's a 6 ft cedar privacy fence). Anyway, I think it may be salvageable, but I am not sure what the best strategy is for trying to bring back the color.

Do I need to use a "fence wash" product to get rid of the gray? Or will a power washer do the trick on its own? If a chemical cleaner is needed, does anyone have a recommendation on what to use that's least harmful to grass and plants?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks!

[HayZee518]

If it's gray then I'd have to understand it was exposed to the weather and sun - unfinished by any stain or paint. The sun bleached the wood and the rain added to the grayness. Sometimes take a look at barns if you go for a ride out in the country. Their boards are all gray colored from the bleaching of the weather and sun exposure. Now to the root of your problem. Merely applying a stain to the unfinished wood would deepen the "patina" of the wood you need to get down to the wood by sanding. I don't think a wood bleach would help. Unless you go down at least 1/32 of an inch by sanding, the wood may turn out all blotchy as an end result.

[wvguy]

deck cleaner .. be careful with a pressure washer it tends to be touch on softer woods like cedar and redwood. cedar grays very quick just use a deck cleaner and a clear or natural toner stain.

not to put down anything previously posted

[instech]

i had the same problem with the fence that came with the house i bought last year. i borrowed the neighbor's power washer and he had a tip called a "dirt blaster". it shoots a zero degree stream rotates. takes the crud right off, just don't stay in one place too long. it will start tearing up the cedar. after it was power washed and dried i applied an olympic honey brown and it looked like new. if you apply the stain with a brush it will soak into the wood better or you can use a sprayer and plan on spraying it again next year. anyway best of lucks to which ever method you use. you can email me it you want some pictures.

[wvguy]

always remember one thing bout cleaning a deck or fence of any wood. A pressure washer does nothing to kill mildew or mold. Mold is an airborne particle and the majority of the mold is under the surface of the wood. A pressure washer will not kill mold. If you don't use a high quality deck cleaner such as Olympic Deck Cleaner to kill it you may be causing a big problem for you later on . If there is mold present and you only pressure wash then put a clear, toner, or semi down the mold will feed on the oil or water in the product and grow through the film.