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Pressure WashingDeck Cleaning &
Restoration in Ottawa
An Ottawa deck takes a beating — snow for five months, rain in spring and fall, UV through the summer. After a few years, the wood greys, mildew sets in, and what was once your favourite outdoor space becomes something you avoid looking at. We bring it back.
Your deck didn't age — the weather aged it for you.
Wood decks in Ottawa go through a predictable cycle: the original stain or sealant breaks down after 2–3 years. Water penetrates the wood. Mildew and algae colonize the surface. The sun bleaches the lignin out of the top layer of wood fibres. And one day you look out the kitchen window and see a grey, weathered deck that looks 20 years older than it is.
The good news: the wood underneath is almost always fine. It just needs the grey layer removed, the surface brightened, and a new coat of protection applied.
The bad news: do it wrong and you'll fur the wood, leave wand marks across every board, and shorten your deck's life by years. Pressure washing a deck is the highest-skill application in exterior cleaning.
How we restore a weathered deck.
Clean
Low-pressure wash (800–1,200 PSI max) with a wide fan tip and a wood-safe detergent. We work with the grain, not against it, and keep the wand moving — pausing in one spot for even a second furs the wood. We clean between the boards, around posts, and under railings. Every surface that gets wet. The grey oxidation layer, mildew, and surface dirt come off. The wood underneath is revealed.
Brighten
A wood brightener (oxalic acid) is applied after the wash. It neutralizes any detergent residue, opens the wood pores, and restores the wood's natural pH. This step is what makes the difference between a deck that looks 'clean' and one that looks new. The brightener also reverses tannin staining and dark water marks.
Dry
The deck needs 24–48 hours of dry weather before staining. We time the wash around the forecast so the wood is fully dry when we come back. Staining damp wood traps moisture and leads to peeling within a year.
Stain & Seal
We apply a penetrating oil-based stain (not a film-forming acrylic that sits on top and peels). Penetrating stain soaks into the wood fibres, protecting from the inside out. Two coats on horizontal surfaces (deck boards, rail tops) that take the most UV and foot traffic. One coat on vertical surfaces (spindles, posts, skirting). We brush the railings and back-brush the deck boards for even coverage.
Wood Decks
Cedar and pressure-treated pine are the most common in Ottawa. Both grey within 2–3 years without maintenance. The restoration process is the same for both — clean, brighten, and apply a penetrating oil stain. Cedar takes stain more evenly and produces a richer colour. Pressure-treated pine needs to be fully dry (test with a moisture meter) before staining.
Composite Decks
Composite decking (Trex, Fiberon, TimberTech) doesn't grey like wood but still gets dirty — pollen, mildew, and tannin stains from overhead trees. We clean composite with a lower pressure (under 1,200 PSI) and a specialized composite cleaner. No brightener, no stain — just a deep clean that restores the original colour without damaging the capstock layer.
Manotick Deck Restoration
A 10-year-old cedar deck that had never been cleaned or stained. Years of grey oxidation, mildew, and embedded dirt had turned what was once a premium cedar deck into something the homeowners avoided showing to guests. Hot-water restoration stripped the grey layer in a single day — low pressure, wood-safe detergent, working with the grain on every board. The wood underneath was in great shape. A brightener brought back the natural cedar colour, followed by a penetrating oil stain in two coats on the horizontals. The homeowners were planning to replace the entire deck before they called us.
“I was honestly going to replace it. They saved me thousands. The deck looks brand new. Already booked them for the siding wash in spring.”
James R.
Manotick, Ottawa
Common questions about deck restoration.
Can you restore my deck or do I need to replace the boards?+
Most weathered decks can be restored. If the wood is structurally sound — no soft spots, no rot, boards still hold screws — a clean, brighten, and stain will make it look like a different deck entirely. If individual boards are rotting, we can replace just those and blend them into the restoration. We'll tell you honestly at the estimate whether restoration or replacement makes more sense.
How often should I stain my deck in Ottawa's climate?+
A quality penetrating oil stain applied correctly lasts 2–3 years on horizontal surfaces (deck boards, rail tops) and 4–5+ on vertical surfaces. We recommend cleaning and re-coating the horizontals every 2 years — that's a one-day job, not a full restoration. If you wait until the wood looks grey again, you've waited too long and it'll need the full process again.
What's the difference between a stain you sell at the hardware store and what you use?+
Big-box stains are mostly water-based acrylics that sit on top of the wood and form a film. They peel. The penetrating oil stains we use (like Armstrong-Clark or TWP) soak into the wood fibres and protect from within. They don't peel because there's nothing to peel — the protection is in the wood, not on it.
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