Summitt Exterior Cleaning › Decks
Decks & fences
Grey weathering off. Grain intact.
A gentle wash for wood and composite that lifts algae, grime and grey weathering without furring the timber or blasting out the soft grain.
Why decks get wrecked by pressure washing
Softwood decking — cedar, pine, pressure-treated fir — is made of hard grain and soft grain in alternating bands. A pressure washer blows the soft grain out from between the hard bands. The deck looks clean the day it's done, then within a season it's furry, splintery and holds dirt worse than before it was cleaned.
You can spot a pressure-washed deck years later by the raised, fuzzy grain and the wand marks running along the boards.
What we do instead
- Cleaning solution first. Applied and given time to break down the algae, mildew and grey surface layer.
- Low pressure, wide fan. Enough to rinse the broken-down layer away, not enough to erode the wood.
- With the grain. Every pass runs board-length, so there are no cross-marks.
- Railings, spindles and stairs. Included — they're where algae builds up worst and they're the parts people actually touch.
Composite decking
Composite doesn't rot, but it absolutely grows mould in the surface texture — especially the older wood-flour composites and anything under a tree. Most manufacturers void warranty coverage over a certain pressure, so composite gets soft-wash treatment and a low-pressure rinse.
Staining and sealing
We clean. We don't stain or seal, and we don't strip old failing stain — those are restoration jobs and they belong to a different trade.
What we will do is get the deck genuinely clean and dry, which is exactly the surface a stainer needs. If you're planning to stain this season, book the clean two or three dry days ahead.
What it costs
Deck and Fence Cleaning — our prices
Published, not quoted. Pick your size, text us, and we’ll confirm the slot.
| What we're cleaning | Price |
|---|---|
| Deck up to 300 sq ft | $249 |
| Deck 300 – 600 sq ft | $399 |
| Fencing | $9 / linear ft |
| Minimum fence booking | $199 |
Decks over 600 sq ft and multi-level decks — let's talk. They're common in the Okanagan and they're rarely a standard job.
Prices are based on the size you select. We check the property before confirming — if it falls in a different band we’ll tell you before anything is booked. No surprises on the day.
Our work
Before and after
Common questions
Decks — straight answers
Will cleaning make my deck look new?
It'll look dramatically better — the grey surface layer and the algae come off. It won't undo sun bleaching deep in the wood or repair split boards. Cleaning is not refinishing.
Can you clean it before I stain?
That's the ideal sequence. Book us two to three dry days before staining so the wood has time to dry through.
Do you strip old stain?
No. Stripping failing stain is a restoration job with its own chemicals and risks, and it's outside what we do.
Is it safe on composite?
Yes. Composite gets a soft-wash approach and a low-pressure rinse, which keeps it inside almost every manufacturer's warranty limits.
Also available