Help with Bidding/Cleaning Redwood Shingle Siding - Certified SoftWash Roof Cleaning

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Help with Bidding/Cleaning Redwood Shingle Siding

Steve Mazzuca · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Josh, it may not matter but the siding looks like a Cedar wood shake to me.

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Thanks, Steve. The home owner told me redwood, so I didn't question it. You're right though, it may not make a difference.

Brandon Vaughn · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

With how dark the staining is, you may have more than just mold going on. This is may end up as more of a wood restoration than simply SoftWashing. Pricing would probably be somewhere in the .50-1.00 range. Tim @ Vesta Wash has done projects this bad before and may have some good advice for you.

If it was me, I'd see if I could do a demo on an inconspicuous part of the house, not only to set customer expectations, but also to determine how strong solution and how difficult the job may be.

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Thank you for the response, Brandon. Home owner needed a response sooner, so I sent him an estimate this morning based on my best guess at what it would cost me in time and materials. I was thinking what you're thinking though, and I'm going to follow up with him tomorrow and ask to come and do a test. I'll report back with pictures and details.

Tim (Vesta Wash), if you see this feel free to share your thoughts. I'd love to hear them! Otherwise I'll probably try and get in touch with you soon depending on how my conversation with the home owner goes.

Brandon Vaughn · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

With really dark tannin stains (what this may be), sometimes oxalic acid is needed as a final step in the restoration. There are a lot of guys that are better at wood restoration than I, so I don't want to lead you wrong.

I have used oxalic acid on wood before to get rid of very bad stains.

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Thanks for the thoughts, Brandon! I set up a demo appointment with the homeowner for this Thursday, so I'll see what a basic SoftWash will do and report back.

Question for anyone with the knowledge/experience: Where is a good place to buy oxalic acid and what is the recommended method for applying it in this situation?

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Alright, I have made two demo visits to this house now. During the first visit I only SoftWashed (2% w/ Terra Wash), and the difference was noticeable but minimal. For the second visit I SoftWashed with Wood Wash (2%) and followed it up with a coat of Oxalic acid. It was a little difficult to tell how much of a difference it made while everything was still wet, so I asked the homeowner to take some 'after' photos the next day and send them to me. He was very excited about the results (see photos).

The next question is pricing for doing a SoftWash with Wood Wash along with Oxalic Acid for the dark stains and potentially finished up with Wood Restore? Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. Also, any recommendations for applying/spraying the Oxalic Acid and the Wood Restore to a large area?

One other note about the Wood Restore...the homeowner is having this cleaning done because he is planning to sell the house, so should I bother with Wood Restore? Will it make the wood look even better for showing the house?

Josh Agadoni · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Also, I don't get why some of my photos get turned on their side once they're posted. It's a huge pet peeve but I'm not smart enough to figure it out on my own. If anyone can help me out with that I'd be forever grateful.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Josh,

Wood Restore will make a difference in how the wood looks after. However brushing the wood before rinsing will remove more UV damage and bring fresher wood to the forefront.

AC