Can I power wash a maple bench top without destroying it?

[bsg]

I have two maple bench tops that need to be cleaned, they are filthy.......I just don't want to destroy the benches by power washing!
Anybody else done this before?

Kevin

 

[CNGsaves]

Likely NOT necessary. By power washing you'll be forcing water into pores/cracks of wood which is not a good thing.

Spray with degreaser like Simple Green, Purple Power, etc. and wipe down with paper towels after it's sat a while. Rinse & repeat until clean.

 

[jd_1138]

Can't you use Murphy's Oil Soap and a rag? I'd be leery about power washing them.

 

[joelowrider]

what about sanding it down

 

[Stuart in MN]

Sanding will grind the dirt into the surface. I'd go with a mild cleaner like Murphy's Oil Soap, as suggested earlier.

 

[honcho]

Power washing on wood is a bad thing. It will clean off the surface and rip the wood fibers up. Scrub it with soap and a stiff brush, Scrape it with a paint scraper. I'm making an assumption that it is a natural finish, not varnished nor painted.

 

[nine4gmc]

x3 for the Murphy's oil soap.

 

[pendragon1998]

How about taking a hand plane to them? A few passes and they will be down to clean wood. No fuss, no muss.

 

[arsco]

cabinet scraper

 

[DTE]

I have pressure washed several old wooden ammo and dynamite crates and have had great results, it would be no different than pressure washing a deck, you just need to be mindful of the tip you use, the pressure and distance from the wood. Washing it will stand the grain up but it just depends on the results your looking for. It will dry out.

 

[Dagny]

I'll assume it's hard maple very dense closed grain wood. I think it would take some very high pressure to damage it.

 

[Fender1325]

Agreed

 

[Adam.C]

What's on it? You might do better with a petrochemical. And did it have finish on it like a varnish?

Pressure washer would be the last option I would choose. Ammonia and a scrub brush would be first. It's a gentle degreaser cleaner that leaves nothing behind to effect refinish. Next would be mineral spirits, then lacquer thinner, then acetone, then belt sander or cabinet scraper.

Not always easy to handlplane glued up maple. Need a fine, super sharp smoothing plane to avoid tearing reversing grain. Grit embedded in the wood would dull the blade. I've done it and spent as much time sharpening as planing. Best result tho.

 

[SantaAna12]

What finish is on it?

 

[---]

Got pics?

 

[bsg]

Thanks everyone for the replies, unfortunately no pic's but a little background.

I spent the day cleaning the legs of dirt and grime, I have no idea what was on these, they came out of a Community College almost 15 years ago and have been in storage ever since.....I used Zep purple cleaner I picked up from Home Depot and had good results, after scrubbing, the grime would not come off without it, not even power washing.

I will use the cleaner on the top with a hose to rinse everything clean.

My biggest concern was destroying the tops using the power washer, these tops are 2" thick x 4' x 9'.

Unsure what finish is on the top now, I will find out this week........I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks again everyone.

Kevin

 

[Hammer1963]

You can always use a 6" DA or hand held belt sander, sand away the damage and recoat it with the finish of your choice. My guess is the original finish is lacquer.

 

[fatfillup]

The trick to pressure washing wood is to use a chemical to loosen the soil and wash from at least a foot away. Too close and you will raise the grain and splinter the wood. Let the chemical do the work and be patient as dwell time on the chemical is everything.

If it is a lacquer finsh then sanding or paint stripping would be needed.

 

[bsg]

Here's a long overdue update, I used the Zep cleaner with a scrub brush and rinsed with a hose, worked great!

First two pic's are before, the legs have already been cleaned......should have took pictures of those before, they were nasty!

Kevin

 

[CNGsaves]

That's going to be nice when done OP . . . keep up progress !!

I'd give it light sanding with 1/2 sheet square flat sander. Wood looks to be in pretty good shape now that you have grime removed.

Then either stain or oil to your tastes/uses. Good luck.

 

[bsg]

That's going to be nice when done OP . . . keep up progress !!

I'd give it light sanding with 1/2 sheet square flat sander. Wood looks to be in pretty good shape now that you have grime removed.

Then either stain or oil to your tastes/uses. Good luck.

I still haven't decided what to do for the finish, the tops have holes in them from the vises that were removed.

In the mean time I have some more flat surfaces to pile **** on!

Kevin

 

[cat06]

thats a nice bench

 

[bsg]

thats a nice bench

There's actually two benches there......I bought them for doing sheet metal work, needed a large surface to work on.

Kevin