That 'expert' comment about pressure washing decks had me replacing boards for nothing

Found a guy online who claimed to be a deck restoration guru, and he swore you needed to rent a 4,000 PSI machine and hit the wood at full blast. I did that on my own porch last July in Columbus, and it shredded the top layer like a bad sunburn. Spent $300 on new cedar planks and three weekends replacing them before a neighbor walked over and said I should have used a lower nozzle and gentler angle. The comment section was full of people praising that guy, but honestly, he owes me for the lumber. Has anyone else taken a popular internet take and ended up paying for it in materials?

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daniel_walker18d ago

$300 on cedar and a month of your life gone because some internet guy said full blast? Man, I read that same kind of advice about cleaning my fence and almost did it, but then my neighbor stopped me and said anything over 1500 PSI is just wood removal with extra steps. That “guru” probably never even owned a deck, just a rental counter kickback. I feel for you on the planks, that sanded look on new cedar is brutal. Next time, try a 15 degree tip and keep the wand moving, it sounds dumb but it saves the grain.