You can apply the brightener right away after cleaning. If there are puddles of water, try to broom those off before applying the brightener. There is no maximum amount of time you can wait, as long as you apply the brightener at some point before you stain.
Yes, you can usually wait up to about three weeks before the sun will start causing the wood to lost its natural color.
Short Answer: 150 square feet
HD-80 should be applied heavily at a rate of about 150 square feet per gallon. The stripper is designed to soften existing stain and sealers to a near liquid consistency. The amount of time this process takes depends on many factors. The type/brand of finish being removed, the number of “coats” or applications, the amount of direct sunlight the wood receives and the amount of time since the last application all play a major role.
HD-80 stripper is only active when it is wet. If the stripper begins to dry before the existing finish has softened enough, more stripper should be sprayed on to keep it wet. This will reduce your effective spread rate.
A high quality oil based exterior stain should be reasonably easy to strip. The “dwell time” or the amount of time the stripper needs to soften it thoroughly is usually about 15 min or less when the temp is about 70 degrees. Under these conditions you can count on that 150 square foot per gallon estimate.
If you are stripping several layers of a cheap water based, or worse a water reducible alkyd based product the dwell time is going to be much longer. Film forming products that crack and peel are often the most difficult to remove. Sometimes you have to keep the surface wet for up to an hour to completely soften all the layers to the point they can be gently power washed off.
If you are doing this work in the direct sun, on a breezy day you are going to have to apply the HD-80 several times in order to keep it wet that entire time. Each time you soak the surface your spread rate is going to be roughly 15o square feet per gallon, however your effective rate for the project might be half that or less.
This is the main reason professional contractors will almost always perform a scratch test to determine how long its going to take to strip the surface and better estimate how much stripper they will need to complete the job. For the DIY community we offer sample test kits so you can determine how easy your wood will be to restore.
It is okay if the wood is damp (with no puddles) or dry when applying EFC-38. The cleaner could become diluted if the wood has a lot of puddles. Wood that is in the direct sun can become hot to the touch. It is okay to mist the wood with a little water to cool it off before applying the EFC-38. This will help the cleaner stay wet and active longer.
HD-80 and EFC-38 are both very effective cleaners for concrete and hard surfaces.
Of course you want to follow all of the same safety precautions as when they are used for wood restoration.
Citralic Brightener/Neutralizer will effectively remove rust and other mineral stains from concrete.
For severe concrete stains, you can wet the area and then grind in some of the dry Citralic powder making a thin paste. Allow that paste to dry on the surface and then rinse away. Repeat as necessary.
There are two restoration kits available. One of them comes with the EFC-38, Environmentally Friendly Cleaner and mild stripper. The other comes with the HD-80 Heavy Duty Stripper. They both come with the Citralic Brightener/Neutralizer.
The basic process is the same whichever combination you choose. For detailed information, you can find a complete how to video here: https://woodrichbrand.com/videos/
In the most basic terms the steps are as follows:
Mix either the EFC-38 or the HD-80 with water at 2/3 cup of powder to 1 gallon water.
Pour into a Pump Style Garden Sprayer and apply to the surfaces you intend to restore.
Perform a scratch test (in several locations) with the scratch stick provided or a stick from the yard to determine when it is time to power wash.
A successful scratch test will allow you to easily expose fresh clean wood with gentle pressure.
The material you are trying to remove should be about the consistency of pudding.
When you have success each time you test, its time to power wash.
Gently power wash all of the surfaces you intend to restore.
When you have finished power washing it is time to apply the brightener/neutralizer.
Mix and apply the brightener/neutralizer the same as you did with the first step.
2/3 cup per gallon of water, mix in bucket, pour into pump sprayer and apply.
Allow the brightener to sit on the wood at least 5 min, longer doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t matter if it dries on the wood.
Give the wood a final rinse. For this step you can use either a garden hose or a power washer.
Allow the wood to dry and it is ready to stain.
Please feel free to contact project support at 636-288-8512 for more detailed information.
*This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide or represent complete usage instructions.
(You must also follow safety procedures, protect adjacent surfaces from over spray and etc.)
It is a dry powder. Mix it with water in a five gallon pail, then transfer it to your pump sprayer.
This stripper is most effective at removing wood stains and sealers. This stripper will not remove latex paint. It will remove some oil based paint. There is a sample test kit available. If you are unsure what is on your deck, it is a good idea to test the stripper for effectiveness, before ordering enough to complete the entire job.
For “normal” stripping jobs, you can make 5 gallons of the stripper. Adjust the strength by adding more or less water. The brightener also makes 5 gallons.
Yes! Wear protective gear when using this product. Read all MSDS and first aid material completely before beginning. Knowing what to do if something goes wrong while using HD-80 will help minimize the risk of serious injury. Keep animals away from areas (confined in home is best) where HD-80 is being used. Keep children and bystanders away while using HD-80.
HD-80 will produce chemical burns on plants and grass and will eventually kill them if precautions are not taken. Spray all vegetation with water that is in the vicinity and cover sensitive plants in close proximity with plastic to avoid exposure.
Yes. You can use HD-80 to clean concrete, vinyl siding, brick, Trex, and also PVC.
Not only will the end result be less attractive, most assuredly the finish you apply will fail prematurely.
Use Citralic Brightener/Neutralizer to brighten up the wood. This helps to neutralize any sodium hydroxide after stripping. Citralic also returns the wood to it’s natural color.
In most cases HD-80 will easily remove mold and mildew. If there is an extreme build up of mold and mildew you can add one cup of bleach per gallon of product. Please note that bleach can damage the wood and should be rinsed as soon as possible. (NEVER mix bleach with EFC-38)
The best method is the dry scratch test. Use a stir stick or similar item to scratch at the finish. When it can easily be removed down to bare wood it is time to rinse.If any stain is still present, reapply HD-80 again until it is easily removed. We recommend that you perform several scratch tests in different areas prior to rinsing.
Depending on the coating you are removing, it can take from just a few seconds to as much as 15 minutes per layer of finish being removed.
The coating will change color and the wood will turn dark. Use a scratch test to determine when the existing finish has been fully emulsified and is ready to strip.
No. HD-80 is stable in solution and has a long shelf life. You can premix it with water into a concentrate for use later. Just dilute it in order to meet your needs.
Mix 8 oz (1/2 LB) per gallon of water for full strength. In dry measure that is about 2/3 cup. You can then dilute it up to 4 to 1 with water depending on the job at hand.
HD-80 works on removing oil based sealants, latex or alkyd stains, semitransparent or solid color stains, polymer/resin based coatings, acrylic based coatings and paint. Removes SIKKENS, BEHR, CABOT, PENOFIN, TWP, CWF, READY SEAL, WOLMAN, OLYMPIC, CUPRINOL, ABR, FLOOD, and some paints.
Yes. You can use cold water in order to mix it with.
Rod Anderson –
Ordering was super simple. Best prices I could find was right here on woodrich-brand.com. Package arrived quicker than expected. Couldn’t be happier
BB –
Works well removing most of the Behr Acrylic. The major concern was that the HD-80 ran out on my 400 sq ft deck. Might have mixed too strong of the chemical per gallon. Container was not that full.
Both containers had contaminates which led to clogged sprayer tip and clogged sprayer intake tube. Had two sprayers handy so for the project it was not a serious issue.
Anonymous –
Stripper did a great job stripping old log stain. (I wasn’t careful enough in one area & also stripped a little of the pre-painted soffit.
Brightener actually did a nice job of brightening logs.
Sue –
My new house has a small porch and deck that had been neglected for some years, and the deck was a very sad looking grey color, except where it was black with dirt. I used EFC-38 in the belief that most of what remained on the wood was transparent stain. It cleaned off lots of dirt, and lots of stain, leaving behind some handsome bare wood, but there was much more solid stain than I expected still on the boards. Restripped with HD-80, and this got the rest. It did need scrubbing (didn’t use pressure washer) – that was the only hard part. Stiff broom did most of it, had to use a toothbrush under doorstep – next time, pressure washer. I did 400+ square feet and one kit was more than enough. Wood looked really good after it was stripped/brightened, even the greyest boards. Applied stain last Saturday and my porch and deck now look great.
Mr. Hogan –
Products work great! Wood stripper worked like a charm…..amazing!
Brad Sloan –
Worked much better than the Behr alternative!
Freshscape LLC –
Exceeding my expectations by a factor of 10!!
Thomas McGrath –
I’ve been wanting to strip my Ipe deck for sometime. I have had this deck for 18 years and have never stripped it. I’ve only done the stairs so far but the deck is going to look beautiful when I apply the wiping stain. Pretty easy considering how many coats of stain on it. Sprayed it on and when ready brushed it and hit it with pressure washer. Very happy with this product.
Robert Hastings –
Used this to remove peeling deck stain that was applied 1 year ago. Simple, does the job, and very cost effective. Deck looks like new. Couldn’t be happier with the performance of this product.
Karen Kopnicky –
product works very well but it doesn’t go as far as they said it would. I thought I ordered enough for my whole deck but since you have to keep it wet I kept reapplying. So I ran out and will have to order more stripper. I think the brightener should be okay since I shouldn’t have to keep that wet for 15 minutes. I haven’t tried the brightener yet since I am still stripping.
Anonymous –
Used this on 10 year-old, never been stained, black with mold wood. Painted the HD-80 on and left it on for about a half hour. Rinsed and brushed it, then painted on the brightener. It was getting brighter as I was painting it on. Let that sit for about 15 minutes or so, and WOW, the wood looked brand new! I highly recommend this product.
James Heckel –
I couldn’t be happier with the results I achieved. It stripped the old finish off my log home with relative ease, but it did take more than I figured it would to do the job. The cost was reasonable and the delivery time was fast. Thanks for a great product.
Todd K –
I recently purchased a house with a 14 year old 450 SF deck. It was stained with Olympic stain and I dreaded the thought of trying to get it off. I did some research and decided to try HD 80. I had to use a little more of the product to keep it wet for the 15 minute work time. At first I was concerned since the wood didn’t really look cleaner, it actually looked darker. I then used the Brightener. I could actually watch the transformation taking place. I am AMAZED how well this stuff works. The wood looks new and I certainly didn’t expect it come out this nice.
David –
I am not at all pleased with the results. The directions were followed but the stain remover and brightener did not provide the advertised results. I will have to end up renting a sander to complete the job properly.
Anonymous –
We have a Cumaru hardwood deck that was stained several years ago with heavy pigmented stain. We have tried several products to remove it with little success. We used HD-80 followed by neutralizer/brightener on the deck this weekend and completely removed the stain. I would caution to mix the product in a well ventilated area. It should be mixed in a well ventilated area and use eye and skin protection.
Gary Jefferson –
We added on to our 20+ year old existing deck that had a worn and peeling solid latex stain on it (2 layers) so we needed to strip it before staining the whole thing. We applied the HD80 following the instructions and used a power washer to remove it. Only did one application of the HD80 and it removed about 95% of the latex stain. Followed with the brightener and existing deck looked like new. We were very pleased with the results.
Susan B –
We have A HUGE deck. The footprint of the deck is bigger than our house footprint. Last year I started restaining it. I tried everything to remove the old solid stain. Hd 80 and brightener did it. I wasted a lot of time and money on the other junk. Won’t use anything but this from now on. Wish I could give it 10 stars….