Purple heart wood is such an interesting wood to work with. When we were invited to come in post-construction to clean and protect several purple heart decks in South Carolina, we were quite excited. At that time we had not heard of the purple heart wood and purple heart wood stain. Exotic woods are our passion so off we went.
The first area evaluated was totally shaded and had not been installed for very many days. The wood was brilliantly purple (hence the name Purple Heart), ranging in tones from deep burgundy to a bright, nearly Easter egg purple! Other decks that had been exposed to sun longer were found to be more gray-brown from oxidation.
Cleaning Purple Heart Wood Decking
To properly clean and prepare the wood to accept purple heart wood stain, we chose Woodrich Brand EFC-38. We applied the cleaner with a pump up sprayer. Thorough rinsing is very important. We used a pressure washer with a high volume water flow but low pressure was used so as not to damage the wood lignens. Because of the low pressure, very little furring occurred. We did elect to lightly buff the deck surfaces to ensure there were no splinters later.
Purple Heart Wood Deck Stain
For finishing these purple heart decks, at our recommendation, the customer chose Woodrich Brand Hardwood Wiping stain in Warm Honey Gold. This product allows exceptional protection from the elements while enhancing the variety of tones in this exotic wood. Our application method was to spray the stain with a pump up sprayer then pad and hand wipe the excess. The final result was wood that was well oiled and conditioned.
Here is a comparison photo of purple heart wood in its natural state side by side with purple heart wood stain protected by Woodrich Brand Hardwood Wiping Stain. The natural color is simply enhanced by the oils and will last much longer before graying.
