How to clean untreated wood cladding and restore its colour

If left untreated, wood cladding will eventually become ‘weathered’ and turn grey due to sun exposure. It will also become dirty, which can prevent your new finish from properly adhering to the wood.

Before attempting to apply your new finish, it’s essential to clean the untreated wood to remove all of the dirt and grime and to restore your wood cladding back to its natural colour. By cleaning your wood cladding beforehand, you are ensuring that your finish can actually penetrate into the wood (dirt can prevent this) and are reducing the likelihood of your finish peeling and flaking shortly after application.

We recommend using Net-Trol to clean your wood and restore its natural colour, without damaging the wood’s fibres. This non-aggressive, fast-acting wood cleaner is harmless to plants and shrubs and works to clean and rejuvenate wood cladding in as little as 15 minutes.

What tools will I need?

You will need a stiff bristled synthetic brush (such as a broom) and a synthetic brush or roller (medium or long pile).

How to use Net-Trol

1. Wet your wood cladding with clean water.
2. Apply Net-Trol with your synthetic brush or roller.
3. Scrub the surface with your stiff bristled brush, then leave it for approximately 10-20 minutes. If the wood cladding starts to dry, spray it with a mist of water.
4. Scrub the cladding whilst rinsing it with water. You can use a pressure washer if you wish (max. 60 bar).
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 if required.

You’ll need to let your wood cladding dry for 48 hours before applying your chosen finish.

What do I need to know?

Make sure that you follow all instructions and take the safety precautions specified on the tin. You’ll need to ensure that you shake the container before use and cover any areas you want to protect.

Surrounding plants and shrubs will need to be thoroughly wet.

When working with vertical wood cladding, it’s important to work from bottom to top, in order to avoid streaking.

You should also make sure that you don’t apply Net-Trol when the temperature is below 5℃ or above 35℃. It’s also worth bearing in mind that a hot surface will mean that your product will dry too quickly.

What if I want to keep the weathered grey look?

Some people like the grey colour wood turns due to sun exposure.

It’s still important to waterproof your wood, even if you don’t want to paint or oil it. We’d recommend H4 wood to make sure your wood is waterproof.

In the next part of this guide, we’ll be discussing how to protect wood cladding with saturating wood oils.

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