Q. I have an older deck and fence that has grayed out and is somewhat stained. How can I restore old wood to its original appearance?
A. Western red cedar, cypress and other resin-rich wood species have tannins, which are natural oils that weather to a gray look. You can remove the tannin from the wood’s surface using a deck-cleaning product containing oxalic acid, which will remove the damaged surface to expose fresh wood. Be sure to follow all cautionary statements.
