RPetry

Typical of a water based film coating.

Mordy, #1 - Buy a decent moisture meter. 2 days drying time is not a rule. Hardwoods often dry in a flash, and softwoods can get down to 12 - 14%, depending on wind/sun exposure, humidity, and protection from prior oil in the wood, fairly quickly. #2 - Expect and want to work 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. We're in NJ, and this past Sunday and Memorial Day Monday were out on jobs staining. It is an April into November business in our climate and every "staining" day counts. #3 - Get use to it. It is inherent to the nature of the business. I'll ***** and moan with the best on lousy weather, but have learned to kind of just go with flow on weather. Can't control it, just learn to live with it.

Randy, Respondents can make more than one stain selection in the poll.

Has no bearing on the paraffinic oil, that is in the wood, not on it. Likely, it is linseed oil, with resins and pigment also present on the surface. You may have over applied the stain a bit, but not a problem unless the stain itself is still wet. Is it normal? I would say Yes.

Scott, Did not bother to read the WP article but your summation is hilarious. More funny, a patio guy is an authority on exterior wood! Reminds me of years ago. Consumer Reports gave a Cabot's Acrylic stain the #1 rating over at least 10 other products, including a few oils. Problem was, they never considered possible wood rot, especially with cedar, and maintenance on any wood is a veritable nightmare. As Beth says, nonsense.

John, OK. First 3 pictures were on the day it was delivered to our old townhouse. Note the new BMW convertible in the background of the 1st pic. All this sports car stuff is my wifes fault for buying that car! Had been so long, forgot what fun driving a decent car can be. Took it out with the top down and she would not let me smoke! So, in typical male ego fashion, told her I was going to get my own. And I did! Now we have a new home in the country with 4 garages. Sports cars are trouble! Last 2 pics were taken at NJ Motorsports Park in Millville this past March while you guys were in Albany, NY. Like last year, ran a 2 day track weekend with the Schattenbaum Porsche Club of America. It was so cold, the R compound proxes tires would not grip well. 2 spins off the track but no contact or damage. These little Lotus Elise's are just a hoot to drive. With a few basic mods, different oil pan and better brake pads, they are track ready out of the factory. Of course it does not stop there. Now its a supercharger and Larini exhaust. I'm tired of eating those monster Porche's in the braking zones and turns, but getting blown away on the straights! Its a lot of fun and I'll keep at it until I can't get in or out of the car. Which, at my age, may not be all that long!

Randy, LBC = "Little British Cars"? Inquiring minds want to know ...

Jon, Cars are transitory, children are forever.

Lyle, Good to see you here, you've been AWOL for quite a while! Other active TGS California woodies seem to be MIA. For those not around for some time, Lyle does fine work. Shane, 120 - 240 gals. of stain a week? Hope that is mostly shipping to other contractors. I'm glad we don't do many fences! That is a ton of stain.

Brian, Purchasing or restoring sports cars are a financial advisor's nightmare! But fun and one deserves to enjoy long delayed passions.

Jake Clark of Armstrong-Clark stains was kind enough to email the following link. Funded by Humbolt County, for economic development, local TV ads will go on the air to encourage the use of redwood as opposed to composites. Certainly applicable to other wood species. More info can be found here: http://www.californiaredwoodco.com/2013/04/real-strong-redwood-new-tv-ads-comparing-redwood-to-composites/ The two TV spots are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8KvUEM8JbA&list=UUAV3Su1fesSXKG0e9-X_rQA&index=1 and ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7d_J7yp6nI&list=UUAV3Su1fesSXKG0e9-X_rQA&index=2

John, Hah! We're getting long of tooth. I remember the Opel's, great looking cars. Back in those days, Weber carbs were king. And "blue printing" an engine! Don't think anyone needs to do that today! Relatively new sports cars are so much more reliable, powerful, and handle like a dream. Like mass production cars, tolerances, engineering, and ECU's have made autos easier to maintain and just drive. Progress, instead of wrenching.

Randy, Give Bill Thomas a call. He restores and finds a lot of British cars. Knows the market and "gotcha's". Warning. Older metal can be a $ sink. Like track cars.

Randy, I'll never forget! Keeping that MGB-GT in good road worthy, top running order was a real challenge! British Leyland in the '60's through '80's was a gov't/private enterprise nightmare. As usual, Lotus is in shaky financial straits. The Engineering division does quite well and is possibly the only asset that keeps the car manufacturing afloat. However, so far I've been pleasantly surprised with my 2005 Elise. Purchased it used, about 18 months ago, from the original owner with 20K on the odometer. Have added another ~ 16K miles and 4 track days without a mechanical problem. Bill Thomas did a few minor mods for tracking, but the little car has been bulletproof so far. A Katana2 supercharger and Larini exhaust goes in the end of the month, which should be a huge WHP and torque performance boost. The car N/A can be scary at times in the turns, but I'm tired of pointing the Porsche's by on the straights!

Randy, You will have a great time touring the New Jersey. Jake Clark and I visited the battleship a few yrs. ago on a Sunday after an ACR roundtable, prior to his flight out of PHL. It is surprising, but there are a veritable ton of newer and vintage British car enthusiasts in the greater Delaware Valley. Clubs, "spirited" drives, and track days, usually at NJMP. If you have an "unsolvable" parts or mechanical problem, let me know. Bill Thomas is my go to guy since day one of my Lotus, and does meticulous work. His website is: http://www.wtroadsters.com/

Randy, Congrats! The AH looks to be in terrific condition. A few years after college, bought a well used '74 1/2 MGB-GT with Lucas, and the dual SU carbs that were near impossible to balance. Learned some basic mechanics real fast! But the cars a lot of fun to drive when running right. If interested, there is a get together not far from you of British car buffs tomorrow from 9 - 4. The weather looks to be sunny so I plan on stopping up in the morning with my Lotus Elise. Come on by! More info at: http://lotuspals.ning.com/events/ragtops-and-roadsters-spring-open-house-1

Beth, Its raining, I'm bored ... Here is my current crop of woodcare footwear. The sneaks will last for awhile longer, but the Bean boots are getting a bit punky. Have a new pair but just hate to get strong stripper, bleach, and acid on new leather.

Oops, wrong picture. Same job, but a close up of the old growth redwood and my staining sneaker!

Beth, Could not agree more. Composites look and just feel bad. Even worse are those ugly white vinyl fences. Wish we had more redwood in this area. Somewhat similar to clear WRC but richer in color. Here is a tread replacement we did years ago with old growth redwood shipped in from California. Gorgeous wood.

Shane, That's pretty good, could be a marketing slogan. Or, how about "Real Wood for Real People"?

Allison, Attached are 3 pictures you may use if wanted. I have higher resolution files if needed. We work on a lot of wood, but this is the only dock that I recall. You may want to contact Adrian in the Houston, Tx. area (a moderator here on TGS). He refinishes a good number of fresh water docks.

Shane, Probably a good idea. Beth does not have that cajun drawl! Will attract a bigger market, as most Americans today don't even know what cajun means and think English is only what they hear on TV actor diction.

Rod, The good old National Weather Service on the desktop in the office. First thing I check in the morning, and the last I check at night. Aside from forecasts, the hourly weather graph is helpful. Might as well use it, we're paying for it, and the NWS is actually pretty good. On the job, RadarNow! is a terrific Android app.

Shane, You should write a book.

Shane, Bingo! Short, sweet, and should be a law. Truer words have never been written until this moment concerning exterior wood care.