RPetry

This is very funny. Just received an email from a high level Ready Seal employee, who will remain anonymous, as follows: "I estimate that you will get 25 sq ft per gallon on the shakes. Please order accordingly. Thanks for your support. I have a tuition payment tomorrow. Actually my daughter thanks you. If you cut it with mineral spirits it will penetrate better and you will use more product." Take care in what you post. Even small boutique stain manufacturers monitor these web sites. It's a hoot, funny, and a tongue in cheek dig on some of the nonsense posted on these wood boards.

Daniel, I was going to make a public inappropriate response to your post, but am old enough and maybe wise enough to know right from wrong. Talk to Lyle, he knows his stuff.

So true. As we're starting our 2nd wood house on Thursday, a major screw up would be very costly. 32 yr. old beat up, unmaintained cedar shakes. It will take a ton of oil. Peirce will be smiling as he makes the bank deposit.

Hey John, Yeah, as a kid I use to sit on the rim of the Grand Canyon for the view. Jumped out of perfectly good airplanes for a thrill. No more. Although bungee jumping is still on the wish list. Best wishes for a successful recovery. And thanks for being a police officer. Being said, flatwork sounds more dangerous than wood work. I think I'll stick to what I know. Only if they are in the Hamptons and own a car worth more than my home.

Diamond Jim, The godfather of the BDA? Hah!, good for you and him. Shane did some terrific wood work down in Texas.

Lyle, Good redwood is a pleasure to work with. Much more forgiving than many Western Red Cedars. Unfortunately, we do not see much redwood, aside from high end kids playsets, here in NJ. A very good ipe' customer of mine just ordered 1200 sq. ft. of old growth, T&G planed redwood from Ca. She is a designer, working on a new outdoor living area for a regional auto dealer magnate. I've used this foundation in the past to obtain some premier old growth redwood. Service can be a bit spotty but their wood is terrific. Overview

Diamond Jim, That is 7200 sq. ft. of wood. With a PumpTec unit and RS, Scott's time estimate should be close for a privacy, flatboard type of fence. If shadowbox construction, add maybe another 30% or so.

Daniel, Either you have a very poor, selective memory or you ignore what others' post. Earlier in this very same thread I wrote the following: I have been using my own ipe' deck as a test bed for various stains and acids over the years. This has been documented here on the Grime Scene, with pictures, comments, and general discussion. Obviously, prior to laying down a new test stain, the ipe' is stripped, brightened, and lightly sanded. Actually, last year I tested Defy for Hardwoods on my ipe' prior to stripping it off this past Spring. The year before that I tested AC Rustic Brown. As far as your statement, "you've pumped that deck so full of RS over the years", it appears you know little about ipe'. Due to its' density, the wood absorbs very little oil, including paraffin oil. Having been stripped three times in three years since there was RS applied to the ipe', there is certainly no RS left in my ipe'. My experience with the AC Mahogany, which has held up extremely well for the first 6 months of summer, is very encouraging. So at this point I would have to say "Yes" to your question. I've been using Ready Seal almost exclusively on customer wood for about 9 years. Certainly, that is not going to change. Dependent on how well the AC Mahogany holds up through this winter on my test ipe', and the ease of maintenance, I may offer the stain to ipe' customers that want a different "look" that a hybrid oil provides.

Daniel, The AC mahogany stain used on my ipe' is at least a year old, maybe two. I "won" a 5'er of it winning a stain contest on the woodpros.com.

Daniel, I thought this might add a bit of levity to the discussion. Judy, the dogs, and I were sitting on our ipe' deck this evening. Nolie, the snot nosed Schnauzer, started playing with his favorite beach ball. Took a look and low and behold, it is covered with nasty mold/mildew! No indication of such on the ipe'/PT spindled AC mahogany stained deck. I guess AC works fine in this region of NJ, unless you are staining some kind of rubberized vinyl.

Jeff, That is essentially correct. Keep in mind that mineral spirits are one of numerous solvents. Penetration qualities also depend on the type of oil you are trying to get into the wood. Paraffin oil naturally is quite good at penetration into wood. Linseed and other oils need more solvent.

Daniel, Respectfully, you are either not explaining the process or expectations with your homeowners. If that is not the case, you are doing work for stupid or deaf customers. They, as well as price shoppers, are to be avoided like the plague. Learned a long time ago in this business that you qualify your customers face to face. Not many, but some are not worth doing business with.

Daniel, Yes it is. But it may not be the stain, it may be the prep. Regardless, the only time I've seen RS seep out on the surface after application is late in the season, think October, when it can get into the low 40's F. or even mid to high 30's F. at night. The wood contracts, and the paraffin oil can come back to the surface of the wood. But typically, after 10:00 AM, the paraffin oil is back down into the wood where it belongs. Our contracts state not to use or walk on the finished deck for 48 hours after final stain application. Not that a customer can hurt the finish, but I do not want any customer tracking possible surface oil/resin/stain into their home. Never had a complaint, claim, or known occurance in 9 years. And we do a fair amount of decks, especially ipe'.

Diamond Jim, Hah! You should take up golf. We could load the cart with Greenies, bet on holes/shots, and have a hoot! Maybe score an oz. of dried mushrooms? Now that would be a round worth remembering, especially at our age!

Daniel, As far as I know, that is correct. Certainly on the solvent side. I doubt that statement. My company, as well as numerous other contractors, have been using Ready Seal stains for a long time. Our stain applications for the past 9 years on customers' wood have been probably 95% Ready Seal. Nothing brave about that. Just good common sense and good for both our customers exterior wood and good for our businesses. I know nothing about TWP 200. But you should anticipate a job or two before knowing the attributes or any new stain.

Daniel, Very true aside from the fact that your statement should be most stains have had to make formulation changes to conform with the stricter VOC compliance laws.

Daniel, Residing in Ma., even if it is your own deck, I doubt if that speculation is true. Being a contractor, doing work for others, it is certainly not true.

Stumbled on this old thread, and it is interesting. We only work on exterior wood. Being said, it is interesting that in 2009, web sites were not included as a choice. ~ 60% of our new business now comes via the internet. But we are not pressure washers.

Daniel, I'm not sure if either of those manufacturers make an oil based exterior wood stain any longer. If they do so and as larger companies, why would their motives be any different from a small stain producer? Common sense and real world experience indicates, in many large companies, PR hacks and advertising "spin" rule the public perception, not true information. Like it or not, bigger business thrive on the bottom line, not on small contractor experience or perception. I don't know. But as a contractor in Ma., my business in NJ, and others in various states, your custom 550 VOC formula is illegal. I personally am not without faults, but consciously violating the law in my business is unthinkable. My advice would be to find another, legal, exterior decking stain.

It would be enlightening if Jake Clark of AC, Russell Cissell of ESI, or other exterior wood stain manufacturer would reply to this thread.

Running my old Springer Spaniel, Tigger, on a beach bordering the Manasquan River in Brielle, NJ.

Charlie, Well said. Not being intimately familiar with AC stains, as the kids say, "My bad". Good post.

Daniel, With that statement, you are no longer using AC stain.

Brian, Holy smokes. You can play golf. After 2 1/2 yrs., I still stink...

Celeste, Maybe a preparation difference? Do you guys use a moisture meter? I thought Jim and I were strange, being only maybe 130 miles apart. But Charlie being in your own back yard, ie: 20 miles, that is very weird and even spooky.