RPetry

***** and WRAPI. Not sure about WRAPI, have not paid any more dues and have not heard from them in a very long time.

+10. The wood tells you what it needs. Many jobs need a lot.

This is a Diamond Jim - Windsor WoodCare production. New cedar sided home, with larch window and door frames. Ipe' dock, 3 separate ipe' decks, and ipe' front entrance. Still in progress. It is a real pleasure and a hoot to be working with Jim Foley. The wood is not too shabby either...

Daniel, Read the complete thread. As stated, the cedar was sanded. A prepped pic is above. No, we do not use osborne brushes. I don't sue for minor, inconsequential facial damage. I do not sue friends, relatives, decent people, or neighbors.

Jeff, Finished job. The stain is Ready Seal, natural cedar color. Stain still wet when pics were taken.

Ken, We have never used Baker's, but isn't it a paraffin oil based stain, without any linseed? If so, how does it "flash"? And even if it does "flash" for the moment, doesn't it just even out after a few hours? Does it "lap" like traditional linseed oil stains? Kind of curious, if so, compared to other paraffin oil stains.

Nice job Pat, that Baker's color looks real good on PT. Got my first mahogany job from my bank exec. when opening up a business account many years ago.

Ken, Don't scare me like that. Had a neighbor's little Shih Tzu dog, gouge, bruise, and bloody my nose last week. Nasty bite. And I service her deck! Friggin' piece of Shih, given name is "Muffin", I use to call it "Slug with Hair". It's new name is "Cujo".

Jeff, The size, flow, and pressure output of your pressure washer is of small matter. If you have an old stain on the wood, and need to remove it, you will need to strip it off with chemicals, not water pressure. Much depends on the type of stain to be stripped. Sikkens can be difficult, while semi-trans Cabot oil products are generally much easier. If you could post a picture, that would be helpful. If an oil based stain, sodium hydroxide strippers are used. As a homeowner, I'm not sure if there is anything available on the retail market that would be strong enough, much depends on the stain, # of layers, and current condition of the stain(s) to be removed. I know my distributor will only sell commercial wood strippers to contractors. They can be nasty to work with. Attached are a few pics of a small 10 yr. old, clear western red cedar deck with 2 layers of acrylic based semi trans stain that we stripped last Friday, and lightly sanded this morning. Ideally, this is the condition that your cedar should be in before applying a brand new stain. Post a picture, it would be helpful.

That saying should be a mantra written in stone over everyone's work desk.

Scott, The important info is how many strokes were you able to squeeze out of that old hustler? From what I understand, Jake is a devoted and very good golfer! Hope to meet you in Orlando and hack a round or two.

One of the things I love in the exterior wood business is the varied jobs and customers. One week you are working on 2400 sq. ft. of new ipe', in a ritzy neighborhood for a young, nouveau riche customer. The next week you are stripping 2 layers of semi trans acrylic from an older 300 sq. ft. cedar deck, in a working class neighborhood, for a retired couple in their 80's! One job has and architect, designer, and a very demanding customer. The next job has very friendly, appreciative customers that love to interact and converse. Keeps the business interesting.

Large jobs, especially exotic woods and the right customers, can be very profitable. Any job, large or small, if priced correctly, is never a "loser".

Lyle, That is an impressive inventory of sanding equipment! I'm in the market for a standup sander, after experiencing first hand the speed and results of Jim Foley's "Defurno" marble polisher on ipe'. Is there any one type that would suffice for the following uses? As with you, this will only be used on exterior wood decks. Wood types will be primarily western red cedar, red mahogany, and ipe'. We have little need to sand PT deck floors. Ideally, I would like a unit that weight can be "added" as needed. Jim's unit is about 150 lbs., very heavy to load/unload and schlep around. But the weight is needed for buffing woods like ipe'. Really desire something one person can move fairly easily. Less weight is probably desirable for softwoods like cedar, which a light buffing works well and does not raise tannins to the surface. I guess the first criteria is orbital verses random orbital. Jim's unit is orbital and a bit difficult to control initially. Not sure if my help could master this for a while. The other factor is availability of various pads and brushes. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

John, Thanks for your help, nice to have a law enforcement friend. Does it come with ammo? Hah!

Beth, Every door and window was hand crafted in Austria. Every door and window was installed by the same craftsmen who built them. Flew them over, put them up in hotels plus per diem. Nothing "cookie cutter" about this home.

Adrian, Me too. Ipe' has a lot of natural "red" in the nature of the wood anyway. Might as well highlight it! Color swatches done on the "fire pit" ipe' cover underside. RS natural cedar on the left, medium red on the right. Both are "red", but its not the RS stain, it is the wood. Ipe' has a natural mind of its own. So, might as well highlight the wood. It is what it is. After spending $94K on the ipe' decks, dock, and front entrance, show off the real wood. Not a tough sell.

Beth, This is one great job and customer. Its gets no better than this. Understands ipe', wants it maintained, is critical but fair, and just wants his home looking like the multi million $ it deserves. Terriic customer, terrific referral, terrific wood. These are the customers you work years and strive for.

Ken, A few pics of the back of the home facing the lake. IMO, this is no cracker jack box type of home. The architect did a good job, except for 2 friggin' electrical outlets on the lakeside of the house. Fini. Done with the ipe'. This was the best job of the year so far. Terrific quality wood, detailed and demanding, yet wonderful customers. They care about their wood. Maintenance oiling of the ipe' in the spring.

Pat, Using a bleach/soap/water solution, or a percarbonate based wood cleaner, we do pressure wash the handful of Trex and composite decks that we service. Low pressure, but pressure wash none the less. Faster, less expensive for the customer, and results are superb. On a side note, when are you going to train your installers to leave a gap between horizontal deck "boards". We've had to remove, rip, and route an edge, and reinstall on more than a few occasions. One job comes to mind where the Trex actually buckled up. Too many Trex installations have no drainage and pools of water create an ice skating rink in the winter, and a mold and mildew nursery in the summer.

Pictures 1 & 2. Armstrong-Clark cedar semi trans on the ipe' front entrance landing. Same stain on the smooth cedar T&G horizontal siding. 3rd picture is Ready Seal medium red stain on an ipe' "wing" deck.

Ken, Holy smokes, that is one huge job. Triple decker on one side, and an elevated gazebo on the other. Add in that you guys had to strip an acrylic which is the proverbial nightmare. Oh yeah, and the very cooperative weather we've had here in the northeast. Congrats on getting that one done!

Diamond Jim Foley has ruined my life. Introduced me to a sweet young thing this morning and we are "head over heels" about each other. Here I am, 56, very happily married for 21 years, and comfortable with life. One look at this little miss and that was forgotten. A bit on the hefty side, weighing in at 150 lbs., but what a wild cat. Turns on like a switch, and is a bit uncontrollable at first. The unbelievable moves she makes! First tried to just hang on with my arms, but that was not enough! This gal is strong! Back and forth she goes and can get out of hand, to the point I have to "kill the switch" (if ya' know what I mean!). After a while, got her rhythm and timing down. Took some practice, and with strong thigh pressure, along with some lower leg strength, we became one. Oh, the ecstasy! Meet Miss Defurno. What am I going to tell my sweet and lovely wife?

Nah, both you and Barbara will always be special, my prime wood minxes. Especially Barbara, she'll be down in Orlando! Now..., if I can only figure out how to get Tom out of the Marriott for a few hours. Hah!