RPetry

Ken, I hear you, and have no doubt if marketed and operationally set up correctly, house washing can be much more lucrative than exterior wood. Guess I'm too stubborn and gettin' old and "fat".

Daniel, I do not know, just have no interest in it. Guess I have no affinity for vinyl.

Nah, life's too short to force yourself to do anything you do not want to do. Have managed to avoid housewashes, concrete cleaning, etc. for 8 or 9 years. Been through stormy weather many times in the past, will sail through this latest bout.

Arrrgggg! Four out of five days this week, it has rained. Thought we had a small window this morning to get some staining done. But no, more storms just had to come in at about 5:30 AM. We have a weather crisis here, not an economic one. Business is fine, but we cannot finish any work. Calling DC later to see if any TARP giveaway $'s are available. Woodies need weather relief! Forecast is a "Flash Flood Watch" for later today and tonight. So tomorrow will be another wash out. This weather pattern just has to change or I'll be sharing the dogs dinner bowls.

Mike, That looks terrific. Kind of surprised, its not that lighter than light brown, my favorite Ready Seal color on knotty cedar. Nice job.

Tony, Here in central NJ, we usually start on exterior wood the last week in March or the first week in April. Dependent on temperatures, we usually pack it in for the season the last week of October or the first week of November. The problem is not prepping or staining, it's just that wood will not dry out enough to stain in the winter months.

Adrian, That is a neat deck. Funny, here in NJ, people are tearing out their wood decks and installing stone or concrete patios. There in Texas, people are installing wood over their concrete! On very old teak furniture that will not clean up to a light color, I agree that Ready Seal does not look good. On the other hand, with newer teak or teak that does clean up to a bright color, Ready Seal stains fine. First pic is medium red on old teak furniture. Kind of "muddy" looking in my opinion. Second pic is light brown on my own teak. I like it.

Beth & Jon, Hah! We are goobers. Nine years and still kicking. No skill at all, just experience. Its raining, time to go fish.

Rick, Great name by the way. Hah! Finally someone here with a good sense of humor. I just cannot fathom a Doctor or anyone else violating that part of the human body. As a skinny little white boy, hope I never go to prison!

Beth, U2 is an old rock band. LN is a puzzle. Care to elaborate? BTW, the Defy waterbase on my own ipe' deck as a test shows a lot of promise.

Jon, Good eye. That crap is silly garbage sold by Oprah wanna be's. Not my cup of tea. Long Island is good enough for most people. My wife can be sold on some stupid stuff.

Jon, Beer is good food. AFAIK, my health is perfect. Have a 5 yr. checkup scheduled for Nov., but they are not touching my colon. I do not watch TV, it is a pablum for the uninspired and a waste of time. A good smoke and a stiff drink is what made America. Just ask Bill Clinton, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, or even FDR. George Bush the 2nd or Jimmy Carter were the only Presidents that I know in my lifetime that were teetotalers. Look where that got us. Wish President Obama would start drinking more, his policies would make more sense.

Ken, You are a novice. My wife is away at her brother's home in the Hamptons for a while, leaving me to fend for myself. Attached is a picture of dinner last night.

Ken, Hah!, good post. Diamond Jim sleeps with a 5'er of sodium hypochlorite along with his sweet wife. Your count on greenies is conservative. It is 4:30 PM at the moment and 4 went by the wayside long ago. Film forming stains are a bit difficult to maintain. Baby oil stains are a breeze. Take that, Fenner! Hah!

Jon, This has to be tongue in cheek. You cannot be serious. Russel is or maybe was a salesman, not a bona fide stain manufacturer.

Hah! Wise post.

Jon, You are partially correct. But between April and November, I am too busy to be "retired". Had a project management consulting business and then a software development business along the way to build up a nest egg. In good years, our investments make more money than Windsor WoodCare. Never had kids, a real savings. My wife Judy is a spendthrift, so am I. We tended to save more than spend over the past 21 years. I do know a few specialty wood contractors that make more than a decent livelihood. One in particular is "retired", and currently building a 3rd "second" home in the front range of the Colorado Rockies. My little business will never yield that kind of cabbage. But I'm 56, fat on life, and happy as a clam. If I had the drive and energy of 20 yrs. ago, yes, one can make a good livelihood .

Adrian, Hah!, good post. Seen tornadoes at a distance and they are the wrath of God. Scary. Truth be told, I'd sacrifice my Decker 5'er in a flash just to get out of there! We all like to think we're tough guys, but learn better when the $hit hits the fan!

Cedar can be a true PITA. But its a great looking wood. Stripped this deck, along with a porch and front entrance, of a foul, failing Penofin applied by some painter last year. You can see the remaining lousy looking Penofin on the vertical T&G cedar on the deck. Poor customer, the entire house is stained with this stuff. Brightened with citric acid, no sanding, and stained with 2 separate oilings of Ready Seal, natural cedar color.

Ken, No argument here. There are a bunch of different ways to skin a cat. I am generally in the field most days either doing work, estimates, or training my help. I can keep an eye on operations and work quality. I have just found over the years that masking with plastic is a waste of materials, time, and money. Of course, even with an adjustable HLVP, we do get stain drops on siding, even when "cutting in" with a brush. Either a quick wipe with a paper towel, or if the stain has dried, Simple Green, scrub brush, and a paper towel make short work of clean up. I just find our method of operation more efficient. Beth, I have never, in 9 years, ever had a customer ask me if we mask the house. Mind you, most of our business comes from referrals or the web site. We do use plastic sheeting occasionally. Only for patios or stone underneath an overhanging deck. We do not use airless sprayers. Only HVLP equipment designed to apply wood stains.

Ken, Opinion accepted. I personally do not care for the slight masking of the grain that clay pigments have to offer. Of course, the other benefit of parafin oil stains is the ease and cost of maintenance. To each, his own. Jon, I have tried a few different oil stains over the years. "Gotta break jaws" is a terrific line and selling point. You mostly do log/wood sided homes which is a different animal than 2 yr. maintenance decks. Hey, different strokes for all us folks. I sell my services, which includes my selection of stain. If they do not like it for any reason, its America, and they can hire someone else. There are other opportunities waiting in the wings. This is what makes America great.

Charlie, The above is one of the most astute, intelligent, on the money posts ever in wood care here on TGS. You are wise beyond your years. How old are you?

Adrian, I do. It is the most money making piece of equipment in my arsenal. It would be the first and last thing on the truck before I skidaddled ... Charlie, Went to college in Co. Saw a bunch of twisters over the years on the plains east of the front range. Nasty looking things. Tornadoes do not belong in N.C. or anywhere on the east coast. This is a very strange, foul weather season.

Ken, Sounds good, I'll be your first contractor customer. Just don't give me that "works on wet wood" nonsense.