RPetry

Diamond Jim, Nah, you do not want to intimidate hen-pecked husband customers. "Lil' Boner" is very innocuous and may actually let them feel like a real man for a moment! Hah!

If you have any interest in the Universe, Astrobiology, SETI, odd languages or just enjoy science fiction, the following interview may be a good read. http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/pdf/interview01.pdf

Hah! That is a good one Jim. Hmmm..., RS light brown with A-C toner... Let's see, how about "Little Boner"! Like it.

Beth, Real nice work. Don't you just love prepping and staining those "ray" designed spindles? I like that A-C color mix on PT.

Kevin, To be honest, and quite frank, you do not have a clue as to what you are suggesting or even talking about. Check out the stain polls here on TGS for the past several years. Do you think all these contractors have been fooling their customers over multiple years? We have tested and tried various oil stains over the years. Baby oil still wins, hands down.

Tony, I have noticed sap being liberated to the surface on older, PT SYP, not WRC. This seems to happen sporadically, maybe 20% of the time, after a very strong, deep cleaning of poorly maintained wood. This "white stuff" can appear around knots but also in streaks within the grain. Often, it does not show up until a week or more after working on the wood. Usually, it is only in a few spots of the total deck.

Kevin, My customers, some who have been with us at the 8 year mark, would tend to disagree. So do I.

As an example. The picture attached is high quality Western Red Cedar stripped of foul 1 yr. old Penofin stain. That is Penofin seen on the vertical house T&G cedar siding. Stained with RS natural cedar, second coat, still wet. This cedar was "buffed" lightly with a RO at 60 grit. No hard sanding. Its cedar, full of natural extractives. You do not want to "heat" the wood and bring them to the surface where they will foul up your finish.

Diamond Jim, Does that stand for Second Coat As Required? We've been doing that with RS for many years.

Tony, There is an old saying, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". For 15 yr. old PT, real nice job.

And will it be VOC compliant nationwide in 2010? Changing horses in mid stream can be costly. Tony, I think that PT deck looks terrific. How old was the wood in your pictures? Do not know much about A-C stain, have only used it a few times. But if it has parafin oil in it, at least with Ready Seal, the final color does not "come out" for a week or 10 days after final application.

Ken, I only wish I had found this business fifteen or twenty years ago when I had the drive and energy to make a real go at it. Project consulting and then software development businesses got in the way. Very happy to be doing wood restoration at this stage in life. Small scale suits me and our family situation just fine. And it is nice not to have the time demands and crazy 24 hr. on call schedules of past endeavors. I'm glad those days are over!

Ken, Hah! I'll take that as a compliment!

Beth, Look closer, I just noticed it. A bit of firring underneath the left handrail. Not that anyone would complain!

Ken, Probably next year. Still have about a 5'er of that mix in stock.

Ken, Terrific post. I think I understand exactly your sentiments. We do nowhere near that volume of exterior wood. We have developed a niche market. Not always high end wood, but high end customers. At this stage in life, volume holds no interest, only business headaches. Been around that block a few times, and a "craft" operation is perfect. I'm getting old. Hah!

Daniel, The horizontal wood might have held its color just a little bit better than WTW, but it would be close. Stain color is close to Ready Seal medium red on mahogany. The one good thing about WTW is the look when you go to collect the check! Attached is a pic when finished last year.

Charlie, I don't know, have not spoken with him in a while. I will ask the next time we talk on the phone.

Ken, Are you saying that there is "bad" or "inferior" pigment affecting the look of the stain? Or that transoxides on some wood just does not look good?

Checked on the only Wood Tux job we did last year. This is red mahogany stained in mid June of 2008. The color is the old WoodZotic mix. The deck could use a light cleaning, but the stain has held up very well. No mold or mildew problem, as others have reported.

Charlie, IMO, the black in the wood does not look too bad for old PT wood. Seriously doubt that it has anything to do with A-C stain. The firring between the deck boards and some on top does not look good.

Has anyone stripped A-C, semi-solids or toners yet?

Although this wood season has been difficult due to wet weather, I have the best crew ever. Chris, the young man in the middle of the picture, is in his 3rd season with us. He will be a senior this fall at the University of Michigan. Mike, the young man on the right, is in his first season with Windsor WoodCare. Wish I had found him last year! Mike will be a senior this year at Duke. Both are intelligent, great with customers, dependable, and hard working. I am really fortunate to have such terrific college kids this summer.