RPetry

Beth, That almost looks like a Timber Rattlesnake. Are they known to be in that area of Maryland?

Charlie, Whenever you are doing a stripping or even a "hard" percarb cleaning, wood fiber and old stain is going to get on windows, glass doors, and siding. Just tell your guys to rinse, rinse, and rinse some more. A dual lance comes in handy.

Banerjee, Tirtho Hinduism Today 09-30-2002 NESTLED IN THE SERENE WOODS OF Barolia village near Ramnagar in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, India, a lone Paarijat is believed to be the only living example of its species in the world. The huge tree spreads out in a circle about 50 feet wide and reaches a height of 45 feet. The trunk measures 27 feet in diameter. During August, white flowers bloom, emanate an overwhelming fragrance and turn golden red on drying.

Jake, I just happen to have had my broad ax sharpened the other day. You are more than welcome to borrow it. Owls are a dime a dozen.

In his prime, ie: Thriller, Michael Jackson was the consummate entertainer. His later life was a tragedy. RIP

Beth, Holy smokes, that is a huge project! Is that WTW I see? Hah!

Charlie, Nice find, that is a great price for H&L 8" sandpaper. Have never used the 9227C for sanding, will have to give it a whirl. Only problem is it came with a 61/2 inch H&L backer...

Lyle, That wood and stain color is gorgeous. Makes the redwood look almost like red mahogany.

Rod, Hah! Probably not too far from the truth. Bought a fair amount of ipe' 4 yrs. ago to re-skin my own deck. Talked with the distributor out of the Phila. area, Thompson Mahogany. 100 some odd year old company, that admittedly clear cut rain forest to get at the $ wood. Peasants were not far behind. Cleared the downed garbage wood by burning, and set about planting fields for cash crops. One problem. Ipe' does not burn. Good old American ingenuity. Now ipe' is the cat's meow!

There is a very old saying. "You can fool some of the people, some of the time". Madoff is a prince compared to these scam artists.

I'm about ready to chop anything down. If this friggin' every day rain does not stop, Judy, Lia, Nolie, and I are going to go eat worms.

Ken, Hah! That I never thought of... Wonder how they fall ipe'?

Ken, We are of similar sick minds. Was thinking exactly the same thing.

Charlie, I second what Lyle posted above. Porter-Cable makes very good sanders. The 4x24 size will be your best bet for deck work.

John, Ask around this board about Sikkens on cedar. I have no direct experience, but you may want to reconsider.

Lyle, Can't speak for Charlie but I was referring to hand sanders. Interesting machine in your picture, that is a RO? Can you get 60 grit for it? What the frick is that giant brush attached to the handle? Inquiring minds want to know!

John, If you are stripping and changing stains next year, your plan is ideal! Just get 'er done before the rain starts again! You do not mention what kind of wood you have, but consider Armstrong-Clark or Ready Seal stains as a "giant leap forward" in quality from Cabot's ATO. A shame, it use to be a very good stain for hardwoods....

John, Your prep sounds fine and the wood should be dry enough. To be honest, I think you would be better served in both appearance and longevity to just apply a single coat of ATO to all the horizontal wood. Get a 2" and a 6" natural bristle brush and go to town. It's fast, just dip and swipe. Knee pads for cutting in and a pole attachment for the large brush also help.

Wow, that is quite a makeover. Mark is now cute!

Daniel, Russell sent 10 gals. of Timber Oil last year free of charge. Gave all 10 gals. to a customer that we prepped and stained their deck, so they would have product for future maintenance. If it is anything like your video, I'll have to go back, strip, and apply RS on my own dime. Guess a trip to check their wood is in order.

Ken, I think the wood in Lyle's pictures may be redwood or possibly douglas fir. Charlie, Belt sanders are a lot more aggressive than random orbitals. We use them on occasion. Depending on the type and condition of the wood, a belt sander will possibly get down to new, bare wood faster and easier than RO's.

Charlie, Ken makes a good point. A very strong acid may help a bit, not sure about the bleach. Maybe Diamond Jim knows. Beth makes a score! Sand the snot out of the old PT wood to get down to bare tacks. Good idea but 'ya got enough belt sanders, time, and $ in the job?

Charlie, We use to do a hard NaOH on new wood, trying to kind of "age" it to help match up with old wood. Not anymore. We can do various mixes with different colors of Ready Seal to minimize the coloration difference. But in the end, there is still a noticeable difference.

Beth, Fine by me, I hate Disco music! Now a little Ramones and Joe Walsh, mixed in with some White Stripes, and I'll pay for the room. Hah!

No doubt.