RPetry

Eric, We have only done three A-C jobs, two on cedar, one on ipe'. IMO, any heavily pigmented and/or linseed oil type stain should be backbrushed. Spray it on, brush it out. Goes fast with two workers. Don't bother trying to brush out lattice, spray and go.

That is a POS privacy fence between townhouse units. That is why I chose the location of the test board, very little to no direct sun and wet.

Jon, Nice job! Glad to see someone else takes on the little ones. That semi trans cedar looks terrific on PTSYP. Two coats must be the key on that wood, that is the best looking AC stain picture I have seen.

Glad we do wood. 4.5 gpm AR pumps. Never had a problem with low flow, even with large jobs and well water. Don't own a tank, never will.

That rules out pine!

Its a big 10 - 4 on that, good buddy! Real wet spring, maybe the weather patterns will change with the summer solstice! Pic attached taken a half hour ago. The "dark" section is boiled linseed oil, the section immediately to the left is parafin oil. There might be the start of something, note the few black areas in the linseed section. Also, the top half of the parafin section shows some slight discoloring. Remind me to check it in another few months.

Geeze Charlie, That is one hard hit for a young man just getting his business rolling. Might be important to determine the cause of the fire. May help in preventing a future loss. Sounds like Celeste might be a good resource. Do you know other similar contractors in your area? Maybe one has a spare pressure washer, another a Shurflo pump, brushes, chems, stain, etc. to help you get back on your feet.

Mike, ACR Products or Sun Brite Supply for AC and Ready Seal. The Sealer Store for Wood Tux and AC. Contact info is on banner ads here or do a web search. You should be able to purchase ATO locally in a paint store or Home Depot.

Mike, That is a lot of teak, with sanding & pickup/delivery, maybe $500 plus materials?

Mike, Your process for cleaning and staining sound good. We will only do furniture as part of a deck job. I really do not care for the work as it is quite time consuming, especially the cleaning. We use RS applied with lambswool pads. Have one coming up in a week or so. $1100 deck restoration job, with a 4' diameter teak table and (4) simple armchairs. Add on labor cost to clean and stain is an additional $100 plus materials and tax. Picture is my own teak set stained with RS light brown. Ipe' floor done with AC Rustic Brown.

Charlie, I know Jim, both professionally and personally. He has been restoring and maintaining exterior woods for longer than most. Possibly longer than your current lifespan. Jim does not need a website.

Sam, You may want to try scrubbing turpentine on the effected areas or possibly acetone.

Beth, Can we set up an ESI stain giveaway? I am sure there are contractors that would appreciate free stain. Maybe at a roundtable?

Rod, No thanks. I have a few pails of ESI stain to dispose of. Tell you what, I'll trade! Hah!

Daniel, All RS maintenance jobs get cleaned with BLEACH, a bit of soap, and water. Sodium hypochlorite at 1.5 - 3.0% does not seem to effect the existing oil in the wood, and is much quicker and probably more effective in killing mold/mildew than a percarb cleaning. You may have not been around during the BDA days.

Beth, Hmmm, verrrry interesting... Hah, remember that "Nazi" character on the TV show Laugh In, about 40 yrs. ago? Probably not, you are too young. Like Mike, I have mixed powder sodium percarbonate wood cleaners that are at least 9 months old without any noticeable lack of "punch". In fact, used some today on cedar.

Rod, I think you may be mistaken. Sodium percarbonate wood cleaners, when mixed with water, stay "fresh" for maybe 2 - 4 - 6 hours. Sodium percarbonate powder form wood cleaners, when kept in sealed containers, in a preferably cool and dry location, have a "shelf life" in years.

Tracy, What a hoot! Takes a skilled photographer to get that shot! Did a few jumps on a static line years ago. Scary the first time, fun the 2nd time. Will never forget it...

Mike, We have used Restore sodium percarbonate wood cleaner for years. The manufacturer is Envirospec. We purchase it from ACR Products, ACR PRODUCTS Ask for Tom or Barbara Vogel, very good people to do business with...

Beth, Hah! Talk to Noah. Or is that NaOh? Hah! Come on' kid, it will balance out. We are all going to have a banner year.

Beth & Ken, Hey you guys/gals, don't complain! Had 9 days of virtually rain free weather to catch up on staining. We got in an old PT double staining this morning before the showers started. Friday through Tuesday is forecast to be dry. Prep 'em now, stain 'em later. It is bonus time!

Beth, If this rain keeps up, we'll all end up with bank lines of credit! Cash flow with a cold, wet spring is difficult. Makes one thankful for putting a few bucks away for a rainy day.

Ditto to what Beth posted above. Homeowners appear to be willing to spend money on their exterior wood. With the cold, rainy Spring this year, many have not even considered a restoration or maintenance until recently.

Tony, Where have you been all these years? Truly, very good, intelligent posts. TGS needs you. Please stick around...

Anita, That quote is music to wood restoration contractors ears.