RPetry

Kevin, Spindles will not be happy until they are stained with Ready Seal.

Jon, yes, that is correct. Prior to attaching the new spindles. That is the idea, easier to strip and sand that way. New spindles are cut to length, pre - drilled for screws, and dipped in Ready Seal. That is actually a chair and table set covered.

Kevin, The deck was stained with a Cabot's solid oil six years ago. The deck will be restored back down to bare wood so that Ready Seal can be applied. You are welcome to come to the East Coast and try to adequately strip a solid oil off of 357 installed spindles, being that you can't sand in many areas. Not just the spindles, under the handrail and lower fascia. I believe replacement is the better way to go.

Hi Scott, Funny you should mention that, the customer asked me! We do not do houses. My largest ladder is a 10' step, and I avoid getting on the top few rungs. Might break a hip! The 14" cedar shakes are in great condition, no previous stain, aged well, and only a few areas of mildew. I've talked with Jim Foley for a few minutes about maybe teaming up in the fall to tackle this. Jim has the equipment, a ton of shake restoration experience, and does not mind heights! Once the summer book of decks is exhausted, may consider it. But the way business is this year, it could be October.

Greg, I hear ya' but want to avoid doing 2 tones for 2 reasons. First, the actual solid staining is a PITA. Either you spend a ton of time and material masking for the airless, or you wind up "painting" by hand. Then there is the never ending "cut in" work with RS around the solid oil vertical wood. Friggin' end grain on the deck floor boards takes a bunch of time being over the solid oil fascia. 2nd main reason is maintenance. In 2 yrs. we are going to have to do all the RS cut in again. 2 yrs. later, refresh the solid oil on the verticals and again cut in with RS. Just too much labor for too long. The job in this thread is the first 2 tone we have done in a few years. I had forgotten just how difficult they can be. Attached are a few pics of the next big solid oil strip job. Can't imagine doing this as a 2 tone. This deck has 357 spindles. As you can see from the 2nd pic, once the old spindles are removed, stripping and sanding will be relatively easy and certainly complete in removal of the old solid stain from the vertical wood. 2 x 2 PT new wood is cheap, a lot cheaper than labor. Banging off the old spindles is easy. Getting a production line going with miter saws and screw hole drilling should not be too bad. Dip the fabricated new spindles in RS, let dry for a day, then attach with drills. Should be much more efficient both in the first restoration and certainly in maintenance in the future.

Hey Greg, With a ton of prep work, yes. Nearly always takes 2 separate, harsh strippings. Especially with very old beat up old PT with all the cracks in the wood. Most jobs also need a lot of sanding. Some residual old solid stain always remains, but though not perfect, certainly presentable. And much easier to maintain in the future. Have 2 very large 5K jobs booked later this summer that are a solid oil to Ready Seal restoration. They both have a conventional balustrade, so we will be replacing all the 2 x 2 spindles with new wood. Once the old ones are removed and the vertical wood stripped, we will be able to sand the remaining balustrade easily. The job in this thread is much worse, as it is a 2 tone staining. Talk about a lot of time consuming, detailed brush work! Solid Cabot oils go on like thick paint, whereas the paraffinic stains go on fast and easy.

Kevin, That "big momba beat box" is one of the perks of the job. Teamed up with Sirius, it is unbeatable in doing a job more easily. Only used when the owners are not home. It is also a very good way to keep excellent help. Chris, my helper, is in his 2nd season and does about 75% of the actual grunt work. A wonderful young man.

Kevin, Is that 2K of product units or $2K of product? If it is the latter, Windsor WoodCare is a larger stain purchaser than Sherwin Williams!

Matt, I graduated from the University of Denver 33 yrs. ago with a degree in geology. Earthquakes scare me. Especially the Bay area. It is a geographical location just ticking like a time bomb, with disaster a day or millenium away. Still, a beautiful area. Unfortunately, it has become crowded. Last time I was out there the traffic was worse than LA. North of San Francisco is some of the most beautiful country and coastline in the US.

Matt, The East coast is not so bad. We do not have earthquakes, home eating wildfires, and a history of wackiness.

Don't feel too bad. You Canucks get the last laugh. We are paying $3 a linear foot for 5/4 x 6 Canadian western red cedar.

Greg, Armstrong-Clark seems to be a very good product and a good choice for a DIY'er. Due to the linseed content, it can "lap". Just make sure to brush it on evenly.

WoodZotic never went away. Its a 50/50 mix of Extreme Solutions WoodTux western cedar and brown sugar. Or so I have been told. Sure looks the same, and even dries this spring.

Diamond Jim, Sacriledge! How dare you? For solid oil strip jobs with normal PT spindles, we are now trashing them, dipping new ones into RS, and attaching with decent screws. We still wait for 12% but our weather has been fine. BTW, get the cedar shake house pics?

Charlie, Please read my first post.

Someone owes somebody something.

Like an old hand, good woody should. Celeste, May get around to trying A-C rustic brown on my own ipe' deck. If I can fit it in the schedule...

Charlie, If I quote a labor price, yes it is good even a year later. Materials are market and adjusted accordingly. Read again. This job was a redo of solid. My choice to do it better. Just kicking myself again, have done this before. Ya' know what? This job will pay itself in spades. Pictures, referrals, and just doing your best. It pays in the long term. 'Course I don't have that many years left!

Celeste, What is "outdoor bleach"?

Vapor, I do recall Ken Fenner stating that he received a "bad" pigment batch from Extreme Solutions last year. You may want to call Ken or Russell Cissell of ESI. Please do not call me. We do not use the product, aside from 2 bad experiences and one yet to be determined.

Beth, You and me both. Payroll on this job is now half of the labor, and we still have the floor, top rail, and steps wood to go! 'Course I've avoided doing most of the work!

Geeze. Wow. Have not seen such enthusiasm for a "new" stain since ... well it has been a while. Caveat and history. Stain manufactures have come and gone, put products on the market that have been less than useful. Big names have tried various formulations. Many have been pulled, with good reason. No disparage on Jake or Mark of Armstrong-Clark. Up front, forthcoming, smart, and more than knowledgeable on the coatings industry. And with one test deck here, looks good. Well, aside from the linseed oil! Let's all give it a try, see how it pans out. Stain lifetime, or even more important for our customers, maintenance, is the real test.

Beth, Thank you. Russell, Oh OK. I thought it was just the stain that went down the drain.

Beth, Are not RAD and EFC-38/Citralic one and the same except for marketer and distributor?