RPetry

Kevin, You said: Thank you. Have TSP somewhere and a few gals. of Simple Green for RS cleanup. Will try to clean this stubborn WT out of the brushes tomorrow. Appreciate the info.

Ok Kevin, I purchased some lacquer thinner. Still need to understand what a "degreaser" is. We only do wood, not hoods. Any commonly available product names would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ouch, that is tough love. Though probably true for a short term revenue stream. Kind of a roll of the dice but building a business is like that.

Beth, Yes, but NaOH will eat natural bristles. Not sure what a degreaser is, any suggestions that may be available locally? Thanks.

Scott, We are going to be tackling a similar job next month. Old PT lumber, stained with a solid back in 2002. Full strip and sand, followed by Ready Seal, probably medium red. I do know there are 357 spindles. We will be tearing out the old ones and installing new, after dipping them in Ready Seal. Got to find a trough or tub for that. This is one ugly brute of a job that will look great when finished.

Scott, Real nice job, what an improvement. Just keep after the customer for maintenance every two years. That wood will look even better in the future.

We used Armstrong-Clark stain for the first time on a cedar job a few weeks ago. Comments follow. Be advised that this is written from the perspective of a contractor that has used Ready Seal stains almost exclusively for the past 6 years. First, the customer service and shipping is outstanding. The order was shipped the same day, and the product was very well packaged. Better yet, the company reps answer their phones and are very helpful and knowledgeable of both their product and exterior wood. The stain comes in the "old style" 5 gal. metal pails with the tabbed lid and quick pour spout. We opened a 5'er to paddle mix, but I am not sure if it was necessary. The stain itself was very well integrated with no evident separation. A-C stain is oil based, with the oil being 50% paraffinic (2 types) and 50% high quality linseed. The job was a knotty western red cedar deck, mostly horizontal wood, built very close to the ground with little ventilation. The cedar was lightly stripped with 4 oz./gal. of ACR 760 stripper, and neutralized with 6 oz./gal. of citric acid. The acid was rinsed off and the cedar allowed to dry to 12%. First picture is the cedar prepped and ready for staining. All stain was applied with with natural bristle brushes by hand. The stain color was "Rustic Brown". After applying a single coat to the vertical portions of the deck, I instructed my helper to start on the floor while I went to do an estimate. This was my fault and mistake. He "cut in" the floor by the house first, like we always do with Ready Seal, and then brushed out the remaining floor with a 6" brush on a pole. The resulting lap marks are evident in the 2nd picture. He has never used a linseed stain and I have not in many a blue moon. As I planned on 2 separate applications on the floor, it was not a problem, but kind of embarrassing just the same! Overall, the stain applied easily, with very good coverage, ~200 sq. ft./gal. on this cedar, including the 2 stainings on the deck floor. Consistency is just slightly thicker than RS, and could easily be sprayed with an HLVP or Shurflo. Due to the linseed oil, clean up unfortunately requires paint thinner. The third picture is of the finished job. Too dark and opaque for cedar for my taste but the customer loved it, stating "it looks like finished furniture!". The last picture of the picnic table is interesting. This is a single application of A-C rustic brown on pressure treated southern yellow pine. IMO, this staining looks terrific. I will be keeping an eye on this job for the next year or so. Stain longevity in NJ's climate, as well as ease of maintenance, are two critical factors in my company's success and reputation over the last 7 years. But preliminary indications are positive. Armstrong-Clark is the first non Ready Seal stain that I will consider using for selected softwood jobs in the future. Have tested other stain manufacturers products, and used one, and have not been impressed. We will probably stain one pressure treated deck with Armstrong-Clark this year, and possibly a hardwood job. Then let time and future maintenance tell the full tale.

Kevin or Diamond Jim, Happen to have a picture or two of those bad boys? If known, how heavy are they? Just a guess would be appreciated. Thanks.

It is very strange. With all the doom and gloom, recession, record fuel prices, falling real estate values and high foreclosure rates, our little business could not be doing better. We are now solidly booked out 7 weeks, and it appears that even August will be a strong month.

Beth, Very nice post. Just about a perfect summation of what TGS should be all about.

Doug, Stick with it. The "Petry" pics are my own deck. Wood is the best.

11:00 AM and it is ungodly out there. Just left my kid to finish prepping, he likes hot weather. I'm out of here to go fluke fishing on the ocean this PM. Got to be cooler at the shore.

Doug, 2 pictures of a 3 yr. old small ipe' deck prepped and ready for staining. Of course the wood is dry, do not have any pictures of a prepped wet ipe' deck.

Gotta love a guy who's major concern on a trip halfway around the world is the quality of beer available. And who recognizes that California is really a foreign country.

If anything, that is an understatement. We try and specialize in high end jobs and work quality. But sanding 98% of typical PT wood decks would be both a waste of our time and certainly the customer's dollars. Cedar should avoid being sanded if using a paraffinic oil stain. Defurred yes, but not a hard sand. Mahogany and ipe' on the other hand should always be sanded or buffed before staining. Makes a huge difference in the appearance of the finish.

Ken, That is one unholy monster, especially stripping acrylic. Worked up an estimate on a big solid oil job a few weeks back. Came out less expensive to just replace the wood spindles than to strip them.

Charlie, Ditto, what Beth said. That wood is no doubt ipe'. I'll book any contrary opinion at 1 to 10, about what Big Brown will pay in The Belmont later today. How old is the wood and how long has it weathered without a stain? If less than a year, strip the oils out of it with strong NaOH. Otherwise, clean with a percarb. You can really smack ipe' with water pressure compared to other exterior woods. Oxalic/citric, let dry, quick sand or buff and go at it with whatever stain you prefer. Not counting any vertical solid stained wood, I think $2 a sq. ft. plus materials is a fair price if located close by. Man, your 1st ipe' job, you are going to love this one. Take a ton of pics.

Charlie, If it is ipe', the attached pic is of the old "WoodZotic" mix which was 50% brown sugar and 50% western cedar WT mix. Or very close. Guess it is no secret anymore. The pic is of fairly new ipe'. Lasted less than 8 months on the deck floor in NJ but that is the nature of the wood, not necessarily the stain. But I wonder... Can I only get a year out of this years' WT on red mahogany?

Matt, How lucky can one be? Any room for another wood contractor out there? Never mind, you have earthquakes and wacky leftists to put up with. And Kevin is not too far away!

Kevin, I reread and did a complete edit. My bad. Kudos to you. Charlie, Get a good book on wood. Understanding Wood, A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology, written by R. Bruce Hoadley, is considered by many as a seminal reference.

Charlie, Stick a fingernail into the wood. Does it make an impression? Then, it is probably cedar. Redwood is not very abundant in the Northeast or probably the South. Very similar in constitution, you may have an unusual deck. Does your fingernail bend without breaking? Might be mahogany. Look for a tight grain pattern, some boards will look like compressed rice. Take a good 6 penny nail and bang it with a hammer. Does the nail spin off into orbit? If so, might be ipe'.

Geeze Beth, you spoil all the fun. I had something more esoteric in mind...

Charlie, $3 a sq. ft. is a good price for labor, add in materials and any applicable sales tax. Plan to do a quick 60 grit sanding or Makita 3M pad buffing before using WT. Someone pls. move this to the wood resto thread. Unless Charlie has a vertical ipe' deck up the side of a home. BTW Charlie, check your spelling on the title of the thread. You don't want to get keel-holed like Ron for being a poor speller. He may be one of the most prosperous contractors here. And you are a college student, so you have no excuse.

10. Ron M. does not know what wood is. No need to spell. 9. With 74 years of experience, Diamond Jim has yet to learn back brushing. 8. When it rains, 50+ yr. old contractors can take the day off and drink lots of beer. A perfect excuse to pursue the good life. 7. Customers scratch their heads when the stain materials line item bill is over over $500. Seems reasonable for moisturized wood. 6. It is made in Texas. From black gold. Sam Houston and George Bush were made in Texas. 5. Beth 'n Rod never tried to distribute it. K. Fenner knows it washes off of hardwoods. Kevin in Ca. is stumped. 4. Don ?, the owner of the company, builds orphanages in Mexico. Stops by the plant once in a while, and goes back looking for Pancho Villa's offspring. Has nice hats and t-shirts. Does not yet know what a website is. 3. No one in Michigan uses it. Cannot complete a deck in a day, let alone an hour. Contractors make more money when it appears that they actually do some work. 2. Peirce Fitchett, the "National Sales Manager" is the best name in the business and has the easiest job in the world. F. Scott Fitzgerald would be jealous of a character with that moniker. 1. The product never changes. It is boring. No VOC stuff, no surprises. RS is comfort food for wood. Ask OPEC. Enough said.