James

I was hoping the hot trend this week wood ease up the condensation . Dripping wet ! Sopping wet ! Did it rain last night? I quit !!

Yes, May and April was cold ,very windy and rainy . I just stopped 4 ipe jobs not worth the trouble . Now in August ,I already had jobs not drying more because of the condensation forming in the morning . I ran heaters and fans to increase drying which did help but not worth the extra time and expense . It takes a certain personality to stay in the wood business. In April I had enough wood work for 5 employes by May I was down to 3 includes me and stayed there . Good thing I do a lot of washing . I have a load of wood work to do and it keeps coming but I have never had an august where you have to wait till 10/ 11:00 to oil . I have a garappa sunroom floor to do and yesterday after 3 days it was still damp( ran heaters to dry). Enough complaining ......sometimes it's not worth being an expert though ?

I take care of lots of new cedar . New number one western red cedar is one of the most difficult deck surfaces to care for . No penetration of anything and continuous product failures by doing it too soon.

I"ve herd and have red about it . Many cedar roof sealers use it. Interesting way they say to apply as a one coat system . spray with water 24 hours before oiling so the oil stays at the top.

thats an interesting designed area. nice stuff ! Quoted a off the charts contemporary house with magazine type gardens, landscaping, and decking, The animals were designer !

Never say never ! I've seen ready seal peel from over application . This type of issue is alway due to the prep and over application of product.

You should do test samples with a stone restoration product and try other chems. Best way of learning is sampling and testing stuff .

I did a nude calendar which seems to be working very well . Getting fed work from deck builders and client referrals . Doing a big bank this weekend have to wait until after 12 to start ( from ACR referral ).

Getting great stone cleaning results.

I use the rinse method and low pressure . I don't soft wash ! Lol

I have no clue what your talking about ? What method ? I just brought up the use of the words Soft Washing.

The only thing that has changed is the word. The methods have not changed . Can't stand the word related to the action of wood restoration .

Do the math ? 70 % , what ? Has the patio manager ever seen a person come in again to buy a new patio set after being destroyed by pressure cleaning? How long is the life of a patio furniture manager ? One season ? Has a patio furniture manager ever sat on teak outside of work ? Please don't use the words soft washing for wood care .

Call volume and deck calls are quite good. The weather has put me a month behind already. Getting killed by wind......! Last Saturday was a huge day for calls ,emails,emails with photos .

Depends on which type of wood had been sealed and how much cup is in the wood. Best to get over there and push the water off when the rain stops. If it rains within like 4 hours get over there and push the water off. Hardwoods are more of a pain than softwood . If water is left to puddle a modeling effect happens.

Light bleach wash . Pre wet or mist the deck and apply solution and rinse .

Hi Mike, maybe I should change my avatar.

Received an early spring present ! An inch of snow ,in the 20ties , 20 mpg wind , school delays and the same tomorrow . Merry Xmas and a happy wood year !

Mold will start forming as soon as a deck is laid. Percarb's do darken decks . Percarb's are a pain and don't work well on new wood. They want to lift off what can't be lifted which causes fur balls .

It depends on how large the decks are . Stripper (sodium hydroxide) Is easy to mix in a couple of 6 gallon containers for doing decks and you can control the strength of the stripper better at the deck. 25 and 50 foot lengths of hose is good . Don't leave stripper in the hose! I have jobs wear a 100ft is needed. I like mixing at the site . Powder acid mixes better in hot water. Same hose for your purpose not a good idea. Also 25 gallon tanks are 150 pounds filled. Most decks I do i would have to run 100 to 200 feet of chem hose.

One issue to consider is interior barn wood gets very dirty especially if ruff cut. It holds a tremendous amount of dirt and grime. Rinsing is not enough and pressure is needed. Do a large test spot to determine what is the best option.

The issue with low temps ,moisture and getting a sealer to absorb and dry . Low temps slows the process down tremendously. If it's in direct sunlight all day helps a lot . Just pray for no rain for a week and for temps to rise? I run a heater sometimes . I ran it last year late November to finish a mahogany porch . Worked very well but took away 25 bucks in fuel and about 3 hours in more time for the job . I stayed there longer running the heat to dry the sealer. You also can heat up the sealer which helps and I did for this job. it's a super high end area and was well worth it. Did I say wood care blows! In reality wood is from May to October .

So if they are undercover something like AC can work and is easily to care for over time.. You can use a soy paste and scape it off . Or a strong stripper or steam . I had good luck with steam but it really furs the wood .

You can develop a whole business around front doors which companies have. Deck stains don't work well unless the doors have complete cover from the weather. The doors are usually to dense or to hard to except enough stain . Plus your dealing with an area of 30 square feet which presents a whole bunch of different variables to contend with. I have removed the Doors to work on them . Used paste to scrape off the finishes and steam . Lots of sanding . Many coats of a sealer. I have seen doors companies remove doors to bring back to their shops and put up plywood to block and protect the doorway until they finish. Very high end niche market and specialization .

Congrats Beth !