Tonyg

It's hard to pick one color as they look so much different depending on the age of the wood. I think I like the blended colors much more than the stock colors but if I had to choose one that may be more versatile than the others it would have to be the cedar-semi (albeit too orange for me). The Super Cedar looks absolutely great on new wood (PT) but is probably my least favorite on old wood. Redwood Tone looks nice on older wood but might as well be a neon light on new wood.

Love the green two-tone! great new ideas for color scemes :) You really did do a great job around the balusters. They look like wood - no problem stripping around them?

Used mine twice. First time had some issues and the second worked well but for some reason wasn't able to clean it properly - Of course I ruined it and turned it into a glob filled truck brush :( I originally bought it for a screened in porch but it can come in handy in the wind.

I like that 'Nantucket White' - who's color is that for a match? That's the first time I've seen the Woodland Brown where I really liked it. Might have to try to sell that color scenario on the next one :) Great job!

Sun is more an issue than humidity/moisture. Consider a Spar Varnish rather than poly.

Just had to try the new Mahogany color. It's a bit more red than I would have liked but it is a nice color. I tried several scenarios with the RB but the Rustic Brown / Mahogany won out with the customer. It will be a nice addition to the palette for the future. This was a very old 27yr old PT that needed extensive sanding.

Here are the sample boards on PT for the new Mahogany and the Mahogany/Rustic Brown mix. You can see the color difference better than the deck pics

" Though it confirmed her Thursday as the newest justice by a 63-37 vote, Kagan has the dubious distinction of receiving one of the lowest total of "yes" votes for a nominee during the past three presidencies -- and the lowest number of confirmation votes ever for a justice picked by a Democrat."

Thats funny, I thought she looked EXACTLY like Harriet Miers! "On October 3, 2005, Bush nominated Miers to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Miers' nomination was criticized by people all over the political spectrum based on her never having served as a judge, her perceived lack of intellectual rigor, her close personal ties to Bush, and her lack of a clear record on issues likely to be encountered as a Supreme Court Justice. " Back them the Dem's were screaming Cronyism and even a good number of Republicans were responsible enough to see that someone on the highest court of the land should AT LEAST have some experience as a judge. "Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has never been a judge, she's never ruled on a case and she's never written an opinion" Just more of the same - or worse

How old is the gutters? I think you are fine with the Simple Green BUT Bleach is definitely corrosive and 3% would be what I would consider hot or a high percentage. That BBB complaint is going to cost you more in lost business than repainting even if it wasn't your fault.

Thanks Charlie, The Mahogany seemed like a 'softer' red more so than the sierra if that makes sense. I know I made samples using the Sierra mixing with several different colors but haven't sold it on a deck yet. The Sierra by itself was just another red to me and I wanted something closer to a red/brown. I have a sample PT board with the Mahogany that I will take a pic of this weekend. Nice color but still a little too red for me. Business has been good here but painting is a significant part of my revenue. I get a deck in whenever I can but I am just not able to squeeze that many in. The jobs I am working on now I had scheduled in April. I am currently scheduling for the end of September, though at a much more relaxed pace with room to add. I actually lost sealing cedar house with this deck because they wanted it done in May though they were willing to spend the 30% if I could have completed it in their schedule. I'm still a bit unsure of the winter but I know God has provided so far and I trust that He will in the future so I am optimistic. I think if we have a good change over in Congress the consumer confidence increase may be enough to boost the Christmas shopping season and make for a good spring. Definitely optimistic.

Yep, this was the 50/50. I liked it better than the Sierra/Rustic Brown from last year. The red is toned down more with the RB. It worked well on the new boards as well. The boards on the left and top rail were new boards and the ones on the right was original (27yr)

Well, I couldn't speak for those boys on the other side of the tracks but us low end painters will gladly send some referrals to ya :)

I am having a problem with my pump - Symptoms: - it is not getting enough pressure through the line - has ample flow and pressure through the relief line back in the bucket - the pressure will slowly build to where after 5 min the 3/8 hose is swelled to almost half in size and leaking - Once trigger is pulled the pressure dwindles and I can spray about 15sf until a trickle again - pressure Gage is bouncing rapidly by about 25psi and almost can't even get an approx psi reading. The pressure cannot be adjusted I did a deck about a week ago when I first noticed it having a problem. Started off having a problem with pressure but then quickly went back to normal. About half way through neutralizing I had to go to the trailer for more ox. I did leave it running and came back within about 5min. I added the new acid and grabbed the gun to start spraying when the line blew out on me. I didn't realize the hose was swelled and thought it was a weak spot. Any ideas? I will be calling Sunbrite Tues as well.

The QC check valve is leaking. I will take it off tomorrow. The Deckster is only a year old or so and gets nowhere close to the amount of use you guys are putting on them. I did take it apart to clean and check the valve and seals and everything seemed to be clear of obstruction.

I agree with Rod. I have over applied the semi-solid myself the first time I used it and had none of those problems. In my case the over application gave a very opaque finish with solvent leaching, mildew issues, and a very blotchy/flat appearance. It appears to me that the it was improperly stripped and then sanding only compounded the issues. I would be curious what the original contractor did to 'pressure wash' it and how and what he used to sand it. Unfortunately the only 'fix' is to start over.

Yep, for the most part. I posted a couple of pics in the other thread - the duct tape did more damage than the stripper

Charlie, I use the SW (and Ben Moore) paints so I am more familiar with the make up of their materials. The Deckscapes is loaded with mildewcides. I had a few problems with Cabot's with mildew - once because of over-application and the others just product. After a few months talking with Cabot's they finally offered to send me a few gallons to recoat if I wanted to. I like the SW stains better than BM and I've stayed with the SW ever since. Rick - Scott put them in this morning :)

Gotcha - Deckscapes is pretty versatile as you don't need a primer for bare wood and can recoat an existing finish. After I did a test strip, removing the stain from anything else was not going to happen. It was hard enough to get the floor right so staying with the solid on the trim was the only choice - besides fire anyway which I though seriously about.

Thanks Charlie! I apply the first coat of solid, then stain the semi-trans (oil), then apply second coat to finish the solid. I try to keep the oil off the trim as much as possible then clean or wipe down with lacquer thinner to get rid of the oil residue.

More pics

More Pics

I would imagine the dryness of the wood would be the key then. I had one where a cloud burst dropped down in the middle of staining a dry deck - stopped and came back the next day to finish and couldn't tell where I was interupted. Also noticed only having a problem with any lapping on really dry/old wood.

Looks like I will be doing an acrylic strip with decorative concrete around the pool. How bad will a hot mix damage the concrete? Any tips?

Well, no problems with the stripper. Taped it off with 4mil poly and duct tape - stripped twice - then cleaned up. The duct tape on the other hand did pull up the sealer. I was really assuming that it was a hard seal coat rather than a flexible soft coating. Stripped it a third time on a different day, applied gently, and did not cover it at all, just kept wet. These were right at the steps and was not real noticeable. The decorative concrete contractor that installed it two years ago was already scheduled to come out and do some touch up and maintenance so it wasn't an issue.