Beth n Rod

Great info! Thank you!!!! Beth

For those customers that think a deck should look great the whole time of what the coating is supposed to last is obviously not very aware of the environmental activity going on right outside of their window. Customers ask me what it will look like in 2 years and my reply is: ...That depends on what you do to help maintain it in the interim! If you just let it go and do nothing, then mother nature will be hard at work starting with mildew growth that you will notice as black streaks on the sides of the handrails, the bottom of the rails up to about 8-12 inches will start to turn grayish black from the spores and pollen that splash up on it and provide mildew with food to grow on, the horizontals color will begin to fade especially in the high traffic areas including any damage inflicted by pets and pests (squirrels, birds etc) and sun exposed areas. You will see the floors and handrails fade in color while the pickets stay pretty much the same and after some time if you have enough shaded areas algae will start to appear. Now if you clean it regularly, you will still notice some fading and the pet and pest damage but the over all look will be much more clean and appreciable. My next angle is to throw in a guilt line by saying: It's your money, if it were me, I would take care of it after spending this much money on it and make it last as long as possible. If you don't have the time, call us and we can help you with that too, but it's your property and the value of it decreases faster if you do nothing. Overall Mr. or Mrs. Customer, the durability and longevity of the product is in your hands. Neglecting it is a sure way to see me sooner rather than later and the costs will be reflected in what you do or do not do between times. We are in this business to help wood last longer on your structure and we can only do that with your help and a regular maintenance regimen. Rod!~

I think this is an excellent question. There are many sides to this debate and the one that we address it from is the bad name contractors already have. Call it stigma. We wanted to offer a benefit to our service that shows dedication and longevity in the company. A Warranty can instill confidence, trust and a positive image where otherwise there may not be one and it sets you apart from those who don't by saying that you stand behind your work. Anyone else like to add to the debate? Rod!~

Do-have a neutralizer on hand ready for use when applying HD-80 Do-Keep a gallon of vinegar on hand for personal neutralization Do-Pre-wet plants and painted surfaces prior,during and after application to avoid causing problems. Do-wear protective pvc, nitril gloves, goggles, respirator and rubber boots when working with HD-80 Do-Keep curious homeowners inside the home with windows and doors closed in the event the spray drifts in their direction Do-Apply only to the intended surface and avoid application to an adjacent wood surface not intended to be affected. Use plastic masking to help where otherwise it would get on the surface. Do not-play the ignorance card and not follow a safe regimen when using any chems. Do not-Gripe and complain when it gets onto your skin and burns you if you didn't protect yourself with the PPE designated above. Do-take pics, it looks great in your portfolio when talking to new clients. Do-let us know how it goes :) Rod!~

I agree! Beth :cup:

We also do the "Labor for Learning" thing as well. Beth

You might also look into this: www.pwna.org They have wood certification and training offered as well. We certified through them years ago. It was worth it. Beth

I would avoid applying any of the Cetol Dek products to cedar. The reason being is that the wood is so soft that its fibers are literally crushed each time you walk on it. With the substrate constantly being destroyed just from regular use, the product will fail miserably in a year because it will not have a solid structure to hold on to. Stick with an oil based product that penetrates deeply and doesn't rely on a thick coating to protect it. TWP, Ready Seal, Cabot Australian Timber Oil and others similar in formulation will give better lasting results. Plan on servicing them once a year due to the same reasons above. On the other hand, for PTP (Pressure Treated Pine) Cetol Dek, 1,2-3 and SRD are suitable for their use. Another situation to avoid with the Cetol Dek product is decks with less than 2' clearance below them as the lack of airflow allows for excessive moisture buildup and can lead to an overactive expansion/contraction rate in the wood that the product cannot meet (IE: thermal dynamics) and will crack and peel. Rod!~

We do. We wear gloves when handling any chemical. We use nitrile gloves. We get them by the case. If you buy there please tell them See Dirt Run! Inc. sent you. Best deal we have found yet for nitrile gloves. Fast shippers, fair prices. Beth

Conor, We have been using various Sikkens products for yeas and have also been using Wood Tux for years. If you like the way the SRD goes on and looks, you will most likely like the Wood Tux. Great coverage, highly durable, and can be applied to wood wet or dry. It is made by Extreme Solutions. Extreme Solutions also makes the HD-80 you have been reading about. We use all of their wood care products, have for years now and get consistent results every time. Beth p.s. Excellent work!

Jimmy has a good one. The reason I support it is because your supplier will wervice you better than if you bought from out of state in some instances. Some do not repair certain brands or are not certified to do so and could infringe upon a warranty. Food for thought. We buy Hydrotek and have a local service provider. It's great to have that available if the need for repair that you cannot handle comes up. Rod!~

:lurker: Rod!~

If you are a Sikkens SRD fan, you will probably love Wood Tux. We use both, and have for years, but prefer the Wood Tux to the SRD. Beth

Matt, Post pictures...it helps. Beth

We see quite a bit of it here too, and the reasons vary... One reason we hear, is that people wanted the Ipe flooring, but went with PT on the verticals to save money. Another common one here is Ipe and Cedar, because the two woods both looks so nice together. We have seen this mixture fairly often. We also get PT mixed with Redwood, and PT mixed with Cedar. Have seen PT floors with Cedar rails, and PT floors with Redwood rails. Also Saw Ipe/Cedar and Oak. Builders are being creative to sell upscale jobs, and give decks new looks. At least in the DC Metro area that is what we are seeing. Beth

It was the "Dwell" time that you can attribute to your stripping success. Glad you found the lower pressure beneficial as well. Rod!~

Problem is, you never know how many people this one person can influence not to buy your services. Having a warranty with the specifics on what is covered is the best way to maintain a working relationship. We inform our clients of any problems that may contribute to their decks demise and tell them to call us when they need help to keep it in good condition and we will work with them to keep up the sealers protection...after all...isn't that what we are in this business for anyway? I can understand your position Jarrod as we have been in this predicament before when using consumer based products and it is because of these that we make the policies for our customers to understand beforehand so that there is no mistake in the future. If you haven't laid the ground work for what you cover and the term of it, then you may as well go back and take care of the issue with the understanding made clear before hand that any additional work will be at regular rates or whatever you deem necessary. We have had certain customers that needed to be "held by the hand" as Beth kindly puts it, or "baby sat" in order to get them through the situation. It takes a great deal of time yes, but we are fortunate that while Beth is doing this, I can get the work done while she talks them through the whole thing pointing out specifics pertaining to the circumstance we are there to deal with. Yeah, it's a team effort but it works and the client is happy afterwards and we still get referrals and repeat business. It's the one's that try to take advantage of us and are clearly trying to get something for nothing that always bug us. Maybe thats what you have going on in your client, we don't know. Beth told me you sound like a very nice person and we think you will handle it to the best of your abilities. Rod!~

Now THAT is one cool deck! Beth

Too many choices brings out the indecisiveness in some people. We keep it simple as Ken posted and limit to 3 color choices. If they are one of those that don't want the colors we list, we offer the manufacturers brochure to make the decision with. Rod!~

Rod once suffered a real bad burn to his respiratory system from bleach, from washing a house. Wind kicked the mixture back down into his face when he was not expecting it. He had a fever and severe respiratory infection from it. Respirators matter. It really does happen. Beth

Thank you for sharing the news of the show with us all here on TGS. It's always exciting to hear a recap of events. Glad to hear it was such as success! Beth

Thank you Anthony! That's great info to know. Beth

Thank you Doug! Beth

We all bump into landscapers and painters and such from time to time when we bid. It's unfortunate when it is for larger projects. If you have insight here Nicole, I would love to hear it also. Beth

Thank you "Cooper"! Beth