Beth n Rod

Take a look at this. This is a hummingbird moth. It's an insect that looks like a humming bird... except for 6 legs, and the antenna. This one love the flowers on the deck. Not timid at all either. Beth

We had never seen one either. Blew our minds trying to figure out what it was, but what it looks like, is what it turned out to be - a moth that looks like a hummingbird. Beth

Yeah well....two coats of a pigmented stain...not all stains have the same amount or kind of pigment either. But of the products we have used and have applied maintenance coats with, the second application is always a little darker or richer looking. If there is a shade lighter than what you applied the first time, to do your maintenance with, it's a good choice. Some products will also darken over time - some of the acrylics are notorious for that. Remember Wolman Extreme? Heaven help you if you had to apply touch up on a deck that was in the sun a couple years. At that point you had to give everything a coat or it was splotchy since the acrylic would darken. But that's a whole other nasty issue....Ick! (Sikken Cetol DEK - polymer resin will also do this...) Have a great day! :groovy3: Beth :groovy3:

Bingo! Worth a try. We have done this in a similar circumstance, but not on redwood. Had a client who had Western Cedar applied, and when we did the maintenance wash and seal we used the Honey Gold, so it would not darken. Jon, really cool idea....clear first, then a pigment coat. Pigment sits higher up near the surface, and is at 50% of what it would be in the substrate. Cool. Beth

This is an important topic. It's been discussed recently elsewhere. Makes you think. Beth :sunshine:

Rod and I were discussing this, and his concern was that a prior product may still have traces in the substrate. I would echo Celeste and call Pierce regarding applying the RS Redwood formula. We can speak for the regular RS formula, and for other things we have applied to redwood, but we have not used RS Redwood formula. If we were sealing this with one of the products we normally use on redwood, we would apply wet-on-wet, with the goal being to apply what the wood will hold, without puddling - puddles lead to shiny spots. Beth

Dark colored product = dark colored pigment. Add that to dark colored wood = even darker result. To avoid darkening you need to get past the UV damage. I don't know that you sanded the whole deck, but this is one thought. If sanding is not an option, choose a sealer with a very light pigment color. Think of it like this... if you were a kid, coloring...if you had really dark construction paper and were using dark crayons you would get a very dark picture. If you had a dark paper and chose lighter color crayons, you would get a different picture. The color of the paper (canvas) is a factor. Hope this helps. Beth

Also....what product has been on there in the past??? Sometimes you will get residuals from prior applications that can add to this, down in the substrate. Looks clean when washed but you can only clean so deep. Beth

Rick, I agree with Jim on just doing a few boards at a time, and yes it is a quick wet-on-wet. This works well in many situations. Beth :groovy: p.s. You have said here it is 25 years old and pretty neglected. Without photos and without knowing how much sun exposure this deck has each day, I'll venture a guess that: one reason it darkened up so much on you is the amount of UV damage the deck already had. A deck can look beautiful when you clean it, and due to neglect the product will go on pretty dark. Also since redwood is a softwood, it is more porous and will take the product a little deeper, darkening the color. Add the UV damage to the fact that it is fairly absorbent and you have what you saw first hand I would think. (add to this the tannin issue as well - redwood can get very dark) Again, this is based on our own expereince with redwood, and to be real sure a photo or two might help.

We can agree there! No hot water on wood. Beth

There are some great vendors who also post here on the forums. They have what you are looking for. Have you tried calling any of them? I'm sure they would be glad to offer some suggestions based upon what you are trying to accomplish. Beth

It's always going to be a topic for discussion...but really, it comes down to a company looking for a way to reduce cost and increase profits. Sometimes you can do this, sometimes you can't. It depends on what you are going to cut and the effect it will have on the company. We would not trade premade contractor grade chems for a bunch of raw materials in the wood care department. Our results are consistant and the products we use work as advertised through various scenarios. And yes, liability does matter. By the way, don't forget that at some point if you get all your own raws and make your own brew, you need to come up with your own MSDS sheets as well to keep in the truck with the brew. Beth :cup: :sunshine: :groovy3: :dancing:

Scott makes an excellent point. There is more to making a product than just looking at a couple of the main ingredients. It takes research and time testing and evaluating, and a bit of chemical knowledge. Just one more reason to buy a premade product (contractor grade) in my opinion. How many of us are greatful for the knowledge that vendors/suppliers have given us routinely to help us while we are in the field? So why do you want to bite the hand that feeds you, that helps you when you need help, when all these vendors are doing is trying to make a living just like you are? Sorry - but we can clearly see both sides of this - we used to sell products. I'm not a fan of trying to knock off a product just to save a few pennies, after getting hours and hours and hours of support from a vendor who was there when you needed them and helped you out as a service, making only what little profit was on the sale you brought them. I'll get off my soapbox now... :cup: Beth :groovy3:

We love our van. Fewer parking hassles, and everything is covered. If it smells, air it out. Beth

Click the banners that are at the bottom of the forums if they are for our site's vendors. (they change in rotation when you refresh the screen) They will take you sites that carry what you need. Look for: Deck Guide PressureTek Southside Equipment Sun Brite Supply Beth

First of all, the 8 year thing is going to be a vertical claim, I am willing to bet. Personally I want to read the lable. I suspect this it not just another oil. Lots of folks are moving to acrylics. Hope I am wrong.... Secondly, it's not the linseed oil that is the issue. When you pop the pail of a product containing linseed oil, you need to think about the total product. There are product out there that are well formulated that contain linseed oil, and there are products out there that contain linseed oil that are not well formulated. I suppose it is easier to just avoid all products with linseed oil and make a blanket and statement about the product due to the oil itself. Biocides, mildewcides, and antifungals are very important in a product. Not all products with linseed oil will turn uniformly black and fail before your very eyes. Better not to judge a sealer by one or two oils... I'm not saying I'm a linseed oil fan, that's not the case at all. It's not my favorite. I don't have one. I like products, not single ingredients. But I am saying, that it's better to look at the total product and base your decision on that than it is to make statements based upon one ingredient. Cabot's for example (just one example), must be doing something right, after all they have been making sealers since...oh...1877! Test the products you want to use. OK off my soapbox... :cup: coffee time. Beth

Celeste, Around here the WSSC Police are busting people for doing it becuase folks are hooking up to hydrants without a meter. Check with your local water athourity, check out rental fees for hydrant meters,a dn how much per gallon and put your markup on top. You don't have to haul water if a hydrant is nearby, but you do have to pay for what you use. Sounds like easy money if they want to pay for it. Beth

We didn't do the midnight thing here, but only because we had heard that the last one the fire marshall had to turn folks away when the store had 3,000 visitors. We got carry out, watched Harry Potter movies, and waited patiently the next day for our copy to arrive - it did - from Amazon. We're reading it now. I may have to look into the audio tapes.... Cool stuff. Beth

Russ is coming out with tint kits to make Western Cedar (you buy the Honey Gold and add your pigment stock) but I don't know if they are ready. You might check with ESI. Beth

Brian, I think you are looking at someing darker that SRD Cedar. Go to the Sikkens Website and look at the samples. http://www.nam.sikkens.com/product-colors.cfm?product_id=15&product_category=deck I think you are closer to the Teak color... Beth

Jon, ESI didn't blend Western Cedar this season. Closest product will be the SRD Cedar. Brian, look at the coverage on the lable. Depends onthe deck, and it's hard to say without seeing the boards or knowing the condition of them or their age... Got a pic you can share? Beth

Vinegar and lemon juice work also. You can get a gallon of vinegar to keep on the truck for very little money. You might smell like a salad, but it's gentler that oxylic! Please guys, be gentle on your bodies. Beth

Hopefully some equipment vendors will chime in here... Beth

Brian, I'm not sure you will find that color anywhere. Get your hands on Sikkens SRD, Cedar. The color is close, and the finish appearance is too. You may have to go over it with a light coat where you have already sealed to get it to blend. Beth

James Brown 5637 Malvern Way Capital Heights, MD 20743 301-669-9391 Deck, fence and 3 sided town house wash