Beth n Rod

Karen Porter 22 Valley View Dr Farmington, CT 06032 860-678-7998 2 year old cedar deck needs help....

www.acrproducts.com www.pressuretek.com www.southside-equipment.com www.sunbritesupply.com

Ooooooohhh Aaaaaaahhh! Wow! Niiiiiice! Beth

No problem. Glad to help. Also try the search feature, and search for words like: Deck stripping deck cleaning remove stain remove finish deck washing See what threads you get, and read those. Beth

Some stains do not last long if the wood is not properly prepared. Then, there are some stains that are just not going to last long, HD and Lowes products fall into that category for example. Ken gave some good advice on the rest... Rod~

Bob W.? Russ J.? Thoughts? Beth

http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item Start here, then read the wood care forum, digest and ask questions directly in the threads. There is quite a bit of info out there. You will find the search feature very helpful. Beth

Start here: http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item Read and ask questions. The magnitude of what you are asking for, is huge and there are many variables. There are many answers online. Beth

Our companies reputation is due largely to the products we use and the evaluation of the performance of them over the years. In all honesty, we owe alot of our success to ES products because of their continued performance and quality. I know it has been an advantage that we were the "guinea pigs" for field testing of all the products, and our feed back helped to narrow in on what was working and what wasnt. In return, we support ES by continuing to use their restoration products. We also use PT's products as well. They both have a function in our arsenal. Yes, we could go out and buy raw chems and mix stuff up ourselves. One point to consider here...we become the manufacturers and therefore the responsibility and liability falls on us if anything happens while using these concoctions. Yes, there is a good reason to draw a line. We are wood restoration professionals, not chemists. I choose to leave that to those who have the talent and trust in them to create the products I need to do what I do best which is prolong the life of wooden structures so that the trees in the forest do not need to be cut down. .02 Rod~

Price rails height x length = SqFt to be added to the rest of the deck measurements. 60-80 grit is standard for outdoor wood prep. 40-60 grit for harder woods and heavy sanding to reduce raised grain to level. In the future, conduct your test spots on the rails just under the rail cap. These are the hardest to strip as they do not get sun exposure and are usually the first swipe with a full brush or pad during application and gets the heaviest coat. Verticals are typically the most time consuming to strip with the southern side being the exception if in full sun. Rod~

Louie (Glock40), I share Everett's concerns, and support his outreach to you. Please stop to learn the correct method if you are truly just washing with water and high pressure. Go here: www.pwna.org and look into membership. Then contact Everett and see when he will next be holding a bootcamp for wood restoration. In the meantime, ask many questions, and listen to the answers. Don't second guess those who have already had the headaches. Know what I mean? Washing with just pressure is harmful to the property you are working on. If you have not yet done it, get liability insurance. Call Joe Walters. You can reach him here: http://www.dcs1.com/jwalters/ There are many very good, seasoned folks here who will help you to succeed, if you let them. Beth

I want to add a few words of caution here, to those who are new or relatively new to chemicals, who are not seasoned and comfortable with them, and who at this point doen't even wear the proper PPE when using them. Please do not make your own home brews for stripping straight out of the gate. The support you get from the manufacturers and distributors of many products out there, is going to help you become very good at what you are embarking upon, and you'll be safer doing it. Use something that is formulated, that you can get good solid telephone support on when you need it, and save yourself the potentially hazardous headache from playing chemist as a newbie. There is quite a bit to be said for the value of the knowledge the manufacturers and distributors share with their clients in support of their products. I doubt many here can say they started with pure raw chems, figured it out with no bumps and no outside support. This is a forum by contractors, for contractors, and personally, this contractor thinks it is good solid, professional advice to seek support from those who are expereinced, even if it means spending a few more bucks, learning it right, being safe, and then later if you want to change you understand why far, far, far better than you would if you were new and your head was spinning as you tried to absorb too much too fast. Work smarter, not harder, and be safe. My .02... Beth

Beautiful wood. Also curious what you are sealing it with.... Beth

That is a factor, so is air temp, humidity, etc. When any of us uses and reports on what we have done, the weather is important too. It is also important to not e that the finishes we are removing will weather differently in different areas of the US. This is why some products are not even available in Northern states. (cracking and peeling etc.) Beth

great addition to any spray set up! Rod~

Please post pics... it would help us help you better. Beth

Pad or brush the drips out and leave no defined edges to the spill or over spray. Make it fade as it would look like your brush or pad ran out of product. This makes it easier to blend once you are ready to do the floors and avoid applying more product to this area to avoid double coating and lap marks. Putting down plastic sounds like a good idea at first but if you are working on a raised deck, consider the fact that the plastic under your feet does not give a good foot hold to keep your feet in place. You also will get product on the plastic making it slippery as ice which will cause you to loose your footing and could result in a fall. A small drop cloth may be a better solution but not spread out so much that you are standing on it. Keep on paying this kind of attention to details and you will become a deck expert in no time. :) Rod~

These are all considerable points. Especially where your companies reputation is at stake and I cannot blame anyone for refusing to use a customers choice of product over one that the contractor knows will perform better. I am sure there are exceptions in the case of recoats or maintenance work, but where it comes to the end result and from experience we know it will not look good, regardless of whether we need the work or not, it is not far from a vicious cycle. We have reached a point where we may use a customers choice product only after first understanding we will not warrant the work due to the known characteristics of the product and difficulty in maintaining the finish. Home Depot/Lowes off the shelf type products fall into this category. Reputation is one hell of a thing to build up to have it go into the toilet just to get a job. After all, who is the professional? Rod~

Many instances of furring occurs because of a couple of different reasons. One is uneven application where some of the product is applied thinly whereas other areas have a heavier coating. Another is due to applying a stripper to areas that dont need it because the product is worn off to begin with. Keeping this in mind going forward should help limit the amount of furring you will have to deal with as you get used to stripping a deck and noticing the parts that turn dark quicker on it than other indicating what I have mentioned above. Rails, in most cases should be the most time consuming areas of your stripping and the floor the least of your worries because of the amount of over spray that will land on it anyway as you are waiting for the rails to be ready. Which ever product you use, time, attention to where the product is being effective as to where it is not, and keeping it wet and active where it is needed is the most important to controlling the process. As far as dwell times are concerned, they will vary according to product being removed and temperatures present on the site. No one product is the be-all-end-all solution to every situation. Knowledge of materials, products and individual techniques dictates which works best and when. The only time being wasted here is the bashing being conducted out of line with respect to the accomplishments of products that have proven their effectiveness and place in the field. Im glad to hear someone is so enthusiastic about a specific product line and that it has worked well for them. Lets not persist on the basis of one being better over the other when all too many know from their own experience that which ever they are using...its because they have gotten the results they wanted from them and continue to order more from which ever supplier as a result. Respect comes from knowing when a point has been made and step back and let others decide for themselves...its their choice. Rod~

One other thing to think about when stripping ( regardless of product ) is that if you have an uneven application of what you are trying to remove you are more likely to fuzz the deck up in some spots, where the sealer you are removing is thinner, and you go back to bare wood faster. Just a tip, if you can visually see where the product is applied more heavily, apply your stripper there first, then work on the areas that do not need as much dwell time. Hope this helps some of you out. Beth :sunshine: :groovy3:

Ken, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! Keep 'em coming! Beth

Exactly. There are many things to consider... people work a little differently, people are in different climates where various products are more popular than others. The important thing here, is to find a product, whatever that product may be, and learn to use it and be comfortable with it so you can get optimal results...that's the bottom line, getting the results you set out to get. You really can't fault anyone for getting great results with a product you have chosen not to use. There are at this point a number of things that you can use and get great results with. And really, isn't it nice to have a choice, so you can test things and see what works best for you? A few years back the choices were more limited. Today, you can select the tool of the day depending on the job. Beth

Thought you might enjoy a couple of shots of Wood Tux, at age two years, prior to us washing and applying a maintenance coat. Beth

Here's one that is ground level you can see the horizontals better. This is two year old Wood Tux in Western Cedar, full sun deck, and it looks great for two years old. busy family lives here, complete with kids and dogs. Lots of deck traffic. Enjoy. Beth :groovy3:

The floors looked really good for two years. Still plenty of color left, no UV greying. Beth