Beth n Rod

Dale, We would love to be there and will donate a prize. Beth & Rod

I spoke with a friend the other day wo used EFC on a CWF deck, used it at 4 oz per gallon, he thought the deck had two coats and was a year, maybe two old - homeowner applied. He only meant to clean. Not to strip. EFC began to strip the CWF. It is a great cleaner and light duty stripper. But it is not just a plain percarbonate. Because it has a light duty stripper in it, it you should always neutralize behind it. (we beleive you should anyway - percarbs are alkaline too) Rod typically uses his HD at about 6 oz per gallon. He rarely dials it up to the full 8. He lets it dwell al ong time and tests as he goes. I wish I could explain is methods better. Some of you have worked with him hands on and you see how he does it. Every now and then you get the killer deck that laughs at you. Had one last year, but came to find out it was paint under a coat of stain. It took the stain, but the acrylic latex paint underneath laughed at it. Isn't it funny how a homeowner can remember the paint selectively? Beth

Seasick Carsick

In the Australian Timber Oil, it would be the Amberwood. I don't know if that color is available in their other products or not. Hope this is helpful. Beth

Tony makes an excellent point. It's not just the manufacturers brand name you have to be aware of, you have to know which product it is you are removing, or at least be able to tell when you are on a deck if it is an oil, an acrylic, or what. This makes all the difference in the world as to how it will turn out or how big of a pain in the butt it will be.

Happy Birthday Paul!!!!! Have a fantastic day!

PWS, We agree, we agree, we agree, we agree, we agree! Beth & Rod

strugisjr, Hd-80 has taken off acrylics before, you just have to be patient and keep it wet. Work on the verticals the most, they are your challenge. The floor will clean up as well, its already weathered, peeling and flaking. Mix at 7oz.(weight)/gallon. Keep it wet with additional product. Water down any plants nearby as well. This stuff will kill grass practically by being shown the 30lb tub! :) Apply under the rail caps regularly and the spindles. gitrdun! :seeya:

Hey Nick, I didnt get back to you in time but it shows you have done quite well for yourself on that deck. Good Job! Rod~

SCHOLARSHIP Offered to Wood Boot Camp at PWNA Annual Convention Pete Marentay, president of SunBrite, is offering a scholarship to cover the tuition and certification test for the Wood Restoration and Preservation boot camp to be held in March in conjunction with the PWNA annual convention in Columbus, OH. The convention dates are March 16-19, 2005. All power washers interested in the scholarship should submit a 500-word essay detailing how certification in wood restoration will change their business. Entries should be sent to Pete Marentay, SunBrite, 361 Pike Boulevard, Suite 240, Lawrenceville, GA 30045, by January 5, 2005. All applicants must be a PWNA member at the time of their submission. The submissions will be judged by a panel of wood experts and become the property of SunBrite. The successful candidate will be notified no later than February 1, 2005, in time to make arrangements to attend the convention. Please note that the costs of hotel, travel and convention registration are the responsibility of the scholarship recipient.

Yeah we get a few of his decks too from time to time. It's kinda funny.....

Agree with you 100%.

Everett, EFC-38 is MORE than just a percarb, it's got a little attitude. It is a light duty stripper as well. Remember the photos of me stripping a deck last summer? Well, I was using EFC, and taking off F&P.... Now under that F&P there waws Behr that we were not told about un a beige color. Thank goodness the pail of HD-80 was also in the truck, because the EFC didn't take the Behr. Beth

If you can take photos of the test patch and post them here. We can get a better idea of what you are facing if we are able to see the results. Beth

Henry, A few years back a young man came to us under the pretense of wanting to work. To make a long story short, after a week he vanished, and an ad appeared in the Gazette (out local paper for those not around here) with his cell phone number. In a week he had gone into business for himself. Well, his brilliance drove him out of business just about as fast as he was in it... his ad read that he guaranteed his product would last 7 to 10 years, and the product he was pushing had a two year life. Nothing lasts forever. If it did, the companies making the products would not be in business, and neither would we. Exterior wood requires maintenance. Anyone who doesn't want to deal with (homeowner I mean) is simply hurting their property. Stand by your guns. Beth

garbage can scum ring

Here's the thing, unless you SAW the can, that could also be the Behr PAINT. We had a deck like that last year. Even saw the can...but what was under the stain was Behr paint. It took the stain, but not the paint. I would URGE you to go do a test spot. Acrylics are HD-80's weak spot. It will take some of them, others with tons of dwell time and a struggle, and some it can't penetrate. When you do the test spot let it dwell as long as it take, and scratch at it with a paint stirring stick or something similar. Look for it to turn rubbery and change color slightly. If it is acrylic it will not melt like an oil will. Apply it to a hard to strip vertical area. Also find a floor spot that has a heavy amount of product, and try that too. In other words, always test the hardest areas. If it will not take it, try BIX, it has MEK in it. Wear protection. Hope this helps. Beth

Chili Puke Split Pea Soup Puke burnt popcorn

Yes it is a nice site. Way to go Russ!

Oil for sure. The acrylic with effort after it has weathered and up to two coats. Hope this helps. Beth

How about... Smashed Thumb Nail Dry Scab

Make sure you use a solid deck STAIN and not a PAINT. I suggest you look at Cabot's for a solid. And if you ever do have to take it off, HD-80 will do the job. Beth

Cedar tends to be a very problematic wood. Its too soft to be useful as decking material, but works fine for rail systems. I have found that the wood fibers have compacted after foot traffic use and dont absorb or hold color well for any product after being subject to this casual use! It may soak up the oil, but since the substrate is so easily damaged and compressed under normal walking weight, the best way to get optimal performance out of it is to basically sand it and reseal on top of the regular wash. Either way, prepare the customer to have it done annually! Cedar should be used for indoor furniture and closet lining in my opinion, not decks. Rod~

Warning ...this thread may contain gross out material. It doesn't contain profanity or nasty remarks though... ;)

Stripping wood tux is not easy! Its transoxide pigments and resin system make it really durable. Let me help those of you who are having a time of it stripping using HD-80. For all the times I have used HD-80 to strip with I have rarely needed to mix it more than 7oz. (weight) per gallon. 6oz is common and works very well. The dwell time and active status is important. Dwell time of 15-45 minutes is typical for weathered to newer or more intact sealers. Active status simply put is keeping the product wet! By this I dont mean with just plain water, but with additional HD-80. If it becomes dry, its no longer working. Check the areas of application for progress by using the end of your spray wand to basically scribble on the surface. If it comes off easily then you can move on. If not, then reapply and check other areas while you are giving it time to dwell. Verticals, especially under the rail caps are the tougher areas to strip. Horizontals around the rail system will be more likely to be heavily coated due to over spray during the previous application. Save the floor for last. It is often the easiest to strip. Concentrating on these areas and noting where the product has completed its job (turned dark) will help minimize furring. Expect furring though. Alot of the application of sealers today are not necessarily done by experienced people. Amateurs hired and quick trained to do the work as well as Harry Homeowner and their ambitious use of weekend time to save a few hundred bucks can leave a job with uneven application techniques and therefore some easily stripped areas wereas you may encounter ones that take longer. Do not strip more than once! You should be able to get at least 98% in the 1st attempt. I do...consistently. Patience and attention to the color change will help you get through any sealer out there. Using the thickener will help with the verticals if you are removing an acrylic that is in good condition or on a hot day. (not recommended but sometimes unavoidable) Once you have acheived an even dark color across the deck, then and only then do you rinse. (we use 40 degree tips) Keep the wood wet after the rinse and then apply the neutralizer. Allow it to bring the pH back and reapply where needed. Rinse and then rinse again. If removing a previous coating with a red pigment in it, prepare the customer for the hue that will be evident but not overwhelming in the woods substrate. It may effect the next sealers color slightly and they should be aware of it. If you have any furring as a result of the strip, use a defurring pad. You can mount them on sanding blocks or get the ones that you can put on a variable speed orbital polisher (works great). When removing Wood Tux that has been recently applied, plan on doing some sanding. Its not going to give up easily. If you are doing touch up after a rain, learn the technique of blending. We have had to do this on a couple of occasions when one of those afternoon thunderstorms sneaks up on the forecasters and noone know about it till its 15 minutes away. Blending requires that you apply lightly in the area where the problem is. Once you have blended the affected areas, then recoat the entire affected area. It is likely that the result will turn out darker, but in most cases you are applying to horizontals which would benefit from the application. The product will cure. Be aware of areas that 'pull' on your brush or pad. This is a sign that the product is setting up and over application may cause 'shineys'. (areas of gloss where surrounding ones are more satin) All this in mind, good luck to you on your project. Rod~