Jake Clark

Was stained, solid hide Dark brown.
Saved it from the firewood pile.
Love, love, love it when they tell you it can't be done.
We know we have to rip it out.
But we thought we would ask you first.
 
OK
Yup I can fix it.

Just a couple of pics of a project I am working on, this was some really old shakes that needed two fat coats of amber. you can see on the front where i left off on the second coat.

Thought I would post a job or two. It's always nice to apply this finish, the customers LOVE it!
 
Beth

Too funny.  If I'm not being smoked, this is a PDF of an actual email to a customer.  Hard to believe.  Source protected.
 
Ethnography survey email requesting participation
Hello Valued Cus1omers!
Do you have an outdoor deck or fence that you are planning to coat with a Transparent o~ernb
'];:@§{l~t®tt'Ia~wood coating? We are looking for volunteers who are planning to apply
an Oil Base Wood Stain or Finish and allow a team from Behrto observe and record the
process for market research. Here's how it will work:
•
Most projects will take two days to complete and the project will need to be completed
between June 27, 2015 and July 26, 2015. If you are selected, then you will be
contacted by Behr to schedule a time for members from Behr to come to your project
site and observe you completing the project. You will be required to purchase the
materials; however, you will be awarded a financial incentive for your participation.
1.SUBMIT INFORMATION OF YOUR PROPOSED PROJECT FOR CONSIDERATION BY
June 24, 2015:
Your Name-
Email address -
• Phone number-
• Test site address -
• Mailing address (if different from test site) -
• Square footage of deck or fence-
Opacity of Oil Base coating planning to be applied- Transparent or Semi-
Transparent
• Approximate age and condition of deck -
Submit photos of your intended project area -
• Most deck projects take two days to complete. Please drcle the choice that best
reflects your timing to complete the deck project:
a. I will be available for two consecutive days during Monday through Friday or
on weekend days.
b. I wm only be available for one consecutive weekday and one weekend day.
c. I will only be available to complete the deck project on two consecutive
weekend days.
Send your responses to Rick at rbautista@behr.com
2.3.4.5.NOTIFICATION. Those submitting their project information will be notified by June 26, 2015
if they have been selected to participate.
SIGN AND RETURN. Participants will be required to sign a standard Field Test Agreement
form at the time your project starts.
SCHEDULE. The Behr team will work with you to schedule dates that will work best to
observe the deck project being completed..
SELECT AND PURCHASE PRODUCT. If selected, the participants will be required to
purchase the necessary supplies to complete their project (wood stain, applicators, etc.).
Participants can select any brand of oil base wood stain or finish they desire.
Jul 01 15 10:30a
 Hale
8472956420
 p. 1
6. APPLY THE PRODUCT. The Behr team will visit your job site on the scheduled dates and
observe you completing the project. During the project, you will be video recorded applying
the product. You will also be asked to compJete a post-application survey and may be
requested to submit pictures of your project at a later date.
7. BE REWARDED. For your participation, professional contractors that complete the project
will receive $450 while DIY/homeowners will receive $250 for compleiing the project.
Thank you for volunteering!
Sincerely,
The BehrTeam
 

There is a reason acrylic has cry in the middle of the word !

Thanks for the help RPetry! I got some sames of DRP and A-C, do I'm gonna do some test areas, but it looks like A-C is the way to go. Like you say, just gotta work around the weather!

Jesse,
 
These wet wood, throw it on and go type stains have come and gone in the past 8 -10 years.  This is not to claim that Everett's stain is not to be used, but the track record of other formulations is not positive.
 
I was at Everett's location 3 or 4 yrs. ago when he introduced his stain formulation to a group of contractors.  My only impression was the resulting pigment after application was not attractive.  But then again, it had just been applied and had not cured.  Kind of looked watery!
 
How bad is the typical rain pattern in Western N.C during wood season?  Here in the Northeast, yeah, we get a fair share of no stain days.  We just learn to work around them.  We have been using Ready Seal stains (a paraffin oil based stain) going on 13 years now with great success.  Jake's (Armstrong-Clark) stains are also very well formulated and manufactured, being a hybrid of paraffin and linseed oils.

No I didnt, Dave. Thanks for the info though!
 
 
I do want to give a HUGE thank you to Mark Smith. I sincerely appreciate the phone call.

Okay I have a few.....

I would seal it now and re seal the deck next year as the stain won't soak in a whole lot. I see the same thing with rough sawn cedar pickets, When new cedar is sealed  the stain tends to hold up only 2 yrs  not 3 like if the wood gets to age.
 
I'm glad I don't see cedar decks here much it sounds to be a PITA  almost as bad as PT pine decking!

Those are Better Homes and Gardens pictures for sure.
Curious if you have any pictures of the "during" process.
I would love to see some of your techniques on protecting the surface areas below and around
the deck area.
Do you constantly keep the areas wet? Or tarping or both?
Did you paint the bordered areas as well, or work around exiting color?
 
We've all done "trainer decks" until we are blue in the face. I don't even take pictures of them anymore.
Auto pilot, blah blah blah!!!!!
But this one is for the record books and should be on the cover of Deck World magazine ( if there was one).
Awesome work.

Hello Beth,  John T is right.  This job is "absolutely stunning".  It is wood restoration pros like you all that makes our humble stains sing.  Beth, this thread has made my week!!!   
Many thanks,   Jake

Hello Jason and other Armstrong Stain users,
If you have a deck staining job when the temp is lower than 50 degrees there are several things you can do.
1) Keep the stain at room temp (60 degrees or warmer)
2) The wood needs to be free of dew and water content no more than 20%
3) Apply the stain in the direct sunlight and the heat of the day. The 50 degrees is measured in the shade so the wood will be well above 60 degrees.
Following these helpful hints of the trade will give you an earlier start and later finish to your season.
Many thanks for using our stains,
Jake
1 209 541 6579 cell

Thank you everyone!
 
Also, thank you Jake!  Your advice and professionalism is always top notch.  Plus, I landed a 3k deck restoration job because a customer was referred to us by you.  I really appreciate that.  The scary thing is, the customer almost changed their mind and wanted to put Restore on instead for a while.  Luckily I was able to educate them.
 
Have a great start to the year everyone.

 
We completely restored this deck. We set all the exposed nail heads and screws, added screws where needed, stripped what was left of the old failed and inferior sealer, cleaned, brightened and brushed the furrs and lightly sanded the extremely weathered wood, replaced a few bad boards, added a new rail cap all the way around, added structural support to the poorly designed hand rails and finally finished with AC! This made for one happy customer! I learned so much about what to do, what not to do and how to fix mistakes on this project it is unreal! I still have another deck and a few hundred feet of shadow box fence before this entire job is complete so I will have more b4 and after shots when it is all done. Thanks to all of you who have helped me along as I have worked this job!

Water based puts what I like to call a "thin candy shell" on the surface. It looks great at first, but ultimately starts to scratch, chip and peel away from the surface; normally requiring a strip (which is difficult with acrylics) and restain. Since it doesn't really penetrate, it also doesn't give the wood fibers the moisture it needs, which leads to splitting, cracking and warping.
 
On the other hand, a true oil based stain (I prefer A/C brand) pentrates deep into the surface, bonding with the fibers of the wood. This prevents that scratching, chipping and peeling. The oil also conditions the wood, keeping that needed moisture there to avoid splitting and cracking. It can even help seal up cracks that have already happened due to lack of moisture. And when it comes time to re-stain it, it just requires a simple wash before staining (providing you are applying the same color stain...and obviously those two steps aren't done same day).

Do you think he has headed out to Denver and Seattle to test their new laws?!? HA!
Jake