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Matt, do you have "finished" pics of the deck yet?

Oh well, at least it will give you an idea of what it might look like if your customers ask.

OK, jump backwards a few days. I posted pics of the deck after cleaning and it wasn't clean enough. I didn't have time to order more cleaner/brightener so I went to the dreaded Lowes and bought the cabots deck stripper and brightener out of desperation. I completed that process yesterday morning and sanded the fuzzies last night. I stained today with the A/C sierra redwood semi-transparent stain. The results are alright. There are a couple of touch ups needed but overall I'm real happy. I'll do touch up in the early morning then post pics of the finished project mid-morning (11ish). Here is one picture. You can see a few touch ups are needed on the lattice. I'll fix those before I post more pics tomorrow. Greg

What is this white film on my deck? Yesterday I cleaned with efc38 then brightened with citralic. Is this residue from that? If so, how should I remove it (other than that it looks great!)? I've got a stiff deck broom so I could wet it down then scrub it real well. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks, Greg

Thanks Charlie. I'll post pics on my deck restoration journal as well as a couple in the Armstrong-Clark thread. Let me know what you think. I'll try to get some good pics that show good detail.

I mixed 2lbs to about 4 1/2 gallons total. I had to get this thing done so i actually went and bought a cabots stripper and stripped the entire thing (floors and railing) with good results (and brightened). I spent literally the entire day today staining. It looks good! I'll let it dry overnight and take some pictures tomorrow and post them. It is pretty red though, but I like it. Should I go with the HD80 next time? Or, stick with the EFC-38 and just make sure I've got more than enough on hand to keep rewetting with the cleaner? Should I mix it differently? Next time I will have everything together to complete the project in the spring, before its a 100 degrees like it was today. I really fought with keeping the cleaner wet. It wanted to dry out the second I sprayed it on, even at 7am. So, I would mist it down with water and I bet I just diluted it too much to do the trick.

I know the efc-38 needs to be kept "wet" to do its work. Is it the same with the Citralic? If it dries fairly quickly will it still be working or not?

Ok, here are a few more with different camera settings. The sun is behind the trees so I guess these could be considered as in the shade. The others were taken in the shade too. Let me know what you think. Hell, nevermind. I can't seem to take pictures that give you a true feeling for what the wood really looks like. I apologize for the inconvenience. You can catch a couple of glimpses of the sun shining on the deck (pic 1, right side spindles/rail plus all 3 pics on previous post). That is the color of the whole thing.

Alright, here are 3 more pics of the deck. The 1st one is the lower deck (never stained) and the next 2 are of the upper deck. They turned out OK but still don't give a great representation of what the deck really looks like. Let me know what you think. If I get the go ahead, I'm going to lightly sand in the early, early morning then begin staining. Thanks, Greg

The haze isn't fuzzy at all. It just kind of looks like a really light film on the deck. I actually got a small section wet and scrubbed it with a deck brush but it's too dark outside to see if it made a difference. I don't know what happened to the second picture. Maybe lighting, maybe the photographer. That wood actually looks very similar to the wood in picture 1 in real life. Picture 2 is the upper section of the deck that was previously stained. I will take more pics tomorrow to see if I can get some that show the upper part a little better. Please check back in on me and give me some feedback of tomorrows pictures. If I have to, I'll re-do the upper section or sand the fire out of it until it is in better shape. I know it's not the best option, but could I run to the dreaded Lowes and pick up a couple of gallons of deck stripper and brightener to get me through this project? They have a cabots and Zinsser brand of these products. Any advice on which would be best? Thanks again, Greg

Uh, grammar not grammer, hehehe, jk...Greg

Whew! The cleaning is done but it's about 95 out now so I'm holding off on the citralic until it cools off a bit this evening. I should have plenty of time to brighten it before it gets dark. What is the recommended dwell time on the citralic (PT SYP)?

Ok, everything is off the deck and it's ready to go for tomorrow morning. I have a question about what area to use the efc 38 on first. I'm thinking about doing the top rail and lattice work, inside and outside 1st. Once they are completed I would move to the actual deck portion. Is this reasonable or is there a specific procedure I should use? I think that's the last question I have prior to starting. Let me know if you can think of any other tips. Thanks, Greg

The last picture, #4, was done by Rick Petry. It says its a mix of brown sugar and western cedar so it's got to be a woodrich product but I'm not sure which one.....Rick? If you hold your cursor over the picture it will show you who posted and what they titled the post. Good luck in finding something you like. The deck looks great so far!

Oh, don't cover up all that beautiful grain with a solid, please!! Opt for a semi-transparent. You'll be thankful when it's time to reapply (from what i've heard).

Come on F&D, we need our fix, uh, I mean, more pics...

Thanks Charles. The only reason I sanded 1st was because Ken had suggested it a while back. If I recall correctly, he said the dust from sanding would be removed by the EFC-38 (RAD step 1). I've still got plenty of sanding discs left so I can go over it again if needed. Thanks for the input, Greg

I sanded the upper deck today with an orbital sander and 60 grit paper. Here are a few pics, let me know if this is what it should look like. Basically, I sanded board by board, knocking off all the raised fibers. I ended up taking off a good bit of the stain in the process. One more question, If I clean and brighten tomorrow, could I stain it Saturday and have it ready for use on Sunday? Or, should I allow 48 hours for actual use? Let me know. Otherwise I've got to put off the whole process until Monday. Thanks, Greg P.S. - I have not cleaned or brightened the deck. The only thing I have done so far is sanded the upper deck. Thanks again, Greg

If anyone would like samples, I've got 3-4 ounces each of the semi-tranparents: rustic brown, sierra redwood and cedar. I got sent double samples and don't want them to go to waste. So, if you want them, PM me your contact info. if it's not in your signature and I'll be glad to send them to you. Thanks, Greg ****UPDATE**** Celeste spoke up first. I will get them in the mail to her today.

Nice job F&R. Keep up the good work and keep posting pics.

Should I lightly spray down my deck with water prior to using the efc-38 or will this just dilute the cleaner? Also, how much will 1 container of Citralic make? It says up to 10 gallons on the front of the container but the mixing instructions are unclear. For some reason I was thinking 2 lbs of it would make 5 gallons. Is this right?

Thanks guys. I'm picking up my orbital sander tomorrow and will either start the sanding process tomorrow night or wednesday morning. I can't wait to get this thing going. Thanks for all the help, Greg

What is the difference between these 2 sanders? I've got one of the 1/3 sheet vibrating sanders and am going to buy an orbital one tomorrow (for my deck) but just wondering the difference. Is the 1/3 sheet vibrating sander designed for finish work? Thanks, Greg

Cool! I'll actually be buying one Tuesday. I expect to be getting my EFC38, Citralic and maybe even my stain tomorrow. Current plan is to start the whole process Tuesday or Wednesday. I appreciate the input, Greg

It looks like you've got a great start. I can't wait to see the final pics. How big is the deck?