Dublin

Hiya Folks, I received a plethora of advice a few years ago from your collective wisdom with regards to a deck I built in northern NM. Ultimately went with Armstrong Clark on the stain and it's done ok. Truth be told, Jake was fantastic to work with through it all but admitted that no stain was going to last very long in the harsh environment up there. I have found I have to reapply every year but that's ok as my expectations weren't that high with regards to longevity considering the weather up there. The advice I got here with regards to prepping etc...was bang on! Anyway, I now have a new project and new questions. I'm building an addition on my home in Albuquerque NM (elevation 5800'). The house is an adobe style with a fair amount of exterior timbers/corbels that appear to be finished in a solid stain. I am trying to match the color on the newer construction and not sure where to turn. I really don't want to buy multiple gallons of colors and try mixing them up to get "close". Behr's color chart has an exact color match for what is currently in place yet I shudder to think about using their product. Are there any recommendations for a good exterior stain that can be custom colored? I should note that for the timbers/corbels, they are pine and of course are vertical surfaces. I also have lintels to stain and they are cedar. Environment in ABQ for those unaware: Very high UV exposure, little rain, little snow, mostly sun, wide temp swings. And very dry (typically single digit humidity) but with wide humidity swings due to the monsoons in the summers. Oh, and while I've got your attention, any recommendations for cleaning up said timbers with regards to handling marks etc...? I can't believe how beat up some of these get while being installed. I'd rather not sand the areas as that would just create a different look when stained vs. leaving them rough. Was going to try the percarb route but haven't as of yet. Thanks much! cc Homeowner who should probably take up contracting :)

Sorry for digging this thread back up. Finally got a couple of photos. They're not very good but hopefully they'll give you an idea of the markings on the lumber I need to stain/seal (these are interior and will be treated with a pretty clear finish). I'd really rather not sand them as that would require me to sand all of it to get similar texture/stain penetration so if there are any ideas of how to wash these, I'm all ears! I also have a door that was wrapped in cardboard but got sun on part of the door so is now "sun tanned" where there was no cardboard. Doors are made of pine and I figure I'll need to brighten with percarb and neutralize to get rid of it. Or just wait until the whole door is tanned :) Thanks for any help! .

Thank you Rick! I'll try to get some photos up in the next day or two. I should have mentioned that some of these timbers that have these handling/construction marks are interior and will be finished in a transparent finish (not sure which one just yet). I really don't want to sand them as it would mean I would have to sand everything and that would take me weeks of overhead work. I've read bleach seems to work so I am hopeful that sodium percarb might do the trick but I haven't tried it yet. Still trying to get insulated and drywall up!

anyone? I'm leaning towards the Cabot stains specifically their oil version (although they have like 3 different versions so still trying to sort that out). Thanks.

Hiya Folks, I'm currently trying to get sealer/stain on my new deck I constructed. The decking is tatajuba which is similar to Ipe in many respects but honestly that doesn't matter all that much. Anyway, I'm using Armstrong Clark and had a pretty good coat down for about 2 hours before the rains came. Forecasts this time of year in the mountains of NM are always "chance of thundershowers" so it's a bit of a crap shoot whether it will rain or not. In any case, it came down hard (hail too!). When it was all over, I went to survey the damage to the deck. The AC finish definitely was doing it's job at keeping water beaded up but after a while I started getting a whitish slimy material showing up here and there on the deck. I've seen it before with motor oil and water so I figure I have a problem. I sponged off as much water/slime as I could and am now looking for advice on where to go from here. I have a couple of thoughts and was hoping for some advice. 1) I can wait for the deck to dry out and then do a wipedown with rags to remove whatever slime is left and then add another coat or b) am I relegated to washing with Percarb/Citric again and then another coat? Or are there any other ideas out there? Thanks very much for the help. I'm on a tight timeline so I'm hoping this isn't a big deal but realize it might be. Cheers, cc

Actually, after seeing the deck after a bit of sunshine, I don't think I need to do anything else. I don't see any bare spots and it sure was shedding water great last night so I'm planning to leave it until I have to re-do it (Jake is estimating maybe 6 months based on the location of this thing but we'll see). Cheers, cc

So as a quick update, I awoke today after listening to nothing but rain all night to find the deck looks great. Still wet and it looks like more rain is possible but overall, I think I'll be ok. Since I won't get back up here for another few weeks, I'll just plan to do a quick wash and a final thin coat after that. This was my second coat and I put it on pretty heavy so based on what I see out there, I think I'll be fine. Nothing like a bit of panic to get the blood pumping! Thanks for all the help and reassuring words! Cheers, cc

That's encouraging Charlie. Maybe I'll sleep a little better tonight! I need to leave tomorrow so I'm hoping the deck dries out by then so I can get a good look at how it survived. Cheers, cc

Thanks for the confidence. I'm listening now to the rain pounding on my metal roof and thinking I'll have to probably at least wash it and try another coat. I really don't want to have to strip and start over and am hoping that's not the case. The oil is beading/sheeting the water very well well so I'm convinced there's plenty that got into the wood before the rains came. Cheers, cc

Thanks. I've already been in touch with Jake in the past on other questions but was hoping this was a fairly typical thing as I won't be able to talk to him until Monday and was hoping to do some work on this tomorrow. I may just have to leave it for a few weeks until I can return to it at which point, a wash will be in order anyway given the stuff being dropped from the trees. Cheers, cc

Hiya folks, Well I'm finally coming down the home stretch on my deck project. I have just a few more rows to lay and still need to put up my hand rails but by and large, I plan to seal this thing before winter! The decking is tatajuba (similar to Ipe but not quite as dense/heavy) and I have approx. 450 SF of the stuff to seal. I was planning to wash with percarb and neutralize with citric. I will need to sand this deck prior to sealing. I have an ROS and belt sander but was thinking I might be better off with an orbital floor sander. I'd have to rent such a beast so thought I'd ask what folks are recommending in the way of a sander and what grit to go up to? I can rent one of the orbital floor machines from my local Lowes or go with something a bit more industrial from a rental shop. Obviously I'll need to hit some some spots with the ROS and I have no intention of breaking out the belt sander (or should I?). Ultimately, I'll be using Armstrong-Clark stain/sealer on it (haven't decided on color just yet). Thanks for any inputs you can give. Cheers, jlc

Thanks Guys. I will probably just stick with the ROS and go with the 60 grit as Rick advised. I certainly could get to Lowes, get a floor sander, and get back much faster than using the ROS but this project is a 3 hour drive from my home which means I'd end up renting the sander for a couple of days. I'm hopeful with 60 grit, it will go relatively quickly. Cheers, cc

Hiya Folks, Well I'm starting to plan for sealing my deck when the weather warms up. Just as a side note, the posts and handrails are pine logs and the decking will be ipe. I plan to leave the ipe alone for now but will start on the finishing of the pine when warm enough. Anyway, here's my plan that I've assembled after reading a number of informative posts on these boards. Let me know what you think. 1. Shellguard: apply and let dry. 2. Percarb clean: 6-8oz/gal. 3. Wash with pressure washer 4. Brightener: Citric acid at 6oz/gal 5. Let dry 6. Stain/seal Still haven't finalized my stain/sealer preference but I think the above regimen should work for all. Biggest key is to let it all dry before sealing. Whatcha think? Thanks much. jlc

Thanks Rod. I find that interesting as Permachink specifically recommends washing the wood after the shellguard is applied. The shellguard will take approx. 2-4 weeks to dry and will leave crystals present on the surface which need to be washed off, per Permachink. I'm using their concentrated shellguard which is slightly different than their RTU product. Cheers, cc

Hiya Folks, I'm building a deck attached to a cabin in the northern mountains of New Mexico. I've been gathering samples of the various sealers/stains to use not only on the deck, but also to use on the cabin. The cabin is log (pine I believe but not certain). It currently has Penofin on it so that will have to be stripped. The deck will have Ipe decking but the handrails/posts are pine logs. Without making a final decision, I have been leaning towards using Readyseal on everything based on the numerous opinions expressed on these boards. But, after talking with the owner of the mill that I'm getting my logs from, he recommended taking a look at the permachink system. He's been in business for quite a while up here and that's the only sealer/stain system he uses so he obviously likes it. So now I'm thinking about maybe doing all the logs/cabin in the Permachink and the ipe decking with the ReadySeal. I'm not crazy about having two different products to worry about but I think the ReadySeal is probably a bit better for the horizontal decking. Now, for the deck posts/handrails I will probably resort to brushing whereas the cabin and decking would probably be sprayed. So a few questions for those in the know. How does the Permachink Ultra-2 system brush out? I'm not a real fan of having to meticulously brush to avoid overlaps so curious to see if this product is relatively user friendly. How does the Permachink system hold up to the elements relative to ReadySeal? Our climate is pretty variable (currently 3 ft of snow on the ground right now!) with some very dry weather (try 12% humidity), some very heavy rains/snow, extreme temps, and I can't say enough about the sun here....very high UV Index. Sorry for such a long post! I guess at the end of the day, I'm looking for advice on which way you professionals would go! Thanks very much for your time! Cheers, J. Culbertson

The nearest rental yard is 60 miles away and is not cheap! I'd probably make my money back buying vs. renting. That being said, I am keeping my eye out for used as I'm sure I can always find a use for it. Cheers, cc

The only reason for me hiring out the cabin is for safety. I can't get up high enough without scaffolding and I'm really not in a mood to buy scaffolding that gets used once every two years or so. I may change my mind as I've sealed it twice now from the top of a ladder but I didn't enjoy it. Cheers, jlc

Hiya Folks, As a guy whose primary hobby is building furniture, I know the importance of finishing all sides of wood whether seen or not, to help avoid unwanted wood movement. The theory is if all sides are finished the same, you won't be encouraging cupping, warping, etc....Some may be inevitable obviously but it does help to minimize it. So do you folks apply your sealers with this in mind? Reason I ask is I'm planning to use Ipe on my deck (not installed yet) and I've read that Ipe is best finished by letting it weather a while before sealing. So, you can see where this is going.....will it buy me anything by getting the boards and leaving them un-installed for a while and then finishing all sides before install? I really won't be able to access the bottom of the deck once everything is installed so getting the underside/edges sealed would probably only happen on the initial sealing. Any thoughts? Thanks much, jlc

Thanks Retro, No I wouldn't be brushing the whole cabin! I was thinking of using the permachink on everything but the ipe (handrails, posts, etc) and then hiring out someone to come in and clean/seal the cabin. I don't mind doing the work but just don't have the necessary safety equipment to get up high. Cheers, jlc

Thanks folks. The deck is indeed lower to ground than some I'm sure. It ranges from 18" above ground to about 36" above ground. I haven't seen pre-sealed Ipe online yet but may look into that. As well, I've been using AnchorSeal on all my end cuts for my framing to date so I have plenty left for the ends of the Ipe. And James, why do you not like Ipe? Just curious. I agree it's probably "unnnecessary" as I could just throw down something like Redwood but then I'd be replacing it in a few years where with Ipe, I don't think I'll have to worry about replacement (for as long as I'm alive anyway). Cheers, cc

Thanks folks for the inputs. I think I have a plan for sealing/staining this deck now and will post that for opinions under a separate thread. Cheers, jlc

Hiya Folks, Been reading and learning a lot from the forums regarding staining/sealing a deck (and eventually re-finishing the cabin it's attached to). Anyway, I've got samples from ReadySeal and Armstrong Clark with more coming from PermaChink. A brand/product that was recommended to me from a local log mill that manufacturers log homes is called Outlast Wood Seal. He seemed really excited by it. I haven't found all that much about it on the web so thought I'd ask if folks here have had any experience with it and what their impressions are? Seems it is sold in a 1 gal concentrate that then gets mixed into 4 gallons of min spirits for application. Thanks much for any insight. Cheers, Dublin

Thanks Beth. I've got samples of the Permachink, AC, ReadySeal, and Outlast so I'll probably just do up some sample boards and go from there. I don't think I can go wrong with any of them but want to get the best protection I can given the environment it'll be subjected to. Cheers, jlc

Thanks Beth. How would you rate the permachink vs. Readyseal in terms of performance? Is the permachink difficult to brush? If I go with it on the deck posts/handrails, I'd probably hire out the cabin as I just don't have the proper tools (ie. pressure washer, scaffolding, etc....) and have them use the permachink. Thanks! jlc