PressurePros

Great pics. You are officially nominated for indoctrination into the Woody Society. That first set of pics is the perfect tone.. a bit more brownish. I live in an area that is paranoid of "orange".

I'll double the "yuck" on Flood stuff. I'm trained by you old schoolers. Give me oil or give me death. Good to see you around.

+2 install first

Holy crap.. talk about a ghost from the past. How are ya, Tony? Give Armstrong Clarke a close look. The dealer for it is in Michigan. Home

I'm still drying to figure out when Jim decided Ready Seal was not a good enough product for decks by itself. Jim, I'm saying this tongue-in-cheek and with a grin to break your stones, but the question is one I believe valid.

Jim, why do you need a topcoat with the Ready Seal? Doesn't that change the dynamic of your future mainentance?

That's what leads me to believe there was some type of solvent from spray paint. I'm reaching.. I dunno.

Kevin, most drying oils don't really cure in wood for at least 8 hours. They may appear dry but they are not cured. Successive coats would still form a covalent bond with the coat beneath it until you get to the point of diminishing return.

Not sure, but I figured based upon the caliber of finished product and having had 15 years in the business before any of us newbies came along, Shane was beyond being questioned. PS: there is medicine for ADD (just playin')

Charlie, ask the homeowner if spray paint was ever cleaned from the deck. I've never seen that. The pattern look deliberate.

Kevin, these are always wet-on-wet coats. I guess that it is also a matter of semantics. To me, "wet" is anything that has not started curing. Go back and reread my description. The steps have two coats and you can see the difference between the steps and the wooden patio. The one coat (which was heavy) is blotchy and light.

Lyle, that is with everything. The other product I use mandates it is heavy on mineral spirits and dives quickly. With the A/C, it depends on the deck but in a couple circumstances we did one coat and when I went back to check it, the color was light. Here is a picture I found. Customer was replacing the front patio deck before selling. So when we stained, the steps and back deck were given two coats. We did not stain the piece being replaced. A week later customer called to let us know that they ran out of money, couldn't replace the wood and that they wanted it stained after all. On to of that they were having an open house and it needed to be dried and cured within 48 hrs. Told them we would one coat it to solve their dilemma. You can see the noticeable difference in tone and continuity.

Yes, Charlie. This technique was passed on to me from the infamous Shane "Seymore" Bresseaux.

I set my machines exactly the way Paul described. I don't want the machines set to their rated pressure. All that does is build the pressure spike in the line. None of the answers I have read is wrong. I think the fireguy's way (Hello William) makes sense as well and is probably a different way of describing the same final effect.

I've noticed the sap when using deeper penetrating stains. Dan, I disagree that applying a second coat is not necessary. If the wood can take it, it should be done. I've found the old painter's rule of two lighter coats are better than one heavy coat applies to sealing as well. Once you get a system down it is not that labor intensive. It takes about 5 minutes to spray down a good sized deck floor. Our system is to do that first. That could sit for an hour while we do everything else. The finish coat on a floor goes down by truck brush as a medium/heavy coat. This is just my opinion but not only does the floor look more "complete", but the deck has the ultimate in protection from surface to as deep as the oil can penetrate.

LOL, its not VOC compliant in 2009.. or for that matter 2006.

Tony, I read where so many guys get guff from customers that cleaning and sealing costs as much as replacement. That's BS. You couldn't get any contractor worth his salt around here to build a cedar fence for less than $35 per LF. PT stockades would still be over $20.

You hack! :rotfl:

I know you, Rick. You have the heart of a craftsman. Its in me too.

What I've used for the last couple of years. That product which will have to remain nameless (not Wood Tux, Wood Rich or any of the ESI offerings) or Scott will put a hit out on my life. Scott you need to make some room over there in your inventory for a new product. Muahahahaha. PS: I cannot pay more than $75 per pail delivered. :lildevil:

Nice uniform fade. Looks conducive to a maintenance clean and coat.

Lyle, they get a wet down with spirits and sit in the pan. They last about 8 jobs before they get taken out of service. Once a month they get soaked in stripper, washed and laid on a wire rack to dry out.

Rick, I think it is a case of "too much of a good thing." Transoxides are the best for reflecting UV and are not as UV sacrificial as an earth pigment, but I have found that when a stain has too much of it, you get the results Charlie did. I have had the same thing happen with a sodium hydroxide strip, very slow methodical cleaning with 1000 psi, pH balance and defur. It wasn't the prep, it was the Wood Tux. The further I go in this niche of wood care, the more I realize that I don't care for the slight clarity and durability advantages of the transoxides. I don't get major color fade or shift from the product I use for at least two years. There is a slight opaqueness (not as hiding as the A/C) to the tone but I like it better.. so do customers. This is meant with no disrespect and is a matter of personal preference.. Pure parafinics also look oily and dirty to me. As my volume gets higher and higher, we really need to get in and get out (ie adequate work that looks better than what 85% of the contractors out there can do). I totally appreciate and respect the perfection that makes for a killer restoration. I appreciate it and you guys would ooh and ahh over my pictures, but the end result is that high volume work (300,000 + s/f per year) does not support the pricing model that goes with it. My bottom line is that Armstrong is an incredible VOC compliant stain. Top notch and worth the money for companies doing 50,000 s/f or less per season. One coat on a floor, from the pictures I have seen looks a little light but it is definitely as close as you can come to a one-coat product. I'll keep some on hand for when rain is in the afternoon forecast as it is very durable against a rainfall before full cure.

That is identical to the "dirty" finish of Wood Tux. The culprit is in that transoxide pigment. Its very unforgiving. To me that deck looks like crap and I don't mean just because of the prep.

I really hope Jake is reading this.. The colors and transparency levels have to be clarified. - Super Cedar is the semi-solid right? - The semi solid is supposed to have the most pigment and is up-charged accordingly? Correct? - The heaviest pigmented product, the semi-solid is now labeled on the can as "transparent". Correct? And now a contractor says they are getting 70 s/f per gallon with this, the heaviest pigmented product. Am I still on track? Huh?