Scott Paul

Thanks Jim. I have a feeling that the semi-solid will strip just as easily as the semi-transparent. You are correct that the additional pigment in the semi-solids should help with retaining the color.

Did you use it last year?

NOTE: The "wet" color of DEFY Deck Stain for Hardwoods has a cloudy/ milky appearance but will dry to a beautiful, semi-transparent finish. Beth I believe this is referring to what the product looks like in the can prior to application.

I have sold over 10,000 gallons of Defy and this is the first I have ever heard of it turning "blue". Must be something unique in your scenario.

Rick, I am no differrent then you. I still use oil based products on 95% of my decks. Water based is the future and they are getting better every year. Defy is the only water based product that I like. Probably because it is the only that penetrates like an oil. Let me know when you want to try it on your deck. I will send you a pail at no charge.

IMO if it penetrates into the wood then it can be easily stripped with NaOH. That goes if it is a water based or an oil based. Defy when applied properly will penetrate into the wood, thusly can be stripped effectively.Rick, you applied the Defy, did it penetrate or film-form on top of the wood like an acrylic?

Plenty of times. Never have an issue getting it off.

Defy is a water based synthetic resin. It does not film like other water bases. Here is the product data sheet.http://www.opwdecks.com/hardwood.pdf

I need that back!

Looks really good Tony! Did you use all of the 10 gallons of sequoia?

True but it still gets alot of sun since it faces south. You can see at the far end of the picture that it was getting full sun when I took the picture.

Dan, we strip/brighten every deck we do. Just use different concentrates for the stripper depending on the project. From a very diluted formula on a new deck to remove mill glaze to a high concentration of HD80 followed by the Powersolve on a film-forming finish such as Behr.

Here is a picture of a hardwood deck we did in 2007. I was shocked to see that the Messmers held the color for the full two years. The only thing wrong was that it was very dirty from all the trees. It did not turn black at all.I believe this deck is Mahogany since the HO said it was. It looks like IPE to me though.

You also have the VOC version in your state.

Messmers is our best selling hardwood stain by far. I have numerous people tell me it lasts for a year and I have numerous people who say it lasted 6 months or less. Defy Hardwood seems to have the best color retention of them all. This is all coming from customer feedback as I do not have alot of IPE in Michigan.ps. I am looking at an Mahogany deck tomorrow. We did it two years ago with messmers and the customer said it help up very well. I will take a picture.

Rick, how are the stains holding out so far?

Correct. It is designed for older more dried out wood.

Dan, There is one problem with the 200 series that I failed to mention and noticed on my deck. The 200 series is loaded with trans oxides and parafin oil. It is designed for dried out wood such as cedar shake roofs and shingles. The cedar on my deck is actually more of a smooth cedar. It took almost 10 days for the 200 series to dry on my deck. It also goes on very dark in color and will take nearly a month to cure/lighten to it's final color. This can be an issue for customers. The drying issue could be related to the fact that I applied in April and the weather was in the 40's for the 10 days it took to dry. As far as adding it back on the shelves, it probably would be an issue since they already picked up my inventory. It also went up in price substanially since 2008 (about 16%). If need be I could look into drop shipping for you.

Cedar Gold 203

This is 200 series, which I actually removed from sale since no one was buying it. The 100 series will be replaced with the 400 series I believe when the time comes. The 500 series is good too but not quite as good as this 200 series or the 100 series. I have tried the 100, 200, and 500 on my deck. All held color very well but the 100 and the 500 would wear off slightly in high traffic areas. This 200 is the best I have ever seen on my deck. No fading or wear patterns. All the TWP series never turn black either. Here is another

Full sun

Sounds like I should raise the price of HD80

Hey Ron, I have a flight out today at 2:30, so I will only be at the show this am from 9 to 11:30. If you are going to be there, give me a call or text at 248.210.5109.

Stain prices have gone up 5-15% for the majority of the products we buy.

What's the point then of the award for the contractor? Just to buy their promotional stuff?