Aplus

It would also be handy to remotely turn the burner on/off.

Shane, There were a few spots where some of an old beige stain would not come off with the chems alone. Those areas in the cracks that look missed are actually areas where some of the old stain didn't remove completely, and the TWP couldn't penetrate. I'm going back with a 4" putty knife to clear the area between the boards, and do a light touchup. This deck was not sanded or detailed before staining. It is 15 years old, and very poorly cared for. There was a fair amount of rot happening on the wood, very splintery and rough, with chasm like cracks in it. Carpenter bees have whittled away, and many of the knots have fallen out, or are rotting. With over 76 linear feet of railing, it was not cost effective for the customer to spend the dollars for all the extra labor that would have been required. If the wood on the deck had been in reasonably good condition it would have been worth it for a complete detail. Not this stuff. The condo owner hoped it could be made to just look reasonably good for another two years, when it will be replaced. The Boost product allowed me to deliver the service the customer wanted, at a price he was willing to pay. It is possible that other products could have worked if extended dwell times and multiple applications were employed. Time is money. If I can spend the money to add in a jug of Boost which allows me to achieve above average results both faster and easier, then I'm all for it. The right tool for the job.

Brent, Thanks for your info. However, it did not state how many light washes with recoats can be performed before a strip is necessary. And what does it take to remove the Defender products? Thanks....

What you're looking at is likely mildew caused from hot moist area venting out of the attic. If you're not using chlorine in your house wash mix, now is the time to use it. If you are using chlorine, try increasing the strength. If necessary, stick the hose of an xjet directly into a jug of 10.5% chlorine and spray that area. Not likely it's artillary fungus if it's that high up on the house. The only other thing that I've seen cause black stains like you describe was from dark caulking that streaked.

Here's the last....

Reed, It sprays exactly the same. The boost additive is a clear liquid with a consistancy of water. The only difference we noticed is tremendous foaming, and we had to rinse many many times, and still felt like it could have been rinsed more. Any more water and we might have created another Great Lake. Celeste, Hopefully Russ will expound more, but the observations were this: The product became very hot inside the bucket as it was mixed. The odor was very strong, and at times I could smell it even through my quality 3m respirator. The fumes were strong on the eyes. I wore goggles, and thick quality rubber gloves that went half way up my arms. I always wear tall rubber boots, a hat, and respirator, so it was not a big inconvienance. Fortunately, none of the chemical touched my skin, so I can't say anything in that regard. As is the case of any other deck restoration, I have the customer keep all windows facing the deck area closed during the process, and completely rinse the entire area upon completion. I was surprised that as strong as the chems seemed to be, there was minimal furring, much less than other jobs have produced. Of course washing at about 500psi helps too. Here are the final pictures, some showing the deck stripped and dry, and the others with TWP applied and still wet. As I mentioned, the camera is not the greatest, and when I tweaked the size to allow me to upload it, the quality seemed affected as well.

I always thought the trans oxides were tiny metallic like particles that reflect UV light. My understanding of Ready Seal is that the pigments are ground so fine, and dispersed so thoroughly, that there is virtually no waste of pigments settled on the bottom of the pail. That's why RS is sold in 5gal pails with only a pour spout...they don't need to be stirred. I'm curious about the silly-cone in Wood Defender, and how it may be to remove. I know that I've been asked to remove the marks on concrete that the tire shine products leave behind on the drive, and I have not been able to remove the marks, since they are formed from the silicone. I just don't get over excited about new products now days, at least until I see how they hold up after at least a full season. Also, I need to know that the product can be easily removed with the chemicals I have on hand.

And the final one... These pictures really don't do the justice that I would have liked, but have to settle with. I'll post completed pictures when available.

Here are some more.....

OK......Believe it or not, my internet connection crapped out last night, and I was unable to get the pictures posted because they were too large to upload. Well, I shrink them down, and try to upload, and poop.......thank you Comcast. Anyway, here are the pictures......

Did you take the bird off your head before you went to the lumber places?

Regarding Ready Seal, one thing I noticed is that the new stuff has a different odor, almost sweet, compared to before, when the odor was more like machining oil. I had a few buckets of stain left over from last season, as well as new ones I just ordered, so I had several occasions of smelling both, one after the other. No difference in color, application, nothing else besides the odor. Maybe Pierce will read this thread and provide some info.

Joe, I don't think many on this board could provide first hand advice on recoating with Behr products. Most of us use professional grade stains. Behr is a very poor choice in any case. If the label says you can recoat, then you should be able to wash and recoat. Whether it looks good or not....who knows? The problem then becomes that now there are two coats of Behr which eventually will have to be removed. Multiple coats of Behr can be disastrous, difficult to remove. Remove it now and refinish the deck the right way, and apply a quality stain. .02

When I hear house wash mix, I think chlorine. If so, don't use any ammonia based products on the windows! Chlorine & Ammonia create toxic, lethal gas. I wouldn't take the chance of house wash mix coming into contact with the window cleaner, seeping through bad caulking or whatever, and gassing the people in the house.

That is some BLUE water....wow! Looks awesome.

Sorry but those things make me want to gack. I'll take a slab o' beef anyday.

I'm thinking that maybe you should have your wife read the replies you received from people who do this for a living. Maybe then she will realize this job may be more than you can handle. Not that you wouldn't try hard, but rather not having the right tools to do the job. Ryan gave some good advice, hope it works out.

I heard that too Jon. Also, if the wallpaper is vinyl or anything that doesn't soak water, you will want to score the paper to allow the solution to penetrate. There is a tool available with wheels and rolling pointy tips, it might be called a wallpaper tiger or something like that. Put the downy/water mix in a spray bottle and apply like that. Use a 4" scraper to help ease the paper off. Wallpaper removal has to rate as one of the biggest pains in the *** for homeowner tasks. Except maybe for deck maintainance....lol.

Celeste, The first six years I did this gig, I was part time. The money I made was for extras, and for building the business. The last 4 years have been full time. The truth is I don't have time to spend inordinate amounts of effort on jobs that may not pay as well, or yield less than satisfactory results. I need to focus on making a living now instead. At first I thought I could tackle anything, and some times I succeeded, and other times, well........ There were no boards like this, and no information available on the internet. Local vendors were the main source of support, and as it turns out, they can be very biased when recommending products. I am extremely wary when new products come out that are promoted as the best new thing, etc, etc. Ten years ago CWF was heavily promoted as being so great, and I thought it was until I discovered 1-2 seasons later, that I couldn't remove the old stuff. There was nothing strong enough, no HD-80, no F-18, no TimberStrip. So please forgive me if I don't sound excited when I hear about various stains that are new, with no long term experiences with them. I think like any other trade, learning takes time and practice. These boards are great, and give a great insight as to what it may take to do a job, but nothing beats on the job experience. There never seems to be a shortage of new things to learn. For example, I never realized just how much difference geographical location can effect the results or performance of various products. Something may work well for me, but not for you. Did I answer your question?

The TimberPro products are a very good line. Are they exactly like HD-80 or F series? I'd say only the manufacturers know exactly what is in their products. There are ingrediants not listed on a MSDS, so it's impossible to say for sure. I can say that HD-80 & TimberStrip are very comparable in performance. I use both extensively. I have not yet used F-18, but soon will.

When I first started out, for about the first 3-4 years, I took on every job that came my way. Mistakes were made, and lessons were learned. Now I realize my time is best spent focusing on signing good jobs that pay fair rates, and not worry about the rest. Some may provide upsell opportunities, while others are best left to just say "no thanks", or bid it sky high. I know Henry understands what I'm saying.

Good work Howard. Did you have to brush, or just spray and rinse?

Poot? LOL!

Big Mike, I think you'll need the HD-80, probably mixed stronger than you'd hope for. Like Brian mentioned, new stain can be tougher to remove than older stain. Do the test, start with a weaker mix, and keep ratcheting up the strength until you find what works. I've never removed Penofin that's only one month old, but old Penofin melts right off with HD-80, or Brians' Timber Strip at half strength. Don't forget to neutralize.

Hey Jon, I use the Tim-Bor for boring insects....mix in with water and spray on via the sureflo. Is that the same way you apply it? I've never heard about making it easier to de-fur. Can you explain more?