Matt

PJ - I'll help anyway I can. The season is slowing but we've got a couple of decks & a fence on the schedule this week. If you'd like to get some hands on feel free to give me a call: 704-516-8166 Matt

Nice work! We've also gone the sanding route using flooring contractors. I've got a great sanding company that is so happy to get outdoor work that they only charge $35 an hr. My team sets the nails b/c it's more cost effective.

I've also had excellent results applying Wood Tux with an airless. I have better results with the airless than I have with the HVLP (deckster) b/c I can apply a lighter coat with the airless & then apply a 2nd coat if necessary. Using the HVLP I tend to over apply and have to wipe away excess even after back brushing. Ditto on using the lowest PSI on the airless.

Ken, why is the "followed by a pH balancing acidic cleaner" necessary when using sodium percarb? I've been told and believed that the sodium percarb was nearly pH neutral...

Disclaimer 1: Long read Disclaimer 2: I'm a wood restoration zygote compared to many on this board. Constructive criticism welcomed. COLOR: ------------------------ Warm Honey Gold PRODUCT MIX: ------------------------ 2:1 WTW:Water MOISTURE CONTENT (RANGE): ------------------------ 9% - 15% PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ------------------------ Deck 16x12 Raised 24" above ground DECK CONDITION PRE-RESTORATION: ------------------------ Pressure Treated Pine. Approx age = 9 yrs. Sealed w/ Thompson's latex semi-trans approx 11 months prior - http://www.thompsonswaterseal.com/products/list.asp?show=home.products.wdStn.latex PREPARATION: ------------------------ Stripped w/ HD80. Brightened w/ Citralic. PROJECT NOTES: ------------------------ Staining performed on 2 seperate visits - reached job site @ 4:30 PM and returned the following morning to complete. Deckster was broken during day 1 and reparied by day 2 so I was able to experience brushing and spaying Temp Range = 50-59 F WTW EXPERIENCE: --------------------- PUMP-UP SPRAYER - Since the Deckster was broken during day 1 I intially tried spraying with a pump-up garden sprayer. Unable to achieve a consistent or workable spray pattern with the pump sprayer. I tried with 2 seperate sprayers & adjustable cone tip & fan tip but WTW always streamed & splattered rather than sprayed. BRUSHING - Brushing WTW was pretty cool - Kinda like playing with mustard. Based on an earlier testing experiment which resulted in over-application of WTW - My brushing technique was to apply the product as thin as possible but ensure complete coverage. One thing I did like and note about brushing WTW is that since it's fairly viscous (even diluted 2:1) it doesn't run down the brush, your hand, arm, etc when brushing the underside of the rails. This is a solid benefit on jobs requiring lot's of underside coverage (i.e. pergolas, arbors, etc). HVLP SPRAYING - My experience spraying was positive. Took a while experimenting with the Deckster settings. What I found worked best were the following settings. I'd be interested in what others are using: 175 PSI // Cone-tip w/ 4.5" spray pattern // vaiable gun-flow dialed @ approx 50% Back-brushing is required as directed. The product is fairly thick/dense/viscous which helps direct it where it's aimed reducing over-spray drift compared to my experience spraying other oils. Once I found the above sprayer settings I found the spray pattern consistent. PRODUCT USAGE: --------------------- ~ 2 gals CLEAN UP: --------------------- Some areas were over-applied which is apparent by glossy spotting. Removed these by wiping excess using either a dry rag or rag w/ mineral spirits. This was not a difficult process or large time consumer. Cleaning tools was simple w/ quick immersion using mineral spirits. However, I ran water through the Deckster to clean which clogged the in-line filter. WTW was easily washed away from the lawn. RESULTS: --------------------- See photos. I was pleased. Customer was pleased. I don't care for the color after 24 hrs - appears a little pumpkinish to me. Hopefully the color will continue to change as the product cures POSITIVES: --------------------- * Great coverage * Easy clean-up of overspray. Big advantage. A few drops landed on the masonite siding and were cleaned easily - better than other products I've tried. It appeared that WTW dries & penetrates simultaneously instead of doing an immediate deep dive like other oils, thereby allowing over-spray to be removed easier. * Rich color * Uniform appearance * Can apply to damp/wet wood. Allows early AM application. NEGATIVES: --------------------- * Unable to use pump-sprayer * Ulgy color (so far) * Spot wiping required for over-saturated areas * Tint system is big unknown that will require testing which requires an investment of time and product & I'd offer only limited color selection anyway. I've been through the "custom color" roller-coaster with a customer using Cabots & it resulted in a bunch of wasted time. Trying to recall a prev formula when a customer calls for maintenence is another deterent to the custom color feature. FUTURE: --------------------- I'll continue to experiment with WTW but will also continue to use other products. My neighbor may allow me to conduct an experiment on her deck which will provide a testing platform for long term side-by-side comparison of a couple of products. More on that test as it develops...

First I'd like to send a heartfelt thanks to all who have replied along with a special thanks to those who took the time to call. Seymore - This photo was taken immediately after the job was completed and the wood was still wet. I also lean towards your assessment of excess sealer on these boards. Just after completing the job (when I took the photo) I assumed the excess sealer was to be expected and would soak in with a little time, so I didn't try to wipe it off - besides that would make sense - I'm much more apt to do something that defies logic - like try lighting these boards on fire. Beth - Application method = Spray w/ Deckster & back-padd. I'm now back-peddling and back-tracking Russell - You're correct about the boards I'm questioning. I took additional close-up photos of these boards, but I've got a bad case of Murphy so these photo's are useless. I'll try to take more on Monday and will post. James - Thanks for the offer. I'll definately give you a call. Yes I used a stripper (Remove) and there was indeed a finish - not sure what it was; some type of coating and it came off like butter. What could cause the Ready-Seal not to penitrate other than failure to remove all of the prev sealer? I used 7.5 gallons and the deck/lattice is about 300 ftsq Rod - Thanks...again. Regarding "The 3 boards in question look to have exuded the sealer along with some of the pitch in the wood creating the darker looking boards.": Would this be caused b/c these particular boards were sapwood cuts? Newlook - many of the responses on this thread are the voices of the PWNA community. If you're considering the Wood school, I highly recommend it... All - the lighter boards at the bottom of the deck did receive another coat after the photo was taken. My experience thus far has shown that 3 coats are necessary w/ Reay Seal.

Hi All, So I invest in PWNA membership, complete the wood training and get PWNA wood cert, use some of the best products available, and I still run into trouble on a recent deck. I'm well aware that I can't spend a few weeks learning/training/etc and expect to produce the same result that I see from many of those on this board, but I hope I can get some constructive guidance (cause man I am frustrated/disappointed). Scenario - after completing the job (sealing), everything looks good (at least to my novice eye). I'm happy - job well done. Four days later the HO calls to tell me that 3 boards are "blue". I go to inspect and while the boards don't appear blue to me they are distinctly darker. Why? How should I fix it? Fast Facts: ----------------------- Sealed 4 days prior Moisture Content reading prior to sealing = 6% Sealer = ReadySeal Med Red Stripper = Remove Brightener = Extreme Citralic Acid