plainpainter

Rick - couldn't you just oil it with a clear and not wash it at all - thus preserving the rusticness and the integrity both at the same time?

It's alot like many of the cedar shaked homes by the beach where they just let it weather silver grey.

Mine do as well - they tell me the general trend of where they want to go - and I put on some test spots - and they choose. Personally - I don't really like any of the colors from most manufacturers in their semi-trans lines. I have come to realize my favorite colors are from the 'toner' family - but I can't give warrantees with toners/transparent decking stains.

Rick I'd apply Baker's Pink to a deck as long as the customer is paying for it.

I personally think they are all acceptable and up to customer to decide.

I've rediscovered the very house of Ann Putnam of Salem Village!!!!! Here are the pics one, circa 1891 and another very recent one. I used the internet as a great research tool and finally ID'd a house I believe all others have thought lost forever. Ann Putnam is the girl that started pointing fingers at others for acts of witch craft and set off a blaze of accusations and ensuing hangings back in very puritanical New England in 1692.

AT the very least - if I was going to do only wood like Rick Petry, even with a 4.5gpm machine. I'd get a bladder tank from a plumbing supply house with an air bleed for trapped air to escape and mount it on a dolly. It's serves as nice little 15 or so gallon buffer with the added benefit of still being a pressurized hose source.

Here is a link with more information - I was right the house was moved - and it states onto Danvers State hospital grounds - which is exactly where I found the home!!!!! Sorcery in Salem - Google Books

Scott VOC limits aren't the whole story - I use a stain that has a 600 VOC rating and it's a compliant product, some of the 'thinners' used have exemption status from the EPA. Some companies have individually had their products tested and got exemptions for certain stoddard solvents like Cabot's.

These threads contain so much machismo - my stain is better than your stain. Who cares? I don't understand the attraction to ReadySeal whatsoever - based on my experience with stain of similar composition, perhaps not totally fair. But all that aside, guys like Rick Petry have a great business model using Readyseal, and Ken Fenner has a great business model using Bakers. Isn't it about what makes us succesful in our business? Based on my experience and all the stains I have been using. I believe Armstrong Clark has everything I need to be succesful in my neck of the woods. Has nice colors - offers a semisolid line for more opaqueness for those really problem decks - looks great right awy - penetrates the wood tremendously yet offers ecapsulation by drying resins on the top. I've played around with allowing unskilled labor dropping it all over the place on hot in the sun decks - yet no flashing was present at the end of the job. And if I am to believe reports from others - it will really perform for long lasting results. And I don't have to return a second day to saturate the wood.

That's the beauty of doing different things and looking for new oppurtunities - you aren't stuck competing with the bottom feeders. Guy beats me up over his ridiculously low 70's era house/gutter pricing - and I walk over to my next deck restoration job. Every job my competition takes on that is cheap - puts them one step closer to 'gonesville'. I hate it but - it just forces you to stay original and motivated. I even asked the last homeowner how does one even pay for all the marketing with such pricing - his response was 'word of mouth'. I had to laugh - so naive - funny thing is, my marketing puts me in front of a better clientale and they are referring me at my pricing. And the reason the term 'bottom' feeders exist is because all these other douce bags force themselves to compete with each other over a small/cheap demographic. They are literally doing battle with each other over the crumbs the 'big' fish leave behind. It use to **** me off - but I think it's funny now. BTW - the 'technician' vs. the 'business-man' aren't my original thoughts they are Ken Fenner's. He opened a lot of our eyes.

He's mostly into trains right? I am going to email him and discuss it. I am also going to contact the Danvers and Middleton historical societies.

look carefully at the 2nd story windows - how there is more space to the right of the righter most window and less space to the left of the left most window. And look how in both pics the door is exactly underneath the right most window. Other than superficial changes - like the addition of the shed dormer - the addition - and that small cut out window - everything matches perfectly. Look at the identical roof slope - that exact piece of trim that makes the soffit returns. I got pretty close to the house yesterday but couldn't see it - due to all the signs that said state property keep out. But I will go back again and take pictures of the front of the home.

According to the old deeds - this house if it is the house must have been moved several hundred yards. In which case it makes sense to knock out the center chimney - and not rebuild it once on a new foundation. Just easier to rebuild it on an outside wall.

I know that picture, it's originally from the peabody essex museum collection, that's what I am using as a baseline for the first photo.

Any stain where I would have to come a following day for the 2nd coat of application is enough for me never to consider using it. I'd rather charge 30% less for my work and schedule in a 2nd customer on the second day - I'd still make 140% over the previous coming back a 2nd day to stain.

While you guys have your stain shoot out - I am going to have a bandit sign and marketing shoot out with my competition. Life must be really good for you guys right now.

Rick - that wood is in beautiful shape. We have these kettle ponds up here in New England, basically holes reamed out of the ground by glaciers and are up to 100 feet deep. The decks I do look like they have been submerged for 10 years in one of these slimy algae ridden kettle pond things. Here is the average disaster I have to deal with - and this is after pressure washing with F-18 and no prior stain ever! Even after going over this thing with a floor sander - they still never look great. Semisolids have become my new friend!

I look at that pic, Ken, and that is not a true semi imo - that's more of a transparent/toner like stain. On a sidenote - I always kind of dug the semi-opaqueness of Shane's photos. I am a big fan of A.C. semisolid for that reason. And it helps in a big way hide loads of blemishes - I have many 10+ year old neglected decks that will never truly look great with a transparent finish.

Bump....any new reports on odd mildew growths? Or did these mysterious strains just disappear?

Actually I have a legit question. What do you actually mean by 'bonded'? I think that term is horse $hit. I know of G.C.'s that pull out performance bonds on remodeling projects. But I wonder if there is any reality to what many out there claim they are bonded. What specific paper work do you have? What does it mean in your case that you are 'bonded'?

I've stopped answering. This is the wrong part of the business cycle to be encouraging these guys. When the economy is back on track, and the country is adding jobs each month instead of losing jobs and unemployment falls below 4%. Then at that point - those who want to remain in this business are deserved of help - and then I'll start helping again. But for now - most guys come here to try and undercut legit contractors. These kind of guys have made it virtually impossible in the painting trades the last few years. Not that I have much against immigrants - but 100% of the crews out there are immigrants from latin and south america. And I don't know really how to play that 'game' right now - because I know it's not 100% legit.

I was commuting on my way to work listening to Howard Stern - and Howard was going Ape-poopies over what was happening. I thought it was a joke, until I got in at work.

What it your decision making rationale for when and when you don't use it?

Celeste, you still using the stain that dare not speak its name?