fireandrain

Hi Guys, just signed up! Looks like a FREAT place for valuable information! I do alot of driveways and NEVER use any type of detergent to prewash before i PW. Any suggestions on good,plant safe detergent mixes that might speed things up for us? Thanks!

I'm wanting to stock up on my back-up supply of cone tips that will work with my deckster set up. Im using the adjustable trigger spray gun. $20 for a cone tip seems a bit steep. Anyone have a "go-to" for these buggers? Thanks!

Ive never used a whip line in my set up for decks. Do any of you guys QC one of these in with a swivel to increase range of motion with trigger and reduce wrist tension? I've been battling bad tennis elbow and carpal tunnel, looking for any help I can get.

Well I begin a Acrylic Strip next week and I'm in pre-flight mode I guess you could say, just reviewing the project photos I took a couple weeks back of this project. My big concern, the one I';m really wrestling with has to do with how to handle a heavy strip of the portions of this redwood deck which are DIRECTLY above a nice green lawn... A few job notes: 1. Heart Redwood Deck, Appx. 15 years old. 2. Current Existing Finish: "ACE WoodRoyal" Acrylic-Alkyd Semi Trans. Failing on floor, intact on vertical. 3. The Current Plan: Strip NaOH followed by floor and vert sanding. Have a gander at the photo here, but my big concern is how best to avoid killing this nice green lawn that surrounds the deck and is located directly below these benches. Here is my current thinking. Option #1: Heavily water down the lawn (say 5 ft. out from the benches). Lay some tarps down on the lawn, perhaps alternating layers of canvas and plastic tarps. Hit the back-side of the benches 8oz. p/g NaOH. Rinse. Remove tarps carefully with a helper, hopefully being able to dump stripper run-off away from lawn area. Option #2: No stripper use on back side of benches. Instead, remove old acrylic finish by sanding. I'm leaning towards Option #2. The main issue I see with this approach is the following: The vertical surfaces of the benches are constructed with tongue and groove redwood siding. The stripping approach in Option #1 would allow me to strip the old acrylic from between the cracks, or the "grooves" of the bench siding material, however, if I instead take the sanding approach, I may not be able to sand out the old acrylic in the horizontal grooves of the benches. Does this make sense? So, to strip or sand, this is my dilemma! Strip and may end up killing these nice homeowners beautiful green lawn around the benches. Sand, and I may be left with old acrylic stain stuck in the grooves of the tongue and groove bench "walls", the backside, above the lawn. Final note: I'm hesitant to do any aggressive sanding to remove the old finish on the leading edge of the bench siding for fear of disfiguring the horizontal grooves of the benches. Does that make sense? I'm left REALLY wanting to be able to strip these benches so I can remove all of the old acrylic from he cracks of the "grooves". Question is, how can I accomplish this without killing green law that my stripper will run-off to? Will temporarily tarping the lawn beneath those benches to enable me to do a heavy strip kill the law as well? The last thing I want to do is have my clients return from their vacation to a professionally restored deck with a dead lawn surrounding their deck. Any input would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the long-winded post!

Thanks for three pro opinions! Starting the job on friday. Will take some photos. Much Thanks Rick,James, and Lyle.

As always, well done, Rick. Nice post-strip photo as well, I'd love to see the same shot BEFORE you initiated said tightrope walking act! Also, I'm curious how you managed the masking of the house and the vertical columns... Well, great job, I hope you were fairly compensated for such a brilliant performance.

Rick, great looking set-up! I built a second deckster this year in order to dedicate one for sealer. I learned alot about the unit taking it apart and re-building a 2nd one. Your set up looks fantastic. Love the labeling. My kind of cake.

Rick, Nice work, as always. You brushed up the furniture,no? I've always had good results spraying my teak chairs, chaise-lounges, etc. with RS. Walk away for 20 min. and hen wipe down. Great work. I like the light brown on the IPE. I've always used Med Red when working with IPE. Will have to try the Lt. Brown next season! Incidentally, I've been following your IPE test... Planning on working with AC on my next you-pay project. Love that wood. Then again, I don't build them.... P.S. Had a nice chat with Jake last night... gave me the lascivious details on Orlando. Really wished I could have made it out. Heard your presentation was top drawer.

Scott... Can you somehow get me counted as one vote for Lyle? I couldn't "log-in" to vote on the AC site... Lyle's work deserves the accolades. Awesome woodie.

Rick, Great work, as always. Is that RS Med. Red? Looks fantastic. I have really come to love IPE!

Lyle IS a bad ass. I've seen it with my own eyes. This guys work is tippy top for our area, bar none.

DDO? Odd we not are not we are in calofornea!

I love the low flammability of RS, easy to work with and I don't worry too much about a wet rag lighting up in my hands. I'd really like to try WTW but Im curious about its formula with respect to flammability. Anyone have any comparative info? ThaNKS!

Keith, You will finds LOADS of information in past threads that should help you with this project. I would go with the HD-80 at 6oz. p/gal. Based on the photos you provided, in whether you use EFC-38 or a stripper such as HD-80, you will need to plan on de-furring this deck once cleaning/stripping is complete. It should only require a light de-furring, being a hardwood. Best of luck, but seriously, get friendly with the search function on this board. If you are serious about learning more about exterior wood restoration, that search bar will be your best friend.

Old, weathered redwood decks. That's what I get. Nearly impossible to avoided furring. Defurring with a the usual variable speed 9" not practical when dealing with the insides of spindles. Too big, difficult to control without dinging the top/bottom rails... Methinks... Is there a better way, mechanically speaking to de-fur spindles? A natural thought for a guy who has had his helper manually de-furring 725 fuzzy old redwood spindles on this week's project. Has anyone given thought to the idea of enlisting a small pneumatic right angle die grinder to the task of de-felting spindles? Think mini right angle buffer...big enough to handle the RPM's, but small enough to efficiently work the insides faces of the spindles... Small air compressor, 100' of air hose, one of these small single-hand held pneumatic die grinders fitted with 3-4" black defelting pad. It's been a long day. It's midnight. Have I lost my freakin' mind or am I onto something?

Makes sense, Rick. Is the photo you attached (handrail) an RS Med Red/ Dk. Brown mix? Like Chocolate. Me liketh.

Rick, Another note. Interesting observation re: straight oxalic on Ipe. I had never heard that before. I'm doing a restore on a set of IPE's next week myself. Decks were built a year ago and "sealed" with Peno-Fail. Well-intentioned son of homeowner went at trying to remove the failing finish with a pressure washer....quite a mess w/ stop start lines all over the floor. Good thing it was Ipe!

Rick, Great to hear that your season is about to begin! On that IPE which you plan to seal with RS... Which color do you like? Have you ever used RS Dark Red on Ipe?

Don't be goofing about with SH and strippers.

I've been hunting around all night for an extension for my spray gun... (for spraying sealer)...something in the range of 6ft? Maybe telescopic? I remember Shane posting a picture of his set up awhile back... Can't find anything online...I'm using an adjustable spray gun with the standard appx. 3' lance with curved end... If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it! Seems like such a simple thing to find, and very useful to have in the toolbox...Having one heck of a time tracking one down. Thanks.

Got it all figured out today... thanks for the input folks... I'm feeling stupid... answer was right in front of me! I'm all rigged up...multiple lance lengths all set up with QC's...

DUHHHHH.... Sorry people..... I get it! Simple: 1. Connect 1/4" QC at spray gun (im assuming thats ok on the adjustable spray gun from sunbrite?) 2. Use ANY length standard stainless lance... set up with QC's 3. Attach cone-spray tip at end of each lance. Done... Right? :)

Sorry if that question was a bit vague... Yes, I'm using the Deckster set up... The existing lance is 3ft. long with the curved shaft a the end. I'll take from Rick's thoughts, that I can just remove this existing lance, set up 1/4" QC at the gun, and treat my adjustable spray gun just like I do my pressure washing set up...that is QC's on all my lances of various lengths... I think I understand you straight, Rick. On that 6ft. extension lance...Rick, did I understand you correct that this is a 1/4" 6ft lance to be used hen spraying sealer?

I'm thinking that it would need to be variable speed...

C'mon...back to offices! Rick, I think you started this....No wait, was that Kevin who posted Jake in his office? In any case, I think it's time we all confess our sins and commit to an all out "Office-Off"! I know I'm not the only one who wants a glimpse of Kevin's office...