rambos_little_sister

This deck will either end being the coolest thing I have ever accomplished, or the stupidest thing I ever started. At this point it is becomiing questionable either way. We are attempting to extend the life of the deck on our house we just purchased, until we can just replace all 1200 sq feet of it. We started with a solid color, and I assume by the way it was peeling that it was latex. Every time it rained it bubbled and stuck to the bottom of your feet in certain areas, other parts were rock solid. I think there was some semi transparent Wolman Raincoat under parts of that, found an old can in the garage. We did some powerwashing on the real bubbly stuff, and we did some stripping on the parts that we not over the water, (for fear of being reported to the EPA by the neighbors), only to get all done and discover that the deck probably just needs to be replaced. the wood is nothing to write home about. Lots of cracking and splitting of really old wood, and furring compliments of our power washing. Also the thought of resetting the 100,000 nails that hold this monster together, give me nightmares! (There are atleast 6 nails every 18" , I think someone was trying out thier new nail gun!) So sanding just isnt something we want to do either. The wood is clean for the most part, still some in the cracks, but all in all not too bad, but not anything to enhance either. So, back to solid color stain. My question is what is the best Solid Color Deck Stain. Given that we will replace in the next few years (3-5??) It doesnt have to last forever, but the thought of it bubbling and sticking to the bottom of my feet every time it rains isnt real appealing either. This is a huge deck (1200++), we live on the water, and 50% of it is over the water, then there are docks and such all in full sun from dawn to dusk. Any advice would be appreciated, besides total destruction (LOL)! Thanks in advance! Stacy

Thanks Beth, that sounds like exactly what we removed! It was really strange, whenever it rained or was extremely damp it would bubble and stick to your feet. I dont know for sure what it was, but it was ugly! (In both color and performance) Definately do not want to go there again.

Also, I didnt use any acrylic stain but all of P&L's int/ext paint is Acrylic. Out of curiosity, why does everyone hate Acrylics so much?

Well, after long thought both about color and product we ended up going with P&L Semi Transparent Latex, and I am really happy with it. The rep really pushed it not only for beat up extremely weathered wood, but also for high humidity, such as docks etc. We did two coats, wet on wet and the second coat really finished it off. It almost looks like a solid to be honest with you. This is a new product for P&L, so I was a little hesistant, but it really went on nice and covered very well. They give a 3 year warranty on horiozontals, but I guess only time will tell as to how it holds up. We also had a lot of painted railing that needed to be sanded, primed and painted, plus some new railing that needed a Solid Stain and it was really nice to be able to match all the colors between different products and various surfaces that we had to cover. Plus I could match the other colors that were existing on trim etc around the house. I really like the solid stain for fences, railings etc. It is a really nice product, thick no runs and great coverage. Then we used the Accolade Eggshell on all the painted surfaces, and it doesnt get any better than that. So, it all turned out really good, considering what we had to start with. My digital needs new batteries, but I will post some before and after pics soon. Thanks again for all your help and support. This is a great forum. Hope everyone is having a great holiday! Stacy

I can vouch for Krud Kutter. Three days after purchasing my first new truck, a 2003 Blazer ZR2, (Black), I impatiently passed the orange county truck painting stipes on the road. When I got to work I was horrified to see that my tires had picked up the bright yellow traffic paint a flung it from one end of the truck to the other. It looked like I went through a bright yellow mud puddle! I worked for Painters Supply at the time, and all the guys in auto kept bringing out stuff that would not even touch it. I finally went inside my store and got a bottle of Krud Kutter, too it right off! Didnt even leave a smudge. Although it took me about 6 hours to get it all off, and I still have yellow dots in the tire wells. I dont pass paint trucks anymore, and I swear by Krud Kutter!

Thank you for your quick response, Cabots was one that I was considering. I used to manage a Painters Supply and we sold Pratt and Lambert, Wolman, and Cuprinol, the last being the only one we recommended as a Solid Hide, but they dont carry it anymore. I always heard good things about Cabot. Is there a choice, and or preference to oil or latex when it comes to a solid stain, or primer? Also, what are the procedures for a maintenance coat? Also, the previous deck was stained a country blue color, hence the reason for stripping. Even though most of it has been removed there are still traces, and odly all the nail heads are still blue. Would it be best to go with a lighter or darker color? This last process was a real nightmare, and took many long hours to strip the product off, will it be necessary to restrip for maintenance, or will a quick scuff and recoat be sufficient? Once again, thanks so much for your help.