Cjude

About 5 years ago I signed on to this forum as my mom needed her cedar deck and fence washed and sealed. I found some great people who thankfully advised me to stay away from sealmax and others and hooked me up with a great contractor. The guy did a wonderful job but moved to Florida--he gave me another name and we rolled on. Now, Mom needs her deck and fence done again in a big bad way and I can find no one. I am just looking for an honest worker who will do a superior job. I know workmanship should not come too cheap and I put attention to detail above all. Anyone out there that could steer me in the right direction? Chris

I have contacted the people you guys have suggested, and hopefully this will work out as I am absolutly certin that I am not going to do this myself. I really appreciate the knowledge base you guys have, and your willingness to share. Two quick questions: 1) what do you guys think of ready seal--one of the contractors offered this solution, and 2) I am not sure if the Tropical Wave guy is still around as his number is not in service, any one hear from him? Thanks, Chris

Thanks for the responces. I will give all these guys a call. I did try Northern Illinois Deck Works, but they made a few appointments but never came out. When I have called some other companies, they have asked what I wanted. Should I tell then that I need the entire deck stripped?

I ran accross you guys while trying to find help with my 3 year old cedar deck. I built the deck myself and it is great. Unfortunately, I know little to nothing about stains and by deck looks like it. I want my deck to look good for at least a season, but so far I have stained it each of its three years with poor results. 1st, I stained with Cabbot clear oil based sealer. Big mistake, no UV protection. Next year, stripped (using Cabbot problem solver + brightner) and stained with Cabbot clear solution cedar stain. Looked nice for a week, and blothing started soon after. Last year I just put a coat of the Cabbot clear cedar stain on again, no stripping. Looks bad. I called SealMaxx for an estimate (2K for my 12 x 14 deck), They said they are like a Pella window, expensive but a life time solution. I just plain don't trust these guys as they can't answer any of my questions with a straight answer. I looked at one of their customers who were supposed to be very happy, and found out that the were very happy that Sealmaxx replaced all the shrubs they killed when they did their job. The deck looked like driftwood you see on the beach, only harder. I've read your postings and read some stuff on a website about Wood tux, it seems great. I am just looking for a good contractor to do the job as I really have had no luck. However, I don't even know what my deck needs. If anyone could educate me or point me in the right direction. Thanks, Chris.