Dark Cabots

[jbruno 14]

Some how I got bamboozled into "cleaning" a guys deck floor. His wife told me 'yeah we're gonna use Cabots again.' Well long story short, I tell the guys to take up whatever will come up, but don't go crazy (only charging $125). So some of it comes up, but spots in the shaded areas are still on pretty good. Customer calls me up and says "well I'm going with a lighter color" So I send the guys back and the stuff doesn't budge. Seems the guys really layered on the Cabots.

Tom D. gave me some f-18 (which I've never used) So I need to know 2 things, will this get Cabots (solid color) off? and what's the mix ratio using a pump up sprayer??

[PressurePros 249]

Probably not all of it.. and as much as they can dissolve into water. Re-do your bid, bro or you are gonna hate life.

[bigchaz 157]

If its the water based solid your probably in for a lot of work. Are you sure its not the decking stain? (its very opaque, but not solid) The decking stain comes off much easier

[jbruno 14]

Probably not all of it.. and as much as they can dissolve into water. Re-do your bid, bro or you are gonna hate life.

I already lost on this one, I told the guy I would do the entire deck (strip and stain) for $600, But He said no. I should have walked then...other problem is that he has my moeny for the house wash I did. (also at a great price). I never learn!! Other problem is I can't do the work myself because I got burned (which came with a skin graft) at job #1 and have been sending the 'knuckleheads' out to do the work

[RPetry 564]

James,

Depends on the Cabot product. If it is the oil based solid stain, it can be mostly stripped quite easily.

Finished a similar job a few weeks ago. Know this job well, its one of my original customers. Two separate coatings of Cabot's 1600 series decking stain, the last one done 3 years ago. First pic is condition prior to stripping.

Stripper used was ACR 760 sodium hydroxide stripper, very similar to Bob's F-18. Mixed at 12 oz. / gal. and allowed to dwell for ~ 25 minutes before pressure washing off.

As can be seen, it removed most of the solid stain. Did not have to remove it all ( a very difficult and expensive service ), just enough to get a good intact substrate. Stain applied was Cabot's 7600 series, the "new" VOC compliant product that replaced the 1600 series, same Bluestone color.

[yazbird8 17]

Why would anyone want to strip a solid colored stain if the deck is getting another coat of solid stain?....I would have cleaned the deck, spot primed, and simply reapplied with more stain....If the new color was to be much lighter then I would have simply gone with two coats......I do not see the need to strip a deck unless the customer was going to go with the natural look.........In that case, I would have turned down the work.......Stripping for the sake of stripping makes no sense to me...............Am I missing something here fellas?...........Shoot, yesterday I finished a job that called for a semi transparent (Sherwin Williams Deckscapes acrylic latex) stain over a previously stained finish....It was also SW and it was oil......There were multiple coats on the deck....The screened in deck was nearly pristine and the adjacent (exposed) deck was in bad shape with loads of splinters.....They both came out beaufilully....And that was a semi-trans.............A solid would have looked even better...................Again, why all the stripping?.......

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

[bigchaz 157]

I don't guarantee any finish unless the surface is properly prepared. If I dont stip a deck with solid on it and simply apply over it, that makes me a painter, not a restoration specialist. Besides, most solids look like crap anyway and I dont want to put my name on that.

[RPetry 564]

Yaz,

I generally agree with you, that is one of the primary reasons we use and advocate Ready Seal stain.

We do not do many solid oil jobs, but this particular customer was my first, six years or so ago.

Two reasons for stripping this job. First, two separate layers of 1600 were on the wood a total of 6 years and the stain itself was starting to fail. Solid oils are similar to exterior paints, and you do not want to put a new app of oil over a failing substrate.

Second, gave Cabot a call on this one. As the new 7600 series solid oils are different from the old 1600 non VOC compliant solid oil series, Cabots suggested stripping off the old 1600 oil. Probably would have done this anyway because of reason #1.

Charlie,

I'm not a big fan of solid stains, I like the look of wood. However, solid oil jobs do not have to look like "crap". Picture of the above job finished.

I think it looks pretty good.

[yazbird8 17]

My attitude is that the customer is always (usually) right...lol........If a customer wants a re-application of a solid stain and the deck is in pretty good shape then a re-application is what they will get...Otherwise I will advise them of other options....I would never advise to strip a sound surface for the sake of stripping though......I would also have to double (at least) the price to the customer and that just wouldn't seem ethical to me, not to mention, I may not get thier business.........Case in point: Last year I stained a very large deck with a Cabots solid color stain...It was a two-toned look with the deck and handrails a light creamy brown and the spindles white....The customer loved the end result and recommended me to their next door neighbor this year......It is a very large Mahogany deck which has a Penofin finish on it..........Had I of gone against the customers wishes and advised a very expensive strip, I may not have gotten the job............And the recommendation to this years customer would not have been given........I prefer to be flexible with a customer when the situation calls for it....There is no place for stubbornness when it comes to my clients.........

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

[bigchaz 157]

I said most looks bad, but yes I agree it has its place. White spindles for instance, are cool. Usually it tends to be because of improper application. Not cleaning properly before applying the solid or priming if necessary

Now if the customer wanted a solid on an unstained deck, I would try and convince them otherwise, but id probably still do it. But putting a stain over another stain/paint/whatever that im not familiar with is too risky. I cant guarantee whether the finish will dry properly/whether it will last/peel/chip/etc. I understand the desire for customers, but Im not that desperate. For instance, I was asked to do a bid for a deck that when I arrived was in need of a complete teardown. I could have slopped another coat of whatever crappy solid was on there already, but I dont want to get a call in two years when half the boards finish rotting through, the staircase collapses, dog dies from mold on the railings, and there little kids falls 10 feet to the ground from the spindles breaking off. So I politely turned down the job

And you have to know there is a balance between the customer being right and you educating the customer. For instance if the customer insists 100 percent on you not using chemicals to clean a super dirty deck and wants you to put thompsons over everything, would you still do that? What about if the customer has some behr stain or even worse a latex paint they want on it?

You want your companies name on jobs like that? What happens when the paint inevitably starts to peel and the behr turns into a moldy mess in 6 months? You still become the bad guy even if the customer was the one insisting. When people come over and see the deck your customer says "yea some crappy company came and messed it up"

I refuse to put lipstick on a pig if that pig wears my company name. If I can take that pig and turn it into a smoked easter dinner with pineapple glaze and sweet potato casserole on the side, then ill do it.

Just different business models it seems

[jbruno 14]

My problem is that they want to go from a solid to a semi-trans. Unbeknownst to me, because they only told me "we're gonna use Cabots again" So I did the cleaning. he then called me and asked why all of the stain didn't come up(about 2/3 of the stain was off due to failing and foot traffic). He then told me of the color change and the 2 layers he had put on??

And Yaz, I completing agree with you... if it's solid on solid, I just Clean it no stripping. (which is what i thought was happening here)

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

I am in the same situation. I am in the process of doing a large deck which has had Cabots #44 driftwood gray semi on it for three years. I was under the impression that I could do a light stripping and go right over it since the HO wants the identical stain. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I get the feeling it will not come out right. There will be darker spots and since it is an OIL based stain how is it going to take onto existing stain. Also HO is hell bent on getting a second coat.

I called Cabots direct and the UNSURE technical advisor said she would strip it to the bear wood.

Here are some before and after light stripping photo's

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

More pics

[bigchaz 157]

Id definitely be wary doing another coat on the verticals. Looks like the stain is still in place quite well. The floor wont be a problem as long as you back brush, since the Cabot decking stain simply wont penetrate as deep in areas where more stain exists. If you do it on the railings you'll have shiny spots.

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

Any suggestions are much appreciated and welcomed please.

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

The seems to be a recurring problem for me. I cannot get my stripper to cling to vertical sections and i am constantly re-applying and rinsing. Any ideas ???