Hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeellllp!!!!!!!!!

[Jeff 232]

You mentioned paying him, I know nothing about log homes & wood, but if he's staining over those streaks he knows nothing either. Hold onto the money I wouldnt give it up looking like that

I would call Jon Fife as mentioned, call that builder also and ask if he's ever seen anything like this. he may not want to recomend him anymore

I'd be freaking to, stay cool , hold onto your $$ and call Jon

[Medic442 14]

Once Again Guys Thanks For All The Help And Input!!!!!! If For Some Strange Reason My Contractor Is Reading This........ You Get The Idea!!!!

Thanks Again You Guys Are The Best!!!!

[MMI Enterprises 289]

After you get it all squared away please show us some after pics. That would be cool..

btw..I think the rate is perhaps low to fair for full on log home restore. 1100'=144' lin.X approx. 10' high(adding a foot or two for end peak footage) =$2.77 per sq. ft.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Alright....

What I see, is that he applied the stripper, and didn't wash properly. He needs to reapply the stripper, so that it evenly covers the wood. Then he needs to wash the logs. Once he has washed all the logs he needs to apply a second chemical, an acid this time, to neutralize the wood with. This will balance the pH and also brighten the wood. At this point the streaks should be gone. Once the logs are dry, he can take a hand held buffing tool and an Osborne brush and buff those logs down.

Call me today if you like. Glad to help. My cell is 240-876-0692

Beth

p.s. you might try a user here named Northwestern. Send him a PM.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

The strip was not complete as you may have guessed. The stripper should have been applied a second time and let dwell till the entire house basically turns almost black, then it would wash off with ease.

As others have stated, it needs to be done again, but you may be justified in your thinking that the person doing the job currently is a novice.

Rod!~

[Medic442 14]

thanks beth! i will try to cal ya today. we have been very busy at work. so you know how that is.....

i watched him for a little bit while he was stripping the logs. he sprayed it on and some places were wet and others were dried out. i dont know... like i said, i am not a pro at this,however, i have researched it enough prior to this to know that its not right.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

It should not dry out. When a stripper is applied, it has to stay wet to stay active. He needs to work on smaller areas, if he can't keep up with the stripper drying, OR he needs to re-wet the areas, but with more stripper not water. Water ill dilute it.

Beth

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Yea on a verticle it will run down and if old coating is thick enough or chem not strong enough it'll dry without emulsifying the finish. You only get 5 min or so before ya got to rewet. A horizontal surface you can just remist with water as the chem is still there but on verticle it runs down and dries quik. If wood stays light or dry looking it usually a sign of it not cutting into the finish. In comparison if the wood gets darker wet look to it and stays that way for some time then the finish is likely eaten and it just sitting there waiting for to be washed off. The water has been able to absorb into wood in other words and says the chems worked...Regardless, Can't let it dry in such case as most finish will just go back to a hardened state. Wetting ability and emulisfication ability are the processes at play. Too thick a finish and the chem combinations involved just run out of power.

[Medic442 14]

thanks everybody for your input!

beth, thanks for talking to me on the phone this morning! it really helped!!

i spoke to my contractor and told him about beth, russell, (hd-80) and gave him there numbers. he was very interested in what i had to say and learning a new way of doing things! said he would call them both and be out next week to restrip the house and do a better job.

SO THANKS AGAIN EVERYBODY AND BETH TOOOOOO!!!!!

i will post pics as the job goes.

[Tmrrptr 164]

...just like our old D-log cabin... I can remember the wind whistling through the walls in a storm !

Sure hope you get it all resolved.

r

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

thanks everybody for your input!

beth, thanks for talking to me on the phone this morning! it really helped!!

i spoke to my contractor and told him about beth, russell, (hd-80) and gave him there numbers. he was very interested in what i had to say and learning a new way of doing things! said he would call them both and be out next week to restrip the house and do a better job.

SO THANKS AGAIN EVERYBODY AND BETH TOOOOOO!!!!!

i will post pics as the job goes.

He did call. :)

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

Thank god - the homeowner was able to resolve this issue with their contractor on this one. I think guys like Fenner - as me - were clenching their teeth when they looked at the photos - but at the same time talked about etiquette, hint - not backstabbing a fellow contractor. As I have been on the receiving end of that backstabbing quite a few times. Typically if a client thinks you're doing something wrong - all they have to do is find a backstabbing contractor to come out and look and agree with their thesis - whatever it may be - and they feel validated. I hate that! And I don't talk $hit about any contractor no matter how badly I think of them, because of these experiences. I think that implies levels of professionalism in our community. Doctors don't back stab each other no matter what they think. The only time a Doctor will pass judgement on another Doctor - is when they are a paid consultant to testify in some Court case. Contractors on the whole are so much less professional.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Thank god - the homeowner was able to resolve this issue with their contractor on this one.

I agree. It's nice to see things work out.

Beth

[Tmrrptr 164]

Plainpainter Dan,

I earn a living fixing s*it workmanship.

If work is bad, I will say so, and offer a solution.

The person working on that log either did not know what he was doing, or was trying to put one over on the owner, take the money and run.

Good thing he had enough sense to check in here.

My obligation is to the person who engages my services.

If the bloke who was having a difficult time getting that log to look proper would have contacted me, I would have helped, for a price, or subbed the job from him.

There is no brotherhood among contractors unless you're sworn to some trade organization.

Furthermore, obligation amongst workers is called a trade union.

Anyone can walk on my jobs anywhere, anytime, and I will take responsibility for the quality of workmanship. Occasionally, when confronted over a project, it was necessary for me to ask a concerned third party, "Now, are you going to ask what the budget was for that project?"

Let me remind you this BB and others are full of horror stories related by one of our own 'good guys' who followed some hack and repaired a job poorly done for an end client, at a price.

I enjoy what I do, learn as much as I can to accomplish more, and help others in need. But make no mistake, I do it for the money.

r

[Greg R 82]

he was recomended by the local log home builder. the price for two strips, caulk where needed, and seal with twp was 4000.00

thats why i just thought about renting a cob blaster from permachink and doing it myself.. lol lol .. cant do much worse!!! lol

The house needs restripped. The streaks your seeing are not streaks but remaining finish. The contractor needs to allow for additional dwell and apply more stripper and should KEEP stripping until the surface is uniform. Then and only then brighten, buff, and borate. I WOULD NOT allow it to be sealed as it is.

EDIT: Should probably read the whole thread first :)

[Medic442 14]

Beth, Thanks Again For All The Help And Thanks Again To Everybody Else As Well.

I Was Never Looking To Have Any Other Contractor "back stab" My Contractor. I Was Only Looking For Help And To See If Was Just Me That Thought He Was Not Doing The Job Right. ONCE I TALKED TO HIM HE WAS FINE AND VERY UNDERSTANDING. SAID HE WOULD CALL BETH AND WORK OUR PROBLEM OUT.

To Everybody, Thanks To Beth, He Is Going To Work On My House Again And Do It The Proper Way This Time.

[Tmrrptr 164]

Medic, you are a fine person! I'm sure things will work out well, and certainly hate nice people getting all stressed out.

Construction type stuff, and cleaning, is all pretty straight forward... if it doesn't look right, that's the best indication they are NOT !

When you pay good money, as you did, you should get a quality job.

From the pics, the project was well on the way, but the fellow didn't finish the stripping before starting to apply finish products.

Fortunately the log is a structure that will respond well to all this.

r

[Medic442 14]

hey beth,

when you talked to my contractor did you get himm all hooked up? up to speed? or beter yet, does it seem to you that he now has a grasp on wht it takes to get the job done?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

He's calling Russell Cissell of ESI re: HD-80.

I told him to call me back if he needs to.

Beth

[Russell Cissell 65]

I spoke with your contractor late last week. He seemed to have a real good grasp on everything. I believe you should be in real good shape.

Best of Luck!

[Medic442 14]

Thanks Beth.. Thanks Russell!!!!

[PressurePros 249]

Looks like all is well. Glad things worked out for you, Medic. Now spread the word that there are professionals out here that actually know what they are doing :-)

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I know dial up is the pits, but I hope you will share with us some more photos as the work progresses.

Beth :cup:

[RPetry 564]

This thread provided a very valuable service.

A consumer was protected from substandard work, and a contractor was offered contacts to materials and a better way of performing his work. As Ken mentioned, maybe Medic will spread the word that there are professional wood restoration companies that are just that ... professional in their business and results.

Yet, the wood forums remain closed to the public. Don't know how Medic snuck in, but I hope others have the tenacity to get around this ban.

[Medic442 14]

hey rick..... shhhhhhhhhhhhhh... i think i got in because i have been a member of this board for the past 3 years and was trying to go into the biz..

i will post some pics of the house when he is done. just watch for the smoke signals.. lol lol (faster than the dial up i have!!! )