'06 wtw on Fir steps

[plainpainter 217]

I painted this house in apr and may of '07 - and I had some leftover wtw from sept '06. Now the deck I stained with product back in '06 still looks great. But at the end of my painting job in spring of '07 - this guy put on brand spanking new Fir steps. And I coated them like 3 days later with wtw, didn't prep at all - wood was still brand new. Now I just walked over to look at them today - and they don't that good. Is this a problem with new wood? Is Fir hard to coat like ipe and mahogony? I did absolutely nothing to prep - these boards were only 3 days old, fresh from the lumberyard. Makes me think if I am going to stain brand brand new wood - I should still prep it somehow - and this isn't pressure treated wood, if pressure treated fir even exists - it was just regular straight grained fir decking boards. The stuff decks use to be built of prior to invention of ptp. Any thoughts?

[MMI Enterprises 289]

How do they not look good? did it wear off as a top coat or it need more?..Penetration seem normal while doing and you use same amount as any other job?

Get a pic up....surely we all want to see some fir.

[PressurePros 248]

Dan, you have been to my RAD board.. you know my thoughts.

Lumber can get loaded with mold spores and contaminants during its construction phase. Its not like these steps came pre-assembled from a kiln and your were called a day later to stain. Lumber sits, gots knows where, before it hits a jobsite. There are also often issues with dull tooling equipment at the mills that create glaze. In addition, new lumber will not take stain anywhere near as well as aged lumber. One thing a two step cleaning process will do is eliminate the above mentioned issues as well as chemically age the wood so it characterizes more like an older piece of wood.

[plainpainter 217]

Ken - so even if the wood looks brand spanking new - you'd still give it a perhaps more mild version of a 2 step cleaning process? I don't really care - I basically did this as a freebie. Just want to know for a paying customer in the future. I've noticed this with cedar clapboard siding that comes non-primed vs. factory primed. Somehow they treat boards, like cleaning with acetone prior to priming - and any finish you put on lasts. The unprimed - nothing seems to stick unless you age it for like 2 years - then clean with a stripper and neutralize.

[PressurePros 248]

Ken - so even if the wood looks brand spanking new - you'd still give it a perhaps more mild version of a 2 step cleaning process?

Yes. Ultimately letting something like PTP sit untreated for awhile then cleaning is the best way to get a finish to last and look even. But that is the greater evil as pine and fir are lousy exterior woods. Put a 6' long 2x6 on the top of your truck next to your ladders. After one rain fall and one sunny day, pull it down. Now granted that is unfastened so it will look like it can shoot arrows but it shows how unstable untreated, soft species wood is. Some people would cringe at the term "chemical aging" so its not something you want to use in your marketing or your sales pitch.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Sounds to me like you have a new wood vs old wood look in addition to lack of penetration. If you do not clean the wood or at least sand or hit it with a defuring pad, this can happen.

Go back and use a defuring pad to etch it and give it a light coat. This will look a little more shiny than the rest but will fade over time.

Rod!~