need advise about stain for a deck job

[andye629 14]

i have a deck job i have to do that has a driftwood gray color. i have already washed it and alot of the original color is still there. customer wants the exact same color and they dont know what was used. i am assuming that the last guy who did the job used berr or olympic but i'm not quit sure. i am thinking that becouse of the ware on the floor that it isn't olympic and that it is berr. not to familiar with these products. i have been looking at color charts by berr and olympic but it's hard to try to mach a color this way. which one of the two products would be better to use. i use an airless sprayer and i'm trying to find the product with the best coverage without putting 5 coates on the floor. thanks

[andye629 14]

i would normally try to strip the deck but the customer is moving and doesn't want to spend that kind of money. they just want it washed and stained. they are only doing this becouse they are selling the house.

[reed 500]

Andy,

If you have a sample board of the color, you can take the sample to SherwinWilliams or a Brod Dugan and they can match it for you. I would just clean the deck with a percarb cleaner and then just seal over the deck. They are just looking for a cleaned look to get the house sold. If you are going to do a solid over a solid you should be ok.

Reed

[andye629 14]

it is a semi transparent on the deck and sherwin williams is telling me they can't tint that color. dont understand why becouse they have it in a solid stain but i need a semi. thats another reason why i think its olympic or berr.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Cabot makes a gray semi transparent. Try your local Cabot dealer.

Beth

[RyanH 14]

See if you can get contact information for the new owner and talk to them about doing a complete strip/seal to last for a long time and be a beautiful job instead of doing a half-job that will need to be replaced in a short amount of time. No sense selling them a lemon.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

you might also want to take a look at wolman raincoat water based sealer in the driftwood color. I came across a couple of these decks and had the same result giving it just a regular wash instead of a strip and still had the gray color left.

thought it might help...

Rod~

[andye629 14]

thank you for the replies but i'm trying to find out about berr or olympic. its hard to find wolman or cabot in my area and especially hard to find gray with those products. berr and olympic are the only products i can find around here that has a similar color so i need to find out which has the better coverage without applying 5 coates.

[Firedkm 14]

thank you for the replies but i'm trying to find out about berr or olympic. its hard to find wolman or cabot in my area and especially hard to find gray with those products. berr and olympic are the only products i can find around here that has a similar color so i need to find out which has the better coverage without applying 5 coates.

If I was to pick from the above two I would go with the olympic. I feel its a superior product over behr especially since there is a class action suit against them for premature failure of the product.

Just my two cents

[Aplus 525]

CWF also comes in a driftwood gray color. God save the Queen if it is CWF!

If the customer doesn't remember the color, or brand, ask them if they remember where they bought it. It's a shot in the dark to help get a clue.

Lowes and HD, for example have differing product lines in the deck stain department. Your local hardware stores will likely have differing products as well. Generally speaking, the lower cost/quality products are more likely to be at a superstore rather than at your local neighborhood hardware store, where more expensive products like Cabots, Sikkens, and Penofin are usually found.

Many times I've had homeowners tell me that they can't remember the brand or color, but they know they got it at our local lumber yard. I immediately know that lumber yard only carries Penofing & Cabots, so my search has been greatly reduced.

Hope this helps.

[Paul B. 523]

The existing stain is a semi-transparent. (oil or water based?) Test to check if the existing is oil or water based (it's important). If it's an oil based stain you'll have problems either way you go. If it's water based, you should be OK (functionally) as long as the surface is very clean. Choose another water based stain.

Contractor is looking to put another semi-transparent on top of it. Explain to customer that it will no longer look like a semi-transparent if you don't strip.

Go with a solid, estimate 2 coats and let the customer pick the color from the charts - don't make the choice yourself.

The Olympic Ultimate Solid stain (maroon can) is 100% acrylic latex and can be used to cover an existing water based stain. However, they recommend using their Seal Zall latex primer (when staining over). You could attempt to bypass the primer, but then I would recommend a test for adhesion. This is a 2-coat stain for new wood and for that it does not require priming. Coverage is 350-500 per sq ft.

If you have a Lowe's, they carry Valspar - they may have color that you are looking for.

Last but not least OFFER NO GUARANTEE with this job.

[Henry B. 4]

IF the guy is moving why does he want to spend the extra money in staining the deck with a high grade agent that the next person may hate. I'd chat with him and suggest he go with something nuetral like cedar tone or even clear. Why put out the extra cash and have the new owner be turned off by it? Most gray sealers are just going to look like a weathered deck. If he wants it grey tell him to use thompsons and it will turn grey in about 2-3 months..lol (that was a joke) I Never use thompsons.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

It depends greatly on several things:

how many homes are for sale in his/her area

how long have they been on the market

what's the condition of the competition

If you can get the homeowner to do the job and use a sealer with some pigment, like a gold or a cedar (NOT a clear) then the homeowner may find that they get a better price.

Beth

[Henry B. 4]

I guess that is possible but it's unlikely someones going to pay more for a house because the decks been stained. Usually curb appeal is important but market value and of course location, location location..lol As long as the deck and house is in good shape and looks like its been maintained it won't matter what color it is unless someone hates the stain that's chosen. Many people don't like stained decks at all thats why I would suggest using something clear and cheap. After all, they do want something fairly cheap. Give the customer what he wants or someone else will. At least if you do it, you know it's going to be done properly. Maybe just not the best sealer but that's not your fault.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Well, part of something (in this case a deck) being well maintained is that you can see it. A deck with a semitransparent sealer is going to hold up better and offer better UV protection than a clear, therefore, it has been better maintained. Many homeowner do have some idea about this today, and are more saavy and educated, at least in our area. If we were debating a cedar or log home I don't think you would disagree that it would need to be properly maintained and protected in order to get top dollar for it. The deck is no different. We sell cleaning and sealing to those selling and also those who have just purchased a home all the time. Now in a sellers market, I would say that no the owner are less likely, but in a buyers market, yes, they are more apt to.

Beth

[Henry B. 4]

I would rather pay more attention to the house and its features when deciding on what I want to buy or pay for. The color of the deck would have no effect on me buying it because I know I can strip it easily if I wanted to. Your average homeowner won't know how to do it and even if they hate the color of the deck they will still buy the house if it has what they want.

However, why spend more money to stain a deck a color that someone may not like?

That was my point, the guy selling the house would have to pay more money to do the job your way. Don't you think he would prefer to spend less of his own money to sell his house? Does he honestly care what happens to the deck 10 years from now when he's living in vermont somewhere? We can educate the consumer on what's best for the property but if your smart you will also give him a choice on how much he wants to spend. If you don't, you can walk away knowing that you refused to lower your standards to the sealer he wanted to pay for. Or, you can use the best sealer you can buy with what he wants to pay for and tell the new home owners when they move in that you were the one that made the deck look as good as it does today. Then show them your before and after picture of their deck and educate them on the best way to maintain it.

[Guest rfitz]

You might try Wolmans product called Durastain, it is a combination semi- and solid, and they have that color, and durastain, from what I hear holds up pretty good at least their Durastain, because it is more like a paint, than a stain...?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

My point wasn't about color....

Beth

[James 624]

Tom and son is a good idea fasst and easy. Good for moving unless they have something to hide