A.C. Deck Restoration - Semisolid stain

[plainpainter 217]

Here is a deck I did in the next to me, North Andover MA. This was a heck of a job - I replaced railings, stringer boards, 1x5 trim boards on the bulkhead door and a few pieces of baseboard cap. Of course homeowner didn't want to pay for spindles to be restored - as they have two full coats of ATO on them - but all the railings, posts, and stringer boards were a peeling mess - so can you imagine pressure washing between those spindels to try and remove paint on the top sides of the stringer boards? It's not fun - especially when after scraping afterwards all the exposed wood got a penetrating wood preserver treatment, then were oil primed, and then finally a couple of coats of latex paint.

The floorboards are Mahogany that I totally restored, sanded, etc. Two coats of A.C. semisolid, special mix I came up with. As well homeowner didn't like peeling concrete foundation after deck was stained - so that fun grinding the paint off after deck was already stained.

So - here are photos of what we came to this morning - I think this is like week #4 between all the rain - and the many trips between steps of prep.

[PressurePros 248]

Ugggh, Dan. I'm sorry. There is nothing worse. Been there so I know you're pain. Now multiply every day you spent there times at least $800. Was that level of restoration worth it for you?

[plainpainter 217]

Here are some photos after the job was FINALLY finished - really just comprised of touching up all areas where stain got on paint - fullcoating of stair risers - finally painting bulkhead - and tops of all rails and posts - and touching up stringer boards where I had caulked all these gaps with 48+ hour cure elastomeric caulking. Uggh - but it is pretty.

[plainpainter 217]

Ugggh, Dan. I'm sorry. There is nothing worse. Been there so I know you're pain. Now multiply every day you spent there times at least $800. Was that level of restoration worth it for you?

That's the thing, Ken, what's you get involved in these kinds of jobs - you can't even spend 8 hours each time you go - I have probably 3+ days where I worked taking apart rotted wood - then left - then back another day and cut a bunch of pieces of wood - primed them - left them on saw horses - rains in between - then 5-6 days later - I am back to give them a first coat of paint, while they are still on saw horses. I think once you introduce on element of a deck that has paint on it - it's like throwing a stick into the cogs, everything is F'd up from that point on - nothing is simple.

So is it worth it? If I had volume, this is the first job I would start turning down - but this season being what it is, I can't turn anything down now. Not to mention I would need someone with carpentry skills to replace me doing the carpentry. Then there is the problem with painting - you need someone who knows how to paint to go and cut all those risers in without tarps or taping and do it efficiently - again that is someone who has skills, and someone I can't find. If I had 3 jobs like this in close proximity - I could bounce between all 3 each day - that would make things better.

[Tonyg 14]

Maybe it's just me but I prefer *not* to put two coats of semi-solid stain on a deck. There is enough there that I don't think its necessary and the second coat really makes it more of a solid. Also, maybe its just the Mahogany but it looks like the second coat doesn't absorb enough to give an even tone.

Those are nice two-pics though Dan

[bigchaz 157]

Looks good Dan, sounds like a lot of work.

What exactly do you mean by stringers? Around here I take that to mean the boards that hold the steps up (the 2x12s with notches cut out). And you didn't touch the spindles at all (as in they were already like that?)

Also what were you caulking?

[plainpainter 217]

Maybe it's just me but I prefer *not* to put two coats of semi-solid stain on a deck. There is enough there that I don't think its necessary and the second coat really makes it more of a solid. Also, maybe its just the Mahogany but it looks like the second coat doesn't absorb enough to give an even tone.

Those are nice two-pics though Dan

I disagree - after the first coat the deck was extremely splotchy and uneven looking - Jake assured me that his product would even out by itself - but I am not willing to take that risk right now. As well I did this all with a lambswool applicator - I didn't blindly put a second coat everywhere. The deck sat in hot sun for like an hour before it got a second application - and areas where stain was still sitting, it got pushed around with the lambswool over to areas that were dry - and dry areas got topcoated. And everywhere got back brushed so everywhere the coat was even. Sadly - almost 4 gallons went into this wood - and just for fun I put a few drops on it today, and it still will absorb more stain.

There were some boards that were dark wood mahogany and others that were as light as pine almost - this stain with two coats made everything look even. As well I let my nephew break every rule in the book, walking over areas that haven't been stained allowing the applicator to leave a trails of drops everywhere in the hot direct sun and letting it sit for 15+ minutes, and the deck still came out perfect.

[plainpainter 217]

Looks good Dan, sounds like a lot of work.

What exactly do you mean by stringers? Around here I take that to mean the boards that hold the steps up (the 2x12s with notches cut out). And you didn't touch the spindles at all (as in they were already like that?)

Also what were you caulking?

What I call stringers - are those boards between the posts parallel to the railings but at the bottom {i.e. where the spindles are resting on}

I didn't touch those spindles at all - I didn't even really put any cleaner when I was blasting the paint off with my pressure washer, for fear it would remove stain - I just sprayed water and cleaned the mildew that way - basically everything that is white in that photo I had removed 50% of the previous paint - I cut primer and paint with a 2" cutting brush between every single one of those darn spindles!

As to the caulking - if you look carefully at those boards that the spindles are sitting on, it's not a single piece of wood. Those 'railings' are really a sister/brother piece made from fir - one is machined with a bevel for the top piece - and the bottom piece is machined flat - because they first run a single strap of 1-3/4 trellis along the tops and bottom of the spindles and then the top and bottom {stringer} railings get nailed around that.

Anyways when you look along the bottom railing boards you see this enormous crack that runs the whole length - so it gets caulked.

Where the railings meet the posts - that's another area that gets caulked - especially since I replaced two of those railing pieces, even though they I pre-painted them - they still got caulked after installation. As well I replaced a few baseboard caps in those panels surrounding the bulkhead - and all those cracks needed caulking as well.

[bigchaz 157]

Did you pull off all the spindles in order to replace the "stringer"? I've had decks before where that bottom stringer desperately needed to be replaced but I had no idea how to remove it and then reattach all the spindles without rebuilding the entire rail section and screwing it back in. Is that what you did in this case?

[plainpainter 217]

Did you pull off all the spindles in order to replace the "stringer"? I've had decks before where that bottom stringer desperately needed to be replaced but I had no idea how to remove it and then reattach all the spindles without rebuilding the entire rail section and screwing it back in. Is that what you did in this case?

God no. I banged off the 'stringer' board or the bottom railing, which was half rotted - and then took off the half rotted 1-3/4 trellis board, and they were all dangling as they were still nailed in from the top railing.

then I got a piece of treillis and the bottom fir railing cut a foot longer at the lumber yard - then creto'd them, came back a day later, primed them with oil primer, then a few days later gave them a coat of latex.

When they were finally ready to install - I measure between the posts, and then I took the 1-3/4 trellis and cut is slightly long on my mitre/chop saw. Then I go and fit it - if it's too long, I put back in mitre saw and shave a tiny bit off - did that like 3 times before got the perfect length.

then I borrowed a friends small nail gun that shoots those tiny brads - and went on the outside of the deck, fitted the trellis to bottom of the spindles and tried my best to shoot up through the trellis board into the bottom of the spindles by aiming at a 45 degree angle. Once I got them all nailed in. I cut the bottom railing 'stringer' board and fitted it, it saw perhaps two trips back to the mitre saw for a slight shaving - as I don't like to cut boards 'short'. And then when I had the right length - I fitted it right under the trellis board {now the spindles move as one unit back and forth} and once the stringer board was carefully centered between the posts - I shot nails through the stringer into the posts. So now I am able to go back and shoot nails at the base of each spindle back down into stringer board - and everything is now one tight unit.

[RPetry 564]

Daniel,

That is a very difficult restoration. Real nice work.

Maybe it's just me but I prefer *not* to put two coats of semi-solid stain on a deck. There is enough there that I don't think its necessary and the second coat really makes it more of a solid. ...

I have to agree with Tony. Mahogany is such a fine looking wood, why cover it in a solid color? Semi trans oils are so much more attactive, IMO.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Daniel,

That is a very difficult restoration. Real nice work.

I have to agree with Tony. Mahogany is such a fine looking wood, why cover it in a solid color? Semi trans oils are so much more attactive, IMO.

+1 and +1.....

Kudos Daniel!

A good two tone really pops!

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

Daniel,

That is a very difficult restoration. Real nice work.

I have to agree with Tony. Mahogany is such a fine looking wood, why cover it in a solid color? Semi trans oils are so much more attactive, IMO.

Perhaps - but it isn't about us, it's about the customer. You and like that variation between lighter and darker boards such as in that photo. Yet customers question about uneveness? You see - what we like as 'woodies' and what the homeowner/customer expects/likes are two different things.

My customer is absolutely fanatic about how this deck came out - so if he's happy, I am happy. And as well - folks want me to put a 2 year warranty in writing on their horizontals, I am putting the toughest most durable product I can find - and I think a 2-coat semisolid approach in New England is my best bet. Rick, after Mother Nature New England Style has given that deck a good rashing of it's first winter - you'll see a whole heck a lot more grain. Trust me.

I hate to say it - but I am drifting over towards more opacity in my wood work. Folks in New England are unrealistic about longevity - you can't give 'em 2 yr. warrantees with toners or sem-trans type stains. Yet they don't seem to dislike the semisolid look either - so I am going with the flow......got a latex solid stain restoration coming up - LOL - be posting photos when that happens - LOL

[RPetry 564]

Daniel,

Just goes to show, different markets have different tastes. Our hardwood customers would kill me if I put anything beside a semi-trans oil onto their ipe' or mahogany. Of course we would never do that, I could not in all good conscience hide the grain of premier woods.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Daniel,

It was a great 2 tone job. The clients smile is all you need.

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

Opacity aside - what do you think of the custom color I came up with?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I like the color!

Beth

[plainpainter 217]

I can make pretty much the same color in the semi-transparent line as well - it will be interesting to see how that comes out.

[RPetry 564]

Daniel,

In all honesty, I dislike the color. Looks like mud on mahogany. But for a solid stain, guess it is OK.

[plainpainter 217]

No pleasing you Rick, btw - that's semisolid stain. I've put down millions of latex and oil solid stains on decks - and they totally obstruct the grain of the wood - you can still the grain with this product.

[PressurePros 248]

For what its worth, I had to run out to a customer's house and look at a new fence. Here is a closeup picture of A/C super cedar on ipe.. was done the first or second week of May.

[RPetry 564]

For what its worth, I had to run out to a customer's house and look at a new fence. Here is a closeup picture of A/C super cedar on ipe.. was done the first or second week of May.

Ken,

That is a nice color for ipe'. That A-C has held up well at the 3 month mark. In Sept., my own ipe' deck will have one year of A-C rustic brown on it and there is still some pigment on the wood.

[PressurePros 248]

Rick, this is a covered porch so not the most accurate portrayal versus a high stress environment.

[RPetry 564]

Rick, this is a covered porch so not the most accurate portrayal versus a high stress environment.

Ken,

Hmmm. Shaded, with no rain. Yeah, I guess that could help in pigment retention! Still looks good, and it is ipe'.

[Chappy 138]

I don't really like the color, but it matches the spindles well. Overall though, thats a veryfine restoration job.

My own deck needs that type of work. replacing stringers, rail caps and rotted floorboards. I'm just waiting on cool weather.

[PressurePros 248]

Ken,

Hmmm. Shaded, with no rain. Yeah, I guess that could help in pigment retention! Still looks good, and it is ipe'.

It gets exposed to about 60% of the sun and elements so I am not using it to guage A/C on ipe. I've used up the last of my other choice product for ipe, so I'll be trying the AC on future projects. I don't have any ipe maintenance or new work on the books right now.