Armstrong Clark Ranger Brown Two-Tone

[Tonyg 14]

Here is a very old and worn out deck that I finally was able to get to do. I had been wanting to try to do a couple of semi-transparent stain variations in a two-tone - semi/semi not semi/solid.

Did them last week and was able to see one today which is in AC Ranger Brown. This little deck was in worse condition than I had originally thought but the boards did become fairly presentable. I did replace the 1x4 perimeter boards since they were deteriorated so I wanted to see how the two-tone would work out.

This color is a combination of RB/CS and RB/CS/Na. I did my own shed which is in Cyprus with a little PT deck on the front and it looks really nice. I will gets some pics soon. On older boards it gives a nice brown color as what I think is a better option than the RB. I replaced two of the deck boards here and it blended in great with a little modification. On newer wood and Cyprus the cedar really shows through and has a nice orange tint.

The deck was so bad that I don't think many stains would have looked great but what do you think of a semi/semi two tone?

Edited September 21, 2009 by Tonyg

[Tonyg 14]

few more pics

[Tonyg 14]

Fence

[PressurePros 248]

Ranger Brown?

[Tonyg 14]

Ranger Brown?

Yep, I needed a name to make it easier for the customer to choose. They would look at Cedar Semi, Super Cedar, Sequoia, and say what's that one - oh, that's 1 part Cedar 1 part Rustic Brown and 2 parts natural :confused: Ranger Brown was a Ben Moore paint color I used recently so when the customer asked I improvised a little so it stuck.

I will get some pictures other than that deck. This deck was mostly shaded and they wanted the 2-tone more prominant so light brown is more of a toner RB/CS and 3 parts Natural. The dark brown is just RB/CS.

If you look in front of the bench at the fence (sprinkler was on) there is a replacement board. Using the RB/Na the new board blended well.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Tonyg

[bigchaz 157]

Deck looks good but the color looks too dry to me to be honest. Too much natural I would guess is giving me that opinion. Then again for such old wood its hard to say what the case is

[Tonyg 14]

Deck looks good but the color looks too dry to me to be honest. Too much natural I would guess is giving me that opinion. Then again for such old wood its hard to say what the case is

I wasn't particularly excited about the color on the deck because they wanted a lighter brown and and with it being so old I kinda thought it looked "dirty". Definitely wasn't dry since this little deck took more than 6 gallons of stain - it was like a sponge it was so old.

I was more excited to try the two-tone semi's. I will be over at the second deck later this week and will get to see how it turned out. Talking with the HO's on the phone and they love it but the verdict was still out with me till I see it dried in. On that deck I did the Deck in Redwood Tone and the benches in Sierra Redwood.

I've hardly seen any two-tone semi's so I just wanted to see if they would make a good option. I liked the browns but not sure if it is a concept I want to push if it isn't going to make an impact.

Here is a better picture of the "Ranger Brown" RB/CS/Na on my Cyprus shed. You can see how a little how it looks on PT with the little porch, poles, and 2x12 bottom.

[PressurePros 248]

Tony, Now I am getting like you. I have been playing with some blends to get a nice tone. I'm trying to tame down that yellow of the cedar semi trans. Did a project last week with a 1/4 blend of the redwood toner added to the CST. I did another one with the same ratio using the Rustic brown and CST. Its difficult because the color that is laid down and the cured color two weeks later are completely different in many cases.

[Tonyg 14]

Ken, I can tell you that the CS comes out pretty strong in any mix I have done. By itself its a bit too orange. Mixing it together with anything and the CS seems to overpower the mix so a little CS will go a long way.

I know the pics I put up arn't really the best but try the 1 part RB 1 part CS and 2 parts Na on some samples. I really like it on younger wood and it gives a brown color with a little bit of color on the older. The newer the wood the more the CS comes out.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Tonyg

[PressurePros 248]

I agree that yellow transoxide pigment is very potent. That was always one of the issues I had with Wood Tux HG. Wayyyy to much pigment. Made everything look either yellow or orange. I'm gonna up the blending colors and see what happens. I don't have any of the natural in stock. Is that a pigmented product?

[Tonyg 14]

I agree that yellow transoxide pigment is very potent. That was always one of the issues I had with Wood Tux HG. Wayyyy to much pigment. Made everything look either yellow or orange. I'm gonna up the blending colors and see what happens. I don't have any of the natural in stock. Is that a pigmented product?

It has a slight amount of color but I forgot what exactly the tints were. I believe it is considered a toner. By itself it makes for one ugly piece of wood but it does seem to work good in diluting the others. The Sequoia for instance I like better cut 50/50 with the Natural.

The one thing that I try to keep in mind, and it really depends on the deck and sun exposure, is that a semi-trans in my opinion is always better than a toner as far as protection. If considering the Toners as a base - in comparison the semi-trans has twice the pigment as a toner and the semi-solid has 8 times the pigment as a toner (atleast in the AC if I remember correctly). The RB/CS/Na mix comes out to a tint that is in right in between a toner and a semi (or 50% more than a toner and 50% less than a semi)

[PressurePros 248]

I remember sitting at the bar with Jake up in New York and he showed me a chart he had in his wallet and if memory serves me, your numbers are correct Tony.

Most of my decks are extremely dry having been coated with some color of waterborne garbage. I have yet to find a floor that looks complete with one coat of anything, even the Armstrong semi trans.

[RPetry 564]

I agree that yellow transoxide pigment is very potent. ...

Ken,

You can say that again! We have just dabbled with A-C, but put down two samples yesterday on clear WRC. Top right is A-C cedar toner, the bottom right is A-C cedar semi.

Ouch, is that cedar semi orange-yellow!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rick,

I love those colors.

Beth

[RPetry 564]

Beth,

The cedar toner looks great, the cedar semi looks terrible!

The top left is RS light brown, my personal favorite on WRC. The bottom left is RS medium brown, too "muddy" looking for my taste.

[plainpainter 217]

I personally think they are all acceptable and up to customer to decide.

[RPetry 564]

Daniel,

Two out of the four look terrible, namely the RS medium brown and the A-C cedar semi.

I would not care to use either one on my own cedar and would be reticent to apply it to customer's wood.

[Scott Paul 164]

I have used the semi-cedar numerous times and it always looks good when done. It is hard to judge from a test spot.

[plainpainter 217]

Daniel,

Two out of the four look terrible, namely the RS medium brown and the A-C cedar semi.

I would not care to use either one on my own cedar and would be reticent to apply it to customer's wood.

Rick I'd apply Baker's Pink to a deck as long as the customer is paying for it.

[RPetry 564]

Rick I'd apply Baker's Pink to a deck as long as the customer is paying for it.

Daniel,

To each his own. Its funny, but most of my new customers look to me to suggest stain color selection(s).

[plainpainter 217]

Mine do as well - they tell me the general trend of where they want to go - and I put on some test spots - and they choose. Personally - I don't really like any of the colors from most manufacturers in their semi-trans lines. I have come to realize my favorite colors are from the 'toner' family - but I can't give warrantees with toners/transparent decking stains.

[RPetry 564]

... I don't really like any of the colors from most manufacturers in their semi-trans lines. I have come to realize my favorite colors are from the 'toner' family ...

Daniel,

Odd, the semi trans line with A-C is much more pigmented than RS, which also names their stains as a semi. But compared to A-C, is much more in the "toner" class. I'm pretty slow, so have a difficult time figuring this nomenclature out.

[RPetry 564]

I have used the semi-cedar numerous times and it always looks good when done. It is hard to judge from a test spot.

Scott,

That is a terrific color. I'm just wondering if my sample can of A-C is mislabeled. In the following pic, the A-C cedar semi trans is at the bottom right. This is after 2 days of drying on clear cedar. Its yellow, not that rich reddish brown stain color in your picture.

BTW, the stain above the A-C is Cabot's Clear Solution Toner, Heartwood color, the eventual stain the customer picked for the cedar. Yuck!

Left to right, the other three are RS light, medium, and dark brown.

[James 624]

Med brown cut with clear is very nice.

[RPetry 564]

Med brown cut with clear is very nice.

Diamond Jim,

May be splitting hairs, but on new or older cedar that has really cleaned up well, Ready Seal light brown is my favorite!

[plainpainter 217]

Rick - I think the A.C. cedar on light wood is not my favorite either - here are some test colors on really lightened/Brightened Mahogany - I kept the semi-trans along one line, and the semisolids along another. As you can see the cedar colors look pretty nasty.