Alaskan Yellow Cedar sealer/stain

[billdvorak 14]

I wrote to ReadySeal and they discouraged me from using their product on Alaskan Yellow Cedar (difficult of seal?). My deck is 10 years old, covered and originally stained some kind of acrylic that turned orange. I sanded off some of it and the wood underneath is beautiful. I am looking for and old-fashioned distressed brown.

Nobody in the forums seems to use Alaska Yellow Cedar. Any help out there?

[James 624]

I take care of every cedar there is, Port Orford, Alaska, Number one clear and all others. I have realized people who make sealers have no clue what works on certain woods and have no clue about wood restoration. On the other hand many sealing companies will tell you there products work when they should not be used on certain woods. I am involved will five decks right now with the wrong product used and the info came from the sealing companies. I have the OK to correct all the decks. In this case they are being careful and safe. There are not too many decks built with this wood !Maybe yours and the one I care for? Port Orford and Number oNe clear Cedar are more difficult to take care of. Make sure its not Port orford because its more difficult to care for when sanded.

In your case Ready Seal is a very good choice and I have cared for an Alaskan deck for over 10 years now . The sides are western cedar and the floor Alaska. The wood is considered close to being a Hard wood and is used for furniture. This photo just happens to be Medium Brown cut with clear. I like to reduce the pigment on cedar.

The client had major issues prior to my taking over the care of this wood. I had no one to bounce my thoughts with about sealing this wood over 10 years ago because of it's rarity . It is beautiful and easy to care for now .

At first because you sanded. The wood may not take much oil but with aging it will. When sealing the first time if oil doesn't go in in an hour wipe it off.

[plainpainter 217]

That's alaskan cedar? Now you tell me! I did one of those two years ago with woodtux - and I sanded the whole floor down, the stain didn't penetrate at all.

And when I came back the following spring to clean off leaf mold on his deck - I ended up free of charge touching up the whole floor, because the stain just

powdered off in certain areas.

[Adrian 155]

I wrote to ReadySeal and they discouraged me from using their product on Alaskan Yellow Cedar (difficult of seal?). My deck is 10 years old, covered and originally stained some kind of acrylic that turned orange. I sanded off some of it and the wood underneath is beautiful. I am looking for and old-fashioned distressed brown.

Nobody in the forums seems to use Alaska Yellow Cedar. Any help out there?

Welcome to TGS.

Please go to your settings in your profile and complete your signature line. House Rules.

Again, welcome.

[billdvorak 14]

Mine is in Gladstone, OR south of Portland. It does look exactly like your picture. I love the look and feel of alaskan Cedar. The covered part of the deck looks like new wood after I sanded the acrylic off. I have a test patch of RS dark brown. As you said, it didn't take much stain. I also wanted to do a test patch of Armstrong-Clark. I am a little concerned about the non-drying quality of RS as I have a crawling granddaughter who will lick the deck. I will post pictures later but the baby just climbed the end table.

How do I post a picture?

Edited May 26, 2010 by billdvorak
need help pictures

[James 624]

RS cures at the surface. I use it every day. If its oily u put to much on.

[Adrian 155]

How do I post a picture?

Bill, in the reply box click on the " go advanced" button.

[billdvorak 14]

[ATTACH]15395[/ATTACH]

Mine is in Gladstone, OR south of Portland. It does look exactly like your picture. I love the look and feel of alaskan Cedar. The covered part of the deck looks like new wood after I sanded the acrylic off. I have a test patch of RS dark brown. As you said, it didn't take much stain. I also wanted to do a test patch of Armstrong-Clark. I am a little concerned about the non-drying quality of RS as I have a crawling granddaughter who will lick the deck. I will post pictures later but the baby just climbed the end table.

How do I post a picture?

[billdvorak 14]

This is my original picture. To the right of the Dog(Gracie) is RS Dark Brown one coat. I used 150 sandpaper because I couldn't get even penetration with 80 grit. I just got a sample of Armstrong-Clark semi Rustic Brown. I thought the brown would give a nice cabiny atmosphere. Otherwise cedar stains look good but I don't know if I want a light colored finish.

[billdvorak 14]

I have decided on Armstrong-Clark after having success with sample of Rustic Brown. The other color samples looked too yellow or orange on Alaskan Yellow Cedar. The rustic brown was too dark for may taste so I tried a different application method. I am applying a thin coat with a rag and rubbing the stain in. This gives me a nice finish similar to Ready Sealy medium brown. I think because of the heavier AC pigments, knots, dents and other variations are darker and causing a nice 'distressed wood' look. Since my deck is distressed anyway I was hoping it could turn into a feature.

I am retired and can only do one board at a time so it will take about a year. Am I crazy? What do you guys think?

Edited May 29, 2010 by billdvorak

[James 624]

150 grit sand paper will put to smooth of finish and reduce penetration of a stain . Should go with 60 grit. Every grit you move up to reduces absorption of product.

[billdvorak 14]

Thanks for your comment. I will use 80 grit on areas exposed to sun and rain. I used 150 grit to get the color I wanted around the wood stove. This area is protected from the weather but gets heavy foot traffic.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

RS cures at the surface. I use it every day. If its oily u put to much on.

Ready Seal does not cure at all Jim. There are no drying oils in it to help it cure or set up for that matter. It always stays oily like mineral oil.

I think that Bill is making a good choice in Armstrong Clark's product though.

I have samples of Ready Seal on wood blocks that have never seen the light of day and the color is gone. It all just dove into the wood. This means you have to fill it with a great deal of product to get any duration of the color.

It's great as a conditioner, I have always said that. It can supplement dry wood with moisture and help it to be revived, but as a sealer, it doesn't seal, it inundates the fibers until it migrates deeper or is rinsed off with a soaking rain.

Rod!~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Bill,

On exterior wood structures, 60-80 grit is best for aiding penetration. You need a great deal of it to get a durable finish.

Too little penetration and you lose duration.

Up in Alaska, you have more days of cold and when that happens, the wood shrinks like a sponge being squeezed and without the pith and cambium below the bark of the tree, it can easily be exuded or lose adhesion.

Complete your work during days that you have consistent overnight temperatures above 55* to avoid this.

If you are looking for a lighter color, add some of the toner to thin the pigmentation down and on the 60-80 grit areas, you should get the result you are looking for.

No, you aren't crazy, sounds like a pet project to me. Good on ya!

Rod!~

Edited May 30, 2010 by Beth n Rod

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Rod he is in Oregon, only the deck is from Alaska....LOL If he is anywhere near the west coast I have heard it has been unseasonably cool this year.

I do agree with Rod though, cut it with toner to get a lighter color.

Your wood looks great by the way.

[RPetry 564]

Ready Seal does not cure at all Jim. There are no drying oils in it to help it cure or set up for that matter. It always stays oily like mineral oil.

...

Rod,

This is a bit of a misstatement. RS certainly cures on the surface, only instead of drying oil, it is resin and pigment that "cures". Meanwhile the paraffin oil is down into the wood.

As far as washing off with a "soaking rain", that is a curious thing to say. This past Friday, we stopped by an ipe' maintenance we stained on Thursday with Ready Seal. Thursday night we had violent thunderstorms throughout the region with associated heavy rain. Nothing "washed off" the surface, the finish was perfect.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rick,

If it were a blended oil and had a curing oil you would hate it since you hate linseed oil.....or similar. "Damn Filmers" DO pigments cure? Or do the CARRIERS cure.....I don't see how a pigment can cure....please enlighten me further.

And if Ready Seal were a blend, why you would love AC. I have to go looking for an MSDS on RS to see goodies....

Beth

Edited May 30, 2010 by Beth n Rod

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Most vague that RS MSDS.....HA!

Love the Armstrong Clark.

Beth

[RPetry 564]

Rick,

If it were a blended oil and had a curing oil you would hate it since you hate linseed oil.....or similar. "Damn Filmers" DO pigments cure? Or do the CARRIERS cure.....I don't see how a pigment can cure....please enlighten me further.

And if Ready Seal were a blend, why you would love AC. I have to go looking for an MSDS on RS to see goodies....

Beth

Beth,

It is a bit overboard to state that I hate linseed oil. We use it on occasion. Tried to use the blended A-C on a 1st time ipe' job last week. For numerous reasons I do prefer paraffin oil for most applications.

No, pigment itself does not "cure". From what I have been told, it is the proprietary resins in stain that lock or bind the pigment, mildewcide/fungicide, and in some cases linseed oil to the surface of the wood.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rick,

You know I luv ya, and you know I enjoy yanking your chain. And you do know that AC has parafin in it too.....right?

Beth :)

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rod,

This is a bit of a misstatement. RS certainly cures on the surface, only instead of drying oil, it is resin and pigment that "cures". Meanwhile the paraffin oil is down into the wood.

As far as washing off with a "soaking rain", that is a curious thing to say. This past Friday, we stopped by an ipe' maintenance we stained on Thursday with Ready Seal. Thursday night we had violent thunderstorms throughout the region with associated heavy rain. Nothing "washed off" the surface, the finish was perfect.

Ok, let's play with this can of worms.

Now you are saying that essentially Ready Seal is a film former. In the past, you have stated that it is not and we all agreed.

Now, unless there has been some dramatic change in the formula, your statement implies there is now a resin curative (drier)? Since when?

News of this sort would certainly have been welcome news to those of us who used it in the past and found that 50sqft/gallon was not cost effective in addition to the unreliability in the results.

Ex: Applied readyseal gold to a P.T. Pine deck, 345sqft including rails, used 7 gallons of product (5 initially, 2 upon return that same day) which is far beyond the listed 150sqft/gal coverage rate.

Took 20 minutes to get back to the office (last job of the day) and the customer called to complain the crew forgot to seal the floor. I told him I was on the job and we definitely sealed the floor as well. He assured me it looked like it was missed.

I returned to the site and was shocked that upon getting there, the floor indeed looked like it was missed. It was oily, but the pigment was gone. Looked nothing like it did when the crew and I left it earlier.

This is just one of the examples of many customers who had the same problem. We applied more in the presence of the customer to his satisfaction, but when it came time to perform maintenance, he confided that the product quickly faded and wanted something that would last longer.

The point here is that the product never 'cured'. The other point is the cost point for the product far exceeded our estimate for the job (345/150sqft/gal= 2.3 gallons) and became a loss. Repeat that over the course of a season and you can likely see our point.

Perhaps up north where the temps are much more moderate and the season shorter may have some bearing on the products ability to perform better, regardless, I can state with all honesty that the product does not cure. There are no driers in it to my awareness and with no M.S.D.S. or tech-data sheet available to substantiate any valid argument to the contrary, this is all arbitrary albeit our own experiences speak for themselves.

So, let's not go saying I made a misstatement here. If it is so goof-proof, we should not have had the problems, and surely we should not have had to use 3X as much for the exampled <10y.o. deck which was regularly maintained.

I am glad to hear your work survived a thunderstorm, I am referring to another member here who in the past posted his results of the Ready Seal washing off into the pool after a rain.

Combine that with our experiences and we quickly moved away from it as a viable 'sealer'.

Have fun, I know you will, but remember, it is all arbitrary at this point. You have success with it, Great! We didn't, more failures than successes. Why the inconsistencies then? Certainly not goof-proof.

Rod!~

[RPetry 564]

Rick,

You know I luv ya, and you know I enjoy yanking your chain. And you do know that AC has parafin in it too.....right?

Beth :)

Beth,

Hah, so you admit it! Scandalous, trolling for a fight like that! I demand an infraction be assessed!

Yes, I am aware that the oil content in A-C is ~ half linseed, ~ half paraffin oils. The idea is paraffin for conditioning/moisturizing, linseed for a dried "lock" on the surface. Although I am not much of a customer, Jake and I have become quite good friends and talk frequently.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

ok, found the msds....finally!

No driers, solvent is mineral spirits and an Algaecide listed as a preservative.

Thats it folks.

I rest my case.

Rod!~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Beth,

Hah, so you admit it! Scandalous, trolling for a fight like that! I demand an infraction be assessed!

Yes, I am aware that the oil content in A-C is ~ half linseed, ~ half paraffin oils. The idea is paraffin for conditioning/moisturizing, linseed for a dried "lock" on the surface. Although I am not much of a customer, Jake and I have become quite good friends and talk frequently.

Rick....

Try AC. It's better than a CASE of Heinies! You'll love it. The wood will love it. You won't have to go to a deck two days in a row to seal it.

Cheers! :cheers:

Beth

[James 624]

I guess cures is the wrong word but it never stay's oily. Curing is for drying oils. I really don't understand Rod's point about his samples and his inability to have success with RS? Seems like a personal problem to me. I really don't understand Rod's point about Alaskan Cedar shrinking either ? It's one of the more stable woods along with Port orford cedar no shrinking at all ! And, If any thing the most consistent oil performer has been RS on the BB's.