Behr removal

[sturgisjr 14]

I bid on a job that has Behr Hunter Green Acrylic and I told them it can be removed. I plan on using HD-80 and they want Warm Honey Gold. I got the job and the deposit, but now I am being bothered thinking that it is not going to work getting the Behr off. I hope it does, for the customers and my reputations sake.

No, I did not do a test patch (wished I did) and it was applied 2 years ago by the homeowner. He did the prep job beforehand but he also said that there was still mildew and greying after the cleaning and he just stained right over it. The floors of the deck are peeling terribly but the verticals are fine.

Please tell me that HD-80 will take it off! Or tell me what I can do. Encouragement will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Here's the thing, unless you SAW the can, that could also be the Behr PAINT. We had a deck like that last year. Even saw the can...but what was under the stain was Behr paint. It took the stain, but not the paint. I would URGE you to go do a test spot. Acrylics are HD-80's weak spot. It will take some of them, others with tons of dwell time and a struggle, and some it can't penetrate. When you do the test spot let it dwell as long as it take, and scratch at it with a paint stirring stick or something similar. Look for it to turn rubbery and change color slightly. If it is acrylic it will not melt like an oil will. Apply it to a hard to strip vertical area. Also find a floor spot that has a heavy amount of product, and try that too. In other words, always test the hardest areas. If it will not take it, try BIX, it has MEK in it. Wear protection. Hope this helps.

Beth

[Gavin 14]

I pass when the homeowner wants to go from a solid to a natural. Actually, I have a customer that wanted to have me turn their solid stain (Navahoe Red) deck into a two-tone (natural horizontals). Luckily, I was able to convince them to just recoat with the same color for this year. Next year we are going to actually replace all the horizontal boards so they can get the look they want. One of the main problems (other than stripping off the main surface) was getting down between the cracks. I told them it was next to impossible and for what I would have to charge, it would be cheaper to just replace them....so that's what we'll do. Lucky for me they went with the solid color this year because I miss-bid this one by a long shot if they had wanted the two-tone. I thought, "well, lesson learned and I'll have to eat this one". I too had nightmares about how I was going to completely strip it. I ended up being honest with her (which really is the best policy) and telling her that not only would she not be happy with the results but I also would not be happy. She believed me and that's when she decided on just the solid for this year.

Good luck, let us know how it works out for you.

Gavin

[charlie 14]

I had a call the other day from a lady for a deck cleaning and treating she wanted me to remove the paint off the deck. I told her to replace the boards it would be easier and cheaper ( not a big deck). During the conversation she told me another company said the hot water pressure washing should do the job. What a joke. Now back to the original post always do a test before taking on the job. 2 Reasons. 1) Shows customers what beautiful wood they could have. 2) Reassures yourself that you are able to do the job.

Charlie

[sturgisjr 14]

Well, I contacted the customer this morning to honestly explain about the possibility of not being able to strip off the Behr Hunter Green. I couldnt tell if they were irritated or not. I explained that I would like to do a test patch and they are letting me do that tomorrow morning at 9:00. I will then find out what exactly the stain was. I beleive when I checked the can during the estimate that it was a Acrylic Latex Solid Stain.

So... if it is a Solid Stain and not a paint, am I in better luck? I see an oil based would work better to strip but with a longer dwell time and more patience, I should be able to get it off.

If I do the test patch, and the HD-80 did not do anything, what should I do? What is MEK? Where can I get that? I prefer to use products I have become familiar with and this being my first year and calls just keep coming in, I dont want to waste time on this one deck. I may have to refund the deposit if the HD-80 doesnt work, but the thing is... I really want it to work! :) But I do have the ability to be honest and say I can't do it.

Any feedback would be appreciated before tmw morning and I'll let you know how I make out with the test patch.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

If you can take photos of the test patch and post them here. We can get a better idea of what you are facing if we are able to see the results.

Beth

[herbie1 14]

Jr,

I am currently experiencing what you are going to go through. Even if it is not paint it is acrylic based and I had no luck with HD-80 and the booster (if you don't have the booster don't even try to remove this product). Talk the customer out of the semi and go with a solid stain (Hey you didn't put the Behr on and they need to understand this). Clean the deck and get out the sander to remove loose and peeling paint (that is basically what this product is). Plan on spending a half to a full day cleaning, 1-2 days sanding and depending on what product you use 2-3 days staining. I only tell you this because it is happening to me right now. I am using Cabot's Solid decking stain which requires a primer before stain application to any bare wood. With this product you need a night for primer to set, another night for 1st coat and then you put on a second coat. I hope all works out for you and your bid would cover this. You may have to rebid if you are low for all this work that you may have to do.

Good luck,

Herb Hewlett

Herb's Pressure Washing

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

strugisjr,

Hd-80 has taken off acrylics before, you just have to be patient and keep it wet.

Work on the verticals the most, they are your challenge.

The floor will clean up as well, its already weathered, peeling and flaking.

Mix at 7oz.(weight)/gallon. Keep it wet with additional product.

Water down any plants nearby as well. This stuff will kill grass practically by being shown the 30lb tub! :)

Apply under the rail caps regularly and the spindles.

gitrdun!

:seeya:

[sturgisjr 14]

Okay, here it is. I went this morning and did a test patch. I have 5 pictures total... first one being the can of Behr, 2nd and 3rd (before and after of the floor) and 4th and 5th (before and after of the verticals). I think I let it dwell about 30 to 45 minutes. It seems that the verticals came off easier than the floor, but I think its doable. Please let me know what you all think. Homeowner saw the test patch and thinks we should go ahead.

[sturgisjr 14]

4th and 5th pictures

[Aplus 525]

I wouldn't touch that job with a ten foot pole. Solid restain only.

If you can't remove 100% of that green stain, imagine what it will look like showing thru a semi-transparent.

IMHO, there are many other jobs out there for me. Sometimes it's just better off to pass on a job that will have a questionable outcome. I just don't have the time to spend several days labor on a job like that. Those kind of jobs are the dregs and can be left for your competitors to burn themselves on.

[herbie1 14]

Jr,

You must recommend a solid stain to the homeowmer. You will not get all the stain off.

Herb Hewlett

[sturgisjr 14]

I have told the homeowner that a Solid Stain will need to be put into consideration. I am still waiting to hear on their response to that.

I have thought about sanding any leftover stain if the HD-80 doesnt work as I'd like it to. I am still learning and this is my first challenging deck and I want to please the customer. I may have underbid this job, but I am using this as a learning experience. The homeowners have been pretty patient with me, but I am still waiting to hear if they still want me to do the job. Before they realized that I had these services to offer, they were thinking of replacing the deck floors with trex decking and leaving all the verticals green.

Will sanding do the job? I realize that this will take up a lot of time and may not be worth it to some of you, but I would like to be the person who can do it. Besides, these homeowners were referred to by good friends of mine.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

The floor you tested by the rails looks to have received more than 2 coats.

HD-80 will take off about 95% of this stain, but you will need to do some sanding in areas like the spindles and under the handrails and on the floors, between the boards will still be a problem.

A solid color stain as a replacement should be a strong concideration point.

Especially if they dont want to pay for the sanding which will more than likely

be needed.

A floor sander would provide great results, but will not get the residue from between the boards. You can get resin backed grinder pads larger in diameter than the backing wheel and use them like a edger and get in between the boards (time consuming/back wrenching). Either way, it will be an adventure :rolleyes:

Good luck!

Rod~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Considering what you are taking off, that is a great result. I would make sure the homeowner knows they may not be able to put a semitrans on this deck after stripping and I say wait till it's cleaned and stripped to decide.

We have stripped decks and then has a DARK color in a semi-trans applied and it looks good. However I would not suggest a honey color. Sanding is going to have to happen in areas here. This is typical on a solid strip. We do alot of this type of work, and it's one that if you are good at it you can get well known for it and also get paid what it is worth if the homeowner is really tired of the solid.

.......either a really DARK semi-trans (helps to cover shadowing of the pigment from the solid) or a solid. But Again, I would wait till you have a dry deck after the strip to make a determination with the homeowner.

Beth

[sturgisjr 14]

Okay...here we go! I stripped the deck which took me Wednesday and Thursday with long dwell times. I went back today when it was dry to sand. I think it worked out really well..what do you think? I have attached pictures here. The homeowner is extremely impressed and still wants the woodtux warm honey gold. I know you (beth) said that a darker semi trans would be better or a solid as everyone has been saying, but I wonder that now you see the results, what do you think?

The homeowner and myself are still discussing color choices. They were so impressed, they wanted a clear. When they bought the house, the deck was green so when they wanted to maintain it, they tried stripping and failed miserably. Thats the reason why they went and got green stain to go right over it. So you can imagine how thrilled they are with my results so far.

I am told that WoodTux Warm Honey Gold is still not available anywhere :( I guess I would need to use the Aussie Timber Oil in Amberwood. (that is providing the light color is a possible good choice with my results thus far)

I am pretty happy about the results, but want to hear from y'all profressionals. This was my first solid stain removal in my first season.

[seymore 90]

Very nice work there!!

Good luck on that trellis those can be a pain!!

Shouldn't have any problem getting a semi to look good on that deck.

You made it this far you are half way there :cool:

[Firedkm 14]

From The pictures I have seen of the before and after, you did a very good job at the removal of the old finish. Give yourself a nice pat on the back as alot of contractors would have walked away from a job like this one.:wave:

[Henry B. 4]

I agree Dale, I would have definetly walked away from that job. I don't have the patience to deal with a whole lot of stripping and I don't like using really strong chemicals. I usually refer those kinds of jobs to Beth, I know she loves stripping decks. If HD-80 took that stain off that well I'm going to have to check it out. I still don't want to do a whole lot of stripping but I may change my mind about not doing any at all.

[newlook 265]

Looks great from way out here in California ~ good job. We do not do a whole lot of deck/wood work but from what I see ....you obviously take pride in your work and that certainly will go a very long way with your customers.

[Jesse 15]

Great Job! Looks like you will have a customer for life with that one. I would love to hear the great things that she tells her friends and neighbors about your company.

From what Russ tells me, plenty of Warm Honey Gold should be ready this week also.

Jesse R. Kirchhoff

Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC

Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC

114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109

Local 573-634-8882 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Sturgisjr,

Excellent! I knew you could do it! I should know more about Honey Gold this week. As soon as I have it, it will be on the way to you. I placed a very large order.

It's great seeing these results. Again, BEAUTIFUL work!!!

Beth :groovy3:

p.s. look out for fuzzies. You may need to defur/defuzz the deck....

[One Tough Pressure 580]

So was that done with Hd80? Any Booster?

[sturgisjr 14]

Yes, I used HD-80 - without the booster. There were few leftover stains and needed to be sanded.

As for the trellis, I didnt do them since they plan on taking those down anyway. Whew! :)

I was there all day today sanding. It will take another full day to sand and then its off to Warm Honey Gold. Well.... now they are thinking about a two-tone. I hope not! This was hard enough. We will see.

The homeowners asked for a whole bunch of business cards and will distribute them to everyone they know. They said that they have never seen such a great result and are very pleased with the hard work put into it.

When the project is complete, I will of course, post the final pictures for you all.

Thank you for your encouragement and feedback during this process. I feel more confident each day as a wood restoration professional and have found this is going to be a continuing adventure.

Beth...good news on the WoodTux! Keep me posted.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Will do! Can't wait to see the photos of the deck when you are done.

:groovy:

Am not surprised at all that you didn't need the booster on this. Again, GREAT job!!!!

Beth

[reed 500]

Great result. You did yourself proud on that one. This is a job that no one really wants to tackle, but when successfully accomplished the rewards are great, not just with the customer but with your own confidence and the possibility of the great PR from the homeowner.

Outstanding work.

Reed