mirage47 14 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 I was considering Sealmaxx for my front deck and driveway until I stumbled onto this forum. I do not like the idea of petrified wood on my beautiful front deck on my raised ranch. The deck is above the driveway and is 12 feet by 22 feet. I had a local "contractor" clean and stain last year, but the idiot oversprayed on my new concrete driveway and front steps. I am still hoping mad about that. The bum tried to clean it off, but alas, stain does not come out of concrete. So, I so this Sealmaxx booth at the dupage county fair and have reseached a little. Now the grime scene states that this stuff petrifies the wood, and that is NOT something I want to do to this 3 yr old cedar. What do you suggest to this now DIYfer? Is the sealmaxx stuff still OK for a concrete driveway???? Thanks for any advise you can give.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 Do you have any photos you could attach??? You have several options. First off, consider hiring a real pro - you might find one here. If you prefer to do this yourself, considering you have cedar, I am leary of suggesting you strip this. I am more likely to say you should sand back down to nice wood. Deck stripping is not easy. What did the contractor you hired last year seal the wood with? I would suggest a quality sealer for the wood...but are you looking for a solid or a semi-transparent finish (do you want to see the wood or not)? If you find a contractor witha hot water unit, you might be able to have the driveway cleaned, but to have a hope of removing the stain from concrete you need hot water in addition to chems in my opinion, due to porocity. I suggest V-Seal 101 or 102 to seal with after a successful cleaning of the concrete. Any other info you can provide - photos are best - would help. I'm sure others will be able to respond better if they can see the areas of concern. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums...ighlight=attach This should help with attaching a pic. If you need more help, let me know. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 248 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 SealMaxx for a driveway... not a problem it has a decent enough track record I suppose. To use on a deck, no way. I have dealt with representatives of their product and they are evasive. I have not heard one testimony of positive results. I personally think the whole "guaranteed for 25 years" thing is an outright scam based on no scientific data or real world results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mirage47 14 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 I don't think that it needs any stripping as it is fairly new. I had the local put on a semi transparent stain/sealer I do not recall the brand. The deck looks very good right now, but the floor and rail tops needs something before winter here in IL. Here are a couple of pics prior to staining last year. OOPS my jpg files are too big at 448. Any suggestions to upload these pictures? The link you gave me goes nowhere. If there is a professional on this site from the Chicago suburb around Glen Ellyn, I would be interested. Otherwise, I will try it myself. Sometimes if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. The overspray issue still has me bummed about contractors. I have a cold water pressure washer that does OK on decks and concrete tire marks. I will try the hotwater pressure washer with the chemicals. I then will try the concrete sealer as I like my driveway and decks looking like new. Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jason c. 14 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 if you have photoshop you can resize your pics with it. or if you like you can email them to me and i will resize them for you. iceberg0151@comcast.net Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 If the company that put the sealer on didn't seem to know what they were doing, then I would not go so far as to say the deck doesn't need stripping. Prep is everything, and does effect future maintenance. You asked professionals here for their opinion. Sure you can seal over it...and you'll create more problems and compound the situation if things were not done correctly to begin with by the company you have no confidence in. Personally, sight unseen I would say have it stripped, possibly sanded depending on how poorly the prior company washed and how much damage they did ( Cedar is a very soft wood), then have it sealed. Posting pics may shed more light. I can't give you do it yourself advice without photos. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums...ighlight=attach The above link should help with attaching a pic. If you need more help, let me know. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 30, 2005 Mirage47 Got your photos, thanks for sharing. From what I can see it doens't look too bad. My suggestion is a percarb wash, neutralization, prep ,and seal with a semi-transparent. I'm attaching the photos you sent. I'm sure someone on our forums from your area can assist you. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropical wave 22 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 Mirage47, the pics are pretty small, so I cant really see too much...... I know you said you dont recall whats on it for sealer, but do you know if it was a store bought product or a professional sealer? protecting the cement underneath should not have been a problem, pretty wide open, plastic, should have been fine...hmmmmmm did the "contractor" seal the underside too....?? your city is a "tad" out of our service area (we're based right near O'Hare), but since you found this site, (which we LOVE) we would be willing to stretch it :) feel free to shoot us an email or a call if you wish.... we're always here :) 773-775-7234 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pams Pressure & Clean 64 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 Mirage, Neat handle... As far as whether the deck needs stripped before staining, it is sometimes impossible to tell from a photo. Next to choosing a quality product, preparation is EVERYTHING in proper wood care. If not done correctly, the stain will most assuredly suffer premature failure or look like crap, or perhaps both. While your deck does not appear to have a stain, the fact remains that there was one applied at one time and one really needs to perform a physical test to verify the presence or lack thereof of any stain that may remain prior to re-treatment. Further, the absence of knowing what was actually installed leaves enough doubt in the mind as to seriously consider a strip, mild as it may be. If we knew what was there, the formula for proper deck care would be much easier to suggest as it then becomes a known quantity. Perform a spash test in several areas of the deck. Simply dip your fingers in a glass of water and sprinkle it onto the wood. If it beads or shows signs of non-penetration, there is a film or barrier of some type that will have to be removed before a stain can be applied. If the water instantly absorbs into the wood, it is generaly safe to assume that there is nothing there and a simple percarb wash, brighten, and stain can be performed. Some advocate the use of chlorine bleach, and show incredible results, but this style of work is NOT suggested for DIY'ers. If you see beading, standing water, or other indication that the water is not absorbing, the wood needs to be stripped, neutralized, brightened, and then finished with your product of choice. It could very well be that the strip is minimal, but nonetheless it needs to be done if there is something there. Again, this leads back to not knowing what was/is there from the beginning.. fast examples: Ready Seal, Excellent product and no need for stripping on maintenance coats or for recoating.. Thompson's, It's cheap, but you gotta strip it.. SealMaxx.. I understand that it is crazy expensive..and you gotta strip it too... Hope this helps, Cujo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mirage47 14 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 Thanks to all here for their advise and thoughts. Clarification on the pics, they are the day after the deck was built and before any sealer was applied. The "contractor" pressure washed and the applied Cabot semi transparrent cedar stain to the deck top and sides, not underneath. The framing is treated and the rest, including the skirting and covering of the posts are cedar. Right now, the deck looks very good, but I am meticulous in trying to keep it that way for a long time. I am convinced that sealmaxx will harm the cedar in the long run, and have opted to not put that on the deck. My wife and I really like the look of the Cabot semi clear, but I do not want to do this every year. Any thoughts???? I will give Tropical Wave a shout as well. Again, thanks for the comments.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 248 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 Mirage, anything outside is going to require a good amount of maintenance and you sound like me, I like things to be clean. Amortize the cost of a TRUE wood restoratoration professional keeping your deck healthy and aesthetically beautiful and you are probably looking at a couple dollars a day. To me, anything with which I take pride and pleasure is worth at least that much. Bottom line, the guy you hired was not qualified to do the job. By coming here you have exposed yourself to some of the best wood contractor's in the country. I'm not shy in saying my work is top notch. I stand behind everything I do 100%. Please don't let the previous work shy you from hiring a pro. At least now you are eductated to what to look for in a contractor... Professionalism On Time Uses the right detergents for the job Has plenty of references Has enough liability insurance to cover your property and...... when there is a problem, he fixes it! Best of luck to you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pams Pressure & Clean 64 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 For the ultimate in cost effective, yet fabulous protection and stunning looks, you might be well served to look into Ready Seal. It costs no more than any other quality product to apply. In fact, due to all the others having to reformulate for VOC compliance it is actually less expensive. The protection is top notch and looks great. You can generally go 2 years before maintenance and becasue you don't need to strip each time, the cost of maintenance is generally significantly lower. All that's generally needed is a gentle percarb wash and a light application stain. Ready Seal does not contain Linseed or Tung oil. Both are natural vegetabe type oils that provide a great food source for mold and mildew. Ready Seal is manufactured from parrafinnic oils (crude) that will not support the growth of mold and mildew. Ready Seal is and has been VOC compliant without having to undergo massive reformulation. (Except in California where it seems that even the oxygen is banned :) ) Ready Seal contains added mildewcides and fungicides to further retard the growth of mold and mildew. Ready Seal penetrates the wood instead of forming a film on top of the wood. Ready Seal looks great, has no runs, drips, or lap marks after application. Ready Seal CAN be easily removed, because it is oil based, at a later date if desired. As you can see there are many advantages to Ready seal vs. much of the competition. As much as this sounds like a Ready Seal infomercial, I am not a Ready Seal rep, distributor, or salesman.. I am a contractor who uses Ready Seal almost every day. My clients love it, we love it, and we think that everyone who uses it should love it too.. Good luck in your search... Cujo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 31, 2005 Personally We like: Cabot's - Australian Timber Oil Extreme Solutions - Wood Tux Wet Sikkens - Cetol SRD We have gotten excellent results with them, and repeat maintenance has been a breeze, no mildew problems. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 1, 2005 Wood Tux! has been by far the best investment we could have recommended for our customers and for our business. We have recently finished maintenance services on several decks that were treated with Wood Tux! 2 years ago. The washes went great and there was still plenty of pigment left on the horizontals. The recoats looked just as good as the first applications and there were no areas of blemishing or splotchyness usually associated with some products due to uv discoloration. Also, I noted that the amount of product used on the maintenance was about 25% less than the original coat. We have also seen a deck that we did 2 years ago with the California Redwood tone that was 90% intact even on the horizontals. Due to this, the customer has elected to go another year before having a maintenance wash and seal performed. I look forward to more of these decks and converting the majority of our customers to Wood Tux! It has been the best bang for their buck and ours in ease of maintenance. Check out our company web site photo gallery for yourself if you like. The results are reliable and the durability is built in. http://http://www.seedirtrun.com/ Rod~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropical wave 22 Report post Posted September 1, 2005 I can agree with all the above....as far as products go, outstanding results can be obtained with the professional sealers, as long as it didn't come from Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Kmart, Target etc etc........ Preperation is paramount......the best sealer on the planet will not work on poorly preped wood...period knowing and understanding the truth is also key....these stain/sealers that promote an effective life of anywhere from 4-10 years is just plain wrong..... these products may provide water protection for that length of time, usually much less, but they'll look poor and the UV protection and the mildew protection will be gone long before...... as far as maintenance is concerned, after the wood has been initially preped and sealed, the ongoing maitenance (a nice easy cleaning, fresh coat of sealer) is proportionatly less expensive than the initial job and keeps the wood looking great, and more importantly, keeps it protected....... there is no such thing as maintenance free, if its outside in the elements (especially wood) it gets dirty and needs preventative maintenance.....its just the way it is, and its one of the beauties of wood :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 1, 2005 these stain/sealers that promote an effective life of anywhere from 4-10 years is just plain wrong..... Agreed! It conditions the homeowner to neglect their deck in the interim. Rod~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James 624 Report post Posted September 1, 2005 Rod I know you have had great results with Wood Tux;However, There isn't any old Wood Tux, The thick formula was put on a diet to make it thin (the one day woodcare diet). You have had great sucsess with the product, but who's using it today? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 1, 2005 Actually Jim....There is. We just received ten beautiful pails today of nice...THIN...sprayable...Wood Tux Wet. Ta Da! Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James 624 Report post Posted September 2, 2005 Beth, That was today. Over this past year how much of problem did it cause? Having to change what you use change marketing and getting use to other products.? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 2, 2005 Jim, We didn't have a learning curve. We have also been using Cabot's and Sikkens in prior years as well. We didn't have to change marketing, or learn anything new. All we had to do was thin a few pails down of the first release of the Wood Tux Wet formula, until the thinner sprayable release was out. It might have been a surprise initially, but not a show stopper. Also, true to their word Extreme Solutions stood by the product and upheld promises they made. It may not have happened overnight, but it did happen. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
