Clear seal over solid stain

[Outlaw 14]

I went out to a prospective customers house yesterday, the deck was on the north side of the house and had a lot of mildew on it, it also had a solid stain on it which was in good condition (from the best I could tell), what the want is the deck cleaned and then a clear sealant put over the solid stain.

Any suggestions, will the clear stick to the solid without peeling in 6 months?

Gav

[ron p 500]

you can check this out.

Ive not tried it yet.

www.wonderpaint.com

NUKLEAR get the anti-slip additive if you try this.

[Paul B. 523]

What's the purpose of the clear sealer on top of the solid?

If they are trying to prevent mold & mildew this process will not prevent it. This is where education and maintenance education comes in play and maybe even get a maintenance contract.

You have to explain to the customer what causes mold and mildew and how it can be prevented.

Most mold & mildew grows on the surface due to surface dirt and moisture that collects on the decks and lack of sunshine slows drying time which in turn inhibits the growth of mold & mildew.

In addition some oils in stains are food for mold and mildew.

Using mildewcide additive, avoiding oil based stains that are considered food for mold & mildew and good maintenance will reduce (note I said reduce, not eliminate) the appearance of mold & mildew.

Here is a general note I put into my deck contracts in addition to the oral education I provide to customers with mold & mildew problems.

"Although Genesis can not guarantee life expectancy, with *good maintenance practices, it is expected that horizontal surfaces will provide a 2 year minimum life and the vertical surfaces a 3 year minimum with maximums in the 5-7 year range.

*Good maintenance practices would include but not be limited to keeping surfaces free of tannin causing debris such as branches, leaves and nuts; regular monthly wash-down to remove dirt, soiling, salt removal in winter and a minimum of 1 mild detergent wash-down. Yearly inspection by a professional service will also help determine if additional cleaning or maintenance coats may be necessary to provide continued protection.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I would suggest a maintenance wash with a percarbonate, followed by reapplication of the same product, if they know what it is. You'll have to determine if it's just the horizontals that need attention or if all surfaces need it. Typically, you can run into compatibility issues if you apply one product over top of another, as tey are designed to do one of two things:

bond to the wood

bond to itself as a second coat or reapplication

Hope this helps.

Beth :groovy:

[Aplus 525]

If the clear coat is an oil based product, it cannot be applied over a latex stain.

Check the label on the can for info on required surface preparation.

Tell the customer you only follow the manufacturers instructions.

As Paul stated, you must find out what the customer is wanting, and educate them on the proper procedure for providing that service.

Sometimes all a customer needs is a little reassurance that you have an interest in the care of his deck. Once you gain his trust, he will be more willing to turn over the decision to you as to how best to care for the deck. That's a golden opportunity to sell a maintenance plan.

[Paul B. 523]

Compatability issues aside (ALL very good points), (and I could be wrong as I'm trying to read between the lines), to me it sounds like they are thinking that they will get a protective coating like a Urethane finish would provide over a stain on furniture. From reading Gav's post, the finish is in good condition other than the mildew. You really need to know what the customer is thinking they will accomplish with the clear coating (probative questions will help). Did Home Depot give them advice? Is the customer trying to solve a problem on their own? If they just like a shiny surface, than your back to the compatability issue and unless you know what brand and type of product is on there, you could have bonding issues (premature failure) as stated by Tony & Beth.

The customer must know that NO coating will prevent mold & mildew if you allow dirt and moisture to sit on a surface in a shady area. What makes mold and mildew grow on plastic or ceramic tile in a bathroom?

Keeping surface clean is highest priority for shady areas - sweep, use blower, rinse with hose, get branches and leaves off, if there are low spots where water can sit, these need to be repaired.

[Outlaw 14]

Thanks all, my first question was if they new the type of stain, of course they didn't know, to tell you the truth it looked like barn paint to me, my guess is its a latex, but like i said, they wern't a lot of help.

They are wanting a "wet" "newer" look, to tell you the truth they were kinda vague, however with all the rain making things very slow I can't afford to pass any jobs up at the moment, so I'm just going to try and give them what they want.

Gav

[UP1 14]

DO NOT apply clear over a solid stain. It may work on some parts of the deck but you will have patches that appear glossy. Yes...this is experience talking.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Welcome UP1 :)

Thanks for sharing.

Beth

[ron p 500]

did you at least read the wonder paint FAQ'S page?

[Paul B. 523]

Ron,

I viewed the website and read the product info.

Not clear how many coats they recommend for deck horizontal and vertical surfaces. Assume 1 coat covers all. I also assume the coverage rate is same for decks and roofs at 250 sq ft per gallon. Toned solution is about $40 per gallon plus S&H.

They had no MSDS available to review for the coating or the stripper. I would also be interested in their stripper as it is claimed to be solvent based.

Everyone makes claims - it's hard to tell by that.

Need to find someone that has used it or has an experimental project coming up.

I noticed they also carried "DeckHand" and DeckMate" applicators.

Did you have any specific points you wanted to discuss?

[Outlaw 14]

I read it, but I'm not willing to pay $40+a gallon to experiment, though as with any products, I am interested in hearing from others you have tried them.

Gav