From eeeeeeww to aaaaahhh!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Here's a deck we recently did. The deck was washed with HD-80 and neutralized with Citralic. Love that clean wood! Sealed with Wood Tux.

Beth

[Ron Musgraves 240]

If i had not seen the befores i would not be as impressed. Its looks great, just not much beauty to that type of wood.

Looks great!!!!!!

[PressurePros 248]

Yeah it definitely looks a whole lot better.. another happy homeowner! Nice job

[Degraffreed 21]

Beth, was the last photo an after shot with WOOD TUX?. It seems as if the deck needs more stain. Is this PT Pine? If I did not know you did this, I wood say this was a wood rookier first stain job.

[Mountain View 14]

How many workers and how many man hours?? Looks very nice.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Degafreed,

It is Wood Tux, but it is the "clear" (named Crystal) that was out a few years back. We had a pail left, they wanted a clear and were selling the house. I don't think ESI makes a clear any longer.

Rod did this deck with one of our employee's. I'll ask him how long he was on it.

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

It took 2 hours to wash and 2-1/2 to seal.

829 sqft including the arbor. Raised deck with no steps. The thing was tilted though in construction. As you walk towards the farthest point, you will be walking down-hill. Off level by about 10".

Rod!~

[RPetry 564]

Hey Beth,

How about a worst decks catagory? I'll submit this one. Done in 2003, it really should have been torn down. Worse mold and mildew I ever saw. Did as much carpentry work as restoration, just to keep it from completely falling apart. Stain is the old Wolman's F&P natural.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

You're right. That's gross! Great work.

Hey anyone else got pics of turning a wooden "frog" into a wooden "prince"?

Beth

[Able Hands 14]

These are shots of a deck I'll be doing in a few months. Another friend... It's amazing how many friends you gain when you have tools and know-how.

The paint on the hand rails is literaly blistering off everywhere. And the other shot is just one of 5 grease stains.

Will post follow up shots when done.

Matt

[RPetry 564]

Matt,

That is the ugliest, most abused deck and structure I have ever seen. Where is the toothless guy with the banjo? Be careful when working on it, looks ready to fall down.

Post after photos when done. You'll win hands down.

[Celeste 341]

I was looking at the safety issues myself ! That one is beating out even my old nasty deck :)

Celeste

[Mountain View 14]

Should make a good before/after pic.........if you make it.:lgsideway

[Rodney 14]

Rod,

did you chose hd80 because of the decks condition since it was a wash instead of old # 38.

[Rodney 14]

Matt,

We are in deck restoration and not deck miracle workers.

Good luck, I am sure anything will be an improvement.I wouldnt

let my kids on that deck.

[Able Hands 14]

Toothless Banjo Guy... Yer killin' me!! Had to walk away from computer I was laughing so hard.

Believe it or not, the deck is solid. I know it looks like crap, but structually it is sound. Part of the reason for it looking awful is that the homeowner added the screened porch after the fact. The supports are metal posts underneath what you can see. He added the "framing" underneath to hold a "roof" inside the screened portion so they could use it in the rain, that's why everything looks to be on a agnle away from the house.

Hopefully they will let me do the job before too long so I can post after pics. Will definitely be added to the portfolio.

Matt

[PressurePros 248]

double post.. see below

[PressurePros 248]

My worst experience with a deck was last year. It was a second story deck that was 48'x28'. The mold was a quarter inch thick. The wood was checked, cupped, split and every other buzzword for deck damage you can imagine. There was a gate that was hanging off and the whole left side of the structure was sloped about 30 degrees. The entire deck had ivy growing through the rails and between the floorboards

When we applied the stripper and started rinsing I actually started sliding towards the end like some macabre sideways moon walk. When I would kick on the wand, the built up pressure blast would slide me three feet.

I suggested to the lady that we were patching a mortal wound with a Band Aid but she insisted we just clean and seal it. Nice guy/idiot that I am I felt bad for this single mother and charged her $1,800. I take the pictures at every phase (two full days to get it prepped) and grab my 50% deposit for the 21 gallons of sealer.

Two sprayers, two 28' ladders, 100' of plastic, and another two days later the deck is done. I go to my truck to get the camera. The camera is gone and her degenerate children are in the driveway milling around the truck. I look on the side and there is pink silly string sprayed onto the paint. Mind you, it's 95 degrees in the shade and this stuff melts to the paint. I hook up the washer, clean it off and by this time, I am very PO'd. I just want my money and to leave this nightmare as a memory. I go to the door and start knocking. No answer. I go to the backdoor where I saw movement in the basement while we were working. Her teenage son answers the door and says, "my mom had to run out, she said to leave the bill and she will mail you a check" uh oh, I had made it very clear that this job was to be all cash for the price. She understood as the deposit was paid in cash. I go back to the truck and decide to tear it apart looking for the camera and wait for her to return home. No camera. A $400 Canon loaded with a 64 meg card that held three very large projects of which people were anxiously waiting for a before and after portfolio.

Four weeks go by, quite a few unaswered phone calls.. no check. I go to the house, Nada. I finally have to go to court, file a lien and a civil suit. About two weeks later, I get a check and it's $100 less than the amount due. Unbelievable. I never did find the camera. What a nightmare.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

That stinks!

I hate it when that kind of thing happens.

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I chose HD-80 because of the fact that it hadn't been done during its entire life. The deck was about 12 years old and never had been washed or sealed.

Sodium Hydroxide is a strong oxidizer as well and can help to lighten weathered and aged wood. In combination with the neutralizer/brightener we got the results in the pics.

Rod!~

[RPetry 564]

Matt,

You may want to try a very hot mix of sodium hydroxide on the grease stains in the wood. Pressure wash or scrub and rinse and try again if needed. Brighten/neutralize when done.

Check out the ingredients of Easy Off or other oven cleaners. In terms that a normal person could understand, we are all using oven cleaners to strip decks. Next it will be Easy Off deck cleaner. Gonna' make it even easier to sell Mrs. Homeowner on sodium percarbonate or even bleach based wood cleaners. One other suggestion. Schedule that deck over Easter weekend. Maybe the dead will rise again.

The before and after pics could be a real sales tool. Take plenty.

[Rodney 14]

Rod,

I agree on the hd80 for the deck. The deck was dark and heavy mildew growth. I remember a recent reply from you about bleach and precarbs and you said you dont use hydroxide on unsealed wood. I bring this up only to show newbies that what is on a thread is very helpfull, I am a prime example of the knowledge learn from here, but every situation is different and ones personal experience with trial and error is also helpful. I had the opportunity to meet a great wood preserver thats on this board and ask what do you do when there is still green on bare wood after a precarb clean. The reply was if you have to use bleach for tough spots then use it to get the results. There is a right way and a wrong way but every now and again you have to take the roadd less traveled to get the desired results.