bleach/stain experiment

[JFife 14]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I think it was probably deleted. I did an accidental experiment with bleach on my pt fence last year.

Here are the factors: The fence I'd estimate to be three years old, grey and never sealed. Just to see what happened, I sprayed a small section with household bleach, and didn't rinse it. I wanted to see what would happen over time, if the wood would turn white, then weather back yellow, etc. As you'll see in the pic, the wood has stayed a white color, after one year.

A week or so after the bleach dried (again, no rinsing at all) I went over there with my sample can of TWP. TWP samples come in these really nifty aerosol cans. I basically just wanted to see what the color would look like on the bleached wood. I was impressed. You'll see the runs, etc., and will know exactly how much time and effort I put into this experiment. I wasn't trying to prove anything, just checking the color.

After one year, here is the result. Frankly, I've worked a lot harder and had much worse results after one year than this.

Jon

[JFife 14]

Told ya it turned out white, LOL. See if i can fix it,

[seymore 90]

Here is Jon's pic he was trying to post..:cool:

[JFife 14]

Seymore, you are a genius:) Does the stain/color look kinda green??? Must be the photo, it actually looks really gold

[seymore 90]

Not a prob glad to help .:cool:

It doesn't look that bad for having a few drips ;)

if you would have put a second coat on... it would look much better

[JFife 14]

The reason I posted this is because it got me thinking......few of us ever sell fence jobs, especially restoration. Maybe new or recoats, but not restoration, just cost too much for the perceived value in most customers eyes (IMO).

But what if you could just spray on bleach, rinse, (NOT pressure wash down to fresh, gold wood), let it dry and stain?? The labor on fence jobs is in the washing, especially shadow box. I think this is a viable option--especially for treated wood, when the cost of a restoration is darn near the cost of a new fence.

Just some food for thought, figured I'd throw it out there.

[seymore 90]

But what if you could just spray on bleach, rinse, (NOT pressure wash down to fresh, gold wood), let it dry and stain??

There would be nothing wrong with that process Jon.I clean and seal quite a few fences using that same process. :cool:

[RPetry 564]

Jon,

Must be the color balance of the photo because the unstained fence looks like its covered in Cabot's solid oil, Bluestone color.

Good idea for prep. But I find its a lot of labor to stain, especially a shadowbox fence. Don't know if its the lack of attention on detail, the quality of typical fence wood, or something else but fences just don't seem to look as good as a deck job. Aside from the typical lower sq. ft. price, I just don't like doing them.

[JFife 14]

Think about this Rick--I'd say it takes three times as long to wash a fence as to stain one (rough guess). If you could cut your labor down by 75%, all other costs the same, and lower you price a bit (I don't know how much), you could do these jobs for far cheaper than before, and at a far greater profit per hour. Aaaaaand, you wouldn't have the felting, which is generally what makes the fences look bad. All I know is, there is nothing more revolting to me than seeing a million-dollar home with a nasty fence. I think homeowners would LIKE to keep them looking nice---if it were a more reasonable cost. thoughts?

[RPetry 564]

Jon,

I think the prep idea is great and the no furring with bleach teriffic. Guess it's that I just don't like doing fences.

It also seems to take a lot of time to stain a long fence, especially the shadowbox with all the edges and board tops. Between tarping, moving the tarps, dragging around the Pump Teck sprayer, getiing more stain etc. its a lot of walking and time. You know the drill. Everytime you need something its always on the other side of the stupid fence! But you probably stain twice as much sq. ft. per hr. as a deck. Maybe its just because staining a fence is so friggin' boring.

Consider this. If Tom Sawyer had not run away from whitewashing a fence, we would not have discovered the Mississippi River, and Moses would not have been able to sail the ark. Or part the waters. Or something like that. Anyway, it is my firm belief that it is a message from God to Mark Twain to stay away from fence work.

[JFife 14]

How can I argue with that logic??:) I concede, fences are a bad idea:)

[RPetry 564]

Jon,

All kidding aside, your idea has more than great merit. Shane uses a similar technique and look at the photos of jobs he has posted. If you can knock them out like he and his partner, there are dollars to be made.

Going into my 5th yr., have only cleaned/restored 3 fences, and they were part of properties with decks. But have one coming up later in the spring, again with a deck as part of the job, that has to be stripped. Time to test the power of prayer....!

Shane spilled the beans on the secret bleach handshake. Well, I'll fess up on the Congregation of Cheap Cedar. The Great Wall of China is our shrine. Bats follow us around wherever we go. Members must either smoke or chew tobacco, and drink heavily. Its the only way to keep the da*n bats away. We only hold services on nights of the blue moon on the back roads of Georgia in rusted red pickup trucks full of empty Clorox bottles. The new Cabots SPF acrylic is our official stain. Openings are available.

If it does not stop raining, snowing, and blowing so I can get some Ready Seal into some wood, psychiatric intervention is close at hand.

[seymore 90]

Shane spilled the beans on the secret bleach handshake. Well, I'll fess up on the Congregation of Cheap Cedar. The Great Wall of China is our shrine. Bats follow us around wherever we go. Members must either smoke or chew tobacco, and drink heavily. Its the only way to keep the da*n bats away. We only hold services on nights of the blue moon on the back roads of Georgia in rusted red pickup trucks full of empty Clorox bottles. The new Cabots SPF acrylic is our official stain. Openings are available.

You killing me over here that was too funny Rick...:D

[squirtgun 122]

Jon,

All kidding aside, your idea has more than great merit. Shane uses a similar technique and look at the photos of jobs he has posted. If you can knock them out like he and his partner, there are dollars to be made.

Going into my 5th yr., have only cleaned/restored 3 fences, and they were part of properties with decks. But have one coming up later in the spring, again with a deck as part of the job, that has to be stripped. Time to test the power of prayer....!

Shane spilled the beans on the secret bleach handshake. Well, I'll fess up on the Congregation of Cheap Cedar. The Great Wall of China is our shrine. Bats follow us around wherever we go. Members must either smoke or chew tobacco, and drink heavily. Its the only way to keep the da*n bats away. We only hold services on nights of the blue moon on the back roads of Georgia in rusted red pickup trucks full of empty Clorox bottles. The new Cabots SPF acrylic is our official stain. Openings are available.

If it does not stop raining, snowing, and blowing so I can get some Ready Seal into some wood, psychiatric intervention is close at hand.

You mean you have been on your own to this point?

[RPetry 564]

Scott,

Yes. I am functional. Questionable, maybe.

Please do not take offense to the Georgia reference. It was a "tongue in cheek" poke at another poster that insinuated that woodies that use bleach are low ball scum with rusted pickup trucks that ruin homes.

The said poster was from Georgia.

[squirtgun 122]

No offense taken Rick,just having a little fun with ya.

My sanity is questionable at times but I look at it this way.As long as I have the voices in my head,I'll never be alone......lol.

[JFife 14]

I wish I'd known about this secret "bleach handshake".......I was told it was the group's protocol to do the Elephant Walk......once again I am a sucker (no pun intended:))

I didn't realize shane and the like were just rinsing, not actually washing with pressure. Shane, on most decks do you apply and wash with pressure?? Or do you always just rinse?? Seems to me most of your "during" pics have the wood a golden brown....which to me would be indicative of washing with pressure.

[Littlefield 65]

Rick! that was you and Shane out on the road behind my house the other night in the red pickup? Lucky for me, I could just make out the new billboard they put up that says call if you are illiterate and want to learn to read, or I would never have known you were poking your cheek at me with your tongue. Now if I could just figure out how to use more periods.....

Guess what I found in my pressure washing trailer tool box yesterday? An almost empty bottle of Clorox! I felt so ashamed, I almost drank it.

All kidding aside, I think you may have misunderstood my earlier post, or just want to misunderstand me. Either way, here goes.

Some people may know how to use bleach and get great results.

They don't live near here.

Unless your name is Earl and you live near me, and you know who you are... You can't take offense at a geographic remark unless you pack up and move.

Scott,

Yes. I am functional. Questionable, maybe.

Please do not take offense to the Georgia reference. It was a "tongue in cheek" poke at another poster that insinuated that woodies that use bleach are low ball scum with rusted pickup trucks that ruin homes.

The said poster was from Georgia.

[RPetry 564]

Rich,

Touche'. No offense meant and no harm given.

[James 624]

Age is factor number one with regard to using Bleachology. New deck enough to demildewize and rinse. Old deck enough to remove dead lignin with pressure and rinse. This could be learned in Lab 101 Bleachyastrics. Taught by the " Bleach Boy's" Shane and DJ ( diamond jim) or James.

I've had a couple of calls to the Bleach HOT LINE this week> Jolly good mate's.

[Joe Chadwick 14]

(Age is factor number one with regard to using Bleachology. This could be learned in Lab 101 Bleachyastrics. Taught by the " Bleach Boy's" Shane and DJ ( diamond jim) or James. )

And your theme song would be?

[RPetry 564]

Joe,

And your theme song would be?

I'm no Shane or Jim, being just a bleach baby making his first tiny steps towards one more wood cleaner. But I'll offer the following.

Some old salts in this business cut their teeth on bleach mixes. At the time, it was all they had. Some still use these mixes with fine results to this day. Then sodium percabonates came along. This was and probably still is all the rage. It was pushed along by good intentions, great looking cleaned wood, and manufacturer marketing. Most of us use sodium percabonates with good results.

Now it appears that the dominent trade organization may be advocating the use of sodium hydroxide, more commonly know as stripper, to clean wood. A few are questioning this possiblity and are asking for some evidence to support using a stripper as a cleaner. Some of the decision makers in said trade org. likey built their businesses using bleach mixes.

So, as proxy for the Bleach Boys, I'll offer up a possible theme song for consideration. Partial lyrics are included to assist in humming along with the tune.

WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN - music and lyrics by The Who

...........

There's nothing in the street

Looks any different to me

And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye

And the party on the left

Is now the party on the right

And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution

Take a bow for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

We don't get fooled again

Don't get fooled again

No, no!

Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss

[Richard 17]

I fisrt cmae to tihs stie for ifniramoton. You gyus carck me up. Gald we can all lugah and pkoe fun at ecah ohetr

[RPetry 564]

Rcihrad,

I am gald too cee soemnoe esle hsa a sesne of hmuor