Deck With WTW

[YVPW 20]

Here is a pic of a deck I recently did with WTW, it was my first time using it. It's definitely the most beautiful stain I've ever seen. I had previously used Ready Seal and Sherwin-Williams Deckscapes, there is really no comparison, it makes those stains look like Thompsons or CWF, there's that much difference. This deck had Thompson's that was still repelling water, so I stripped and brightened. The homeowner is gonna paint the rails again later on, so it will look better then. The pics don't do the beautiful look of the wood justice. I did a medium coat, and then went back with a light coat to give it more of a gloss look.

[EnviroClean 15]

Sweet!!

[YVPW 20]

here's another pic

[Jarrod 22]

Nice job man! Is that cedar tone?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

That looks like the warm honey gold out of the pail unless I miss my guess.... nice job! ;)

Beth

[PressurePros 249]

I'd say so too, Beth. (stock WHG)

[YVPW 20]

Warm Honey Gold

[smokey51 14]

Looks great! WTW is my favorite stain as far as looks and longetivity.

Adding a second light coat to add gloss, would that not make the surface more easy to be scratched?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Adding the gloss coat is...as I understand it...outside of the intended application. Be careful not to over apply this or any product to the point of filming. Films can create problems when you go to remove them, when you go to maintain them, and can lead to uneven appearance over time. We have gotten our best results by applying to a matte finish rather than a gloss.

You should visit this deck from time to time (say every three months or so) to watch the wear and weathering carefully. Just a friendly piece of advice from a Wood Tux user.

Beth

[Russell Cissell 65]

WOW, it is nice to hear such high praise.

I hope that everyone enjoys the new contractor friendly plastic "cubetainers." We absolutely love the convince here and they are ideal for shipping with UPS. The best thing is you will notice about a 25% drop in your shipping charges with this new container.

With the roll out of this new container we have also introduced a couple of new Contractor Bundle Specials. If you haven't had the chance to visit our new Contractor Supply Store, you can find it online at www.esproducts.net.

Best of Luck!

Russell Cissell

Extreme Solutions, Inc.

www.esproducts.net

imrcc1@aol.com

[YVPW 20]

actually the last light coat, wasn't that much of a gloss, it's not like I made it form a film similar to Sikkens. It just makes it look better.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Russ,

The cubetainers are great. All our pails arrived with no problems. You can use the cubes for house washing solutions or other chems too, since they have a cap and and a handle, they are safer to tote on your job site than a bucket. What a nice bonus!

Beth

[Everett Abrams 501]

I am curious as to the recommendation with WTW. Obviously I do not use the product but have heard many recommendations. I happen to like penterating oils as I have had success with these in the past. I recognize that there is always new technolgy and much to learn. As I have read this thread I do not feel that the question of recoating wet on dry has been answered and I am curious to the answer. It has been widely accepted that sealers are applied wet on wet and that once applied and dried the surfaces are sealed and wet coats on dry surfaces are discouraged. Sealers and stains tend to repel themselves when this happens the product does not adhere as it should. The result is usually a sticky deck, premature failure, possibly a haven for mold and mildew, excessive peeling , and so on. Can WTW really be applied wet on dry and not have issues? If it can this would certainly be a selling feature and a potential upsell.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

On our client's job sites, we apply WTW in a wet on wet application. We don't apply it wet on dry, for the reasons you have stated. Wet on dry is typically a problematic situation.

A couple years back, we had a client who had taken Sikkens Cetol SRD and ignoring the label, he applied it in about 5 coats, on purpose, because as he put it he wanted the look of Cetol DEK (at the time DEK was a polymer resin, now it is an alkyd) but didn't want to pay the price per gallon. Penny wise and ...what a mess. It cracked and it peeled, and we looked at it and the whole time he blamed Sikkens. He refused to admit it was his own fault. The SRD container said to apply one saturating coat.

Personally, once a sealer gets tacky, to me you need to stop - you are hitting that threshold. Don't know how to explain it....if you can apply and you have no product on top (shinies), and it goes on without....friction (sealer pulls back on your application tool)...then you are probably OK. If you get resistance from your pad or brush it is not good. I have noticed that when it is particularly hot outside, your application window is much, much smaller, and you will get to tacky (and friction or pull) much faster. I don't know if this description is helpful or not. Just trying to convey what I see with my eyes and feel with my hands when I seal wood.

Beth

[Russell Cissell 65]

Everett-

The actual product recommendation calls for the application of one saturating coat on dry wood. On extremely wet wood applying two light coats wet on wet will achieve a richer finish than just one coat. you can find samples of both wet and dry applications at www.esproducts.net Click on product information and look under Wood-Tux

The product is extremely high in resin and pigment solids so a very thin application (200 square feet per gallon) is actually all that is needed to protect the wood. The finish is designed to allow the penetrating oils to act as a carrier vehicle which pulls the pigment and biocides into the wood. By locking in the transoxide pigments and anti-fungal agents it's not necessary to continue to re-coat the deck in order to achieve adequate protection.

To address directly the question of re-coating wet on dry I would not recommend it. Not for the reason you stated.

"Sealers and stains tend to repel themselves when this happens the product does not adhere as it should. The result is usually a sticky deck, premature failure, possibly a haven for mold and mildew, excessive peeling, and so on."

It is more an issue of breathability. If you apply a wet coat to a dry (cured) coat it will adhere however the initial application will prevent the oil from carrying the pigment into the wood. It will also begin to build on the surface. If you continue to apply in this fashion the finish will loose it's vapor transmission qualities. Wood-Tux was designed to cure at the surface yet still allow the wood to breathe.

When you return for maintenance, a light application of EFC-38 and a low pressure wash will open the surface and allow you to apply another coat of finish without having to strip the prior application. Typically a maintenance application will take 40% -- 60% as much stain because you don't have to replace all the oils that are still in the wood.

The following pictures illustrate the effects of applying multiple wet on dry coats to red cedar. The initial application was brushed on in one saturating coat and allowed to cure for roughly 24 hours. 5 subsequent applications were sprayed on allowed to dwell for roughly one minute and then wiped with a rag. There was a 24-48 hour cure time between each application.

The result was complete encapsulation of the wood surface.

[PressurePros 249]

Yeesh, that looks horrible. (the last two)

[Russell Cissell 65]

It wasn't intended to look good. We were testing to see if we could reach a point of failure. It's not the intended use of the product but we have to test beyond a products intended use. In this way we are better able to provide support for contractors in the field.

[PressurePros 249]

I know. You told me about that samples before. I was just making conversation. LOL

[YVPW 20]

What you all are saying makes sense. I've thought about that before, and never have applied wet on dry because I knew if the sealer was supposed to repel water, it would repel more stain also and just build up a film. The process I used on that deck was wet on wet, and also I had sanded and rinsed the deck so it was damp when I put the first coat on. I applied a second light coat to give it a richer look very soon after the first coat.