First Townhouse Fence to Stain?

[SPW Clean 14]

Evening everyone, tomorrow I have my first townhouse deck and fence job. I have done residential house decks & fences before but never a townhouse. First, the stain that was previously used on the decks was Behr Redwood solid stain I believe. Is there anything that would be able to completely strip this deck or would I be better off cleaning the decks as well as possible and reapplying the same stain. The last stain job was done last year but the owner said the stain was applied before the wood was dry enough and it did not last through the summer. Also, how should I go about cleaning and staining the fence? Since the fence is also the neighbors, will the cleaning affect the stain the neighbor have on theirs, and can I still use a sprayer to do the fence or would the fence need to be brushed?

Thanks for any information you can provide this newbie! :confused:

Keith

[clean kentucky 14]

I think you should sell the job to both owners or not at all. I don't see any way to not damage the other side of the fence and do it right.

[SPW Clean 14]

Thanks Doug, that's what I was worried about! The owners fence has never been stained but the neighbor's side has. Is there anyway to do it right such as hand brush the fence? This is a ex-coworker that I'm doing this for and I was hoping I could do this. Also, what about the deck? Do you suggest that I just clean and reapply the stain?

Thanks Again!

[StainlessDeal 16]

But I heartily agree with this post quoted here:

I think you should sell the job to both owners or not at all. I don't see any way to not damage the other side of the fence and do it right.

I think you might have some trouble with this job. Generally, once a solid has been applied to a deck, the owner is stuck with solids. They are a nightmare to strip because they are solid.

Similarly, they are difficult to overstain (even with another solid) because the new stain lays atop the old, failing finish. Thus, the old fails, taking the new along for the ride. That is if the new can even cure/cover the old stain.

Solids are a mystery to me, might as well be paint to my eyes, and I haven't used one since I was in junior-high, but I believe the best ones, and any to be overlaid, require a decent primer.

Search posts about solids by Ken Fenner, Seymore, and Carolina Prowash. They are true experts. Jarrod is as well, but I don't believe I've ever read anything about solids from him.

I'm replying here because it seems as if you are against the wall, and I want to recommend that you reconsider doing this job. You need considerable skill to tackle these kinds of projects, and the results of mistakes can put you out of business before you had any business being in business. If you take my meaning.

I'm not lecturing, and don't intend to be overly harsh, but people here are very willing to help newcomers that do a little homework. They help because this industry gets terrible press from upstarts and newbies running before crawling. (Amongst other reasons)

Don't give us and yourself a black eye. Reconsider this job, get some information, and fess up to the customer that you jumped early. This won't be an easy job to do well.

If you'd rather take offense at being handled roughly, though, it is your right. We'd rather see you do well down the road and nothing tomorrow, than see you mess up tomorrow, and do nothing down the road.

Good luck, Keith!

[SPW Clean 14]

Thank you, that is exactly the kind of advice I need! I will go talk to her tomorrow and explain everything to her. Thanks for the advice because I would definitely like to do jobs that are not as difficult as that one until I'm more seasoned in this business. I don't want to take on something I can't do right. I'm glad I did ask the pros!

[StainlessDeal 16]

Thank you, that is exactly the kind of advice I need! I will go talk to her tomorrow and explain everything to her. Thanks for the advice because I would definitely like to do jobs that are not as difficult as that one until I'm more seasoned in this business. I don't want to take on something I can't do right. I'm glad I did ask the pros!

So am I! Now you have to read up on what the actual pros have to impart. Read the Faqs and set up a signature (Required here) and prepare to learn.

Welcome to TGS!:lgwave:

[SPW Clean 14]

Everyone is so helpful here and I have learned that I know hardly know anything well yet after joining and I'm so glad I found this forum! I do visit the FAQ's often so you may not see too many posts from me for awhile but I sure am glad I posted this one! It has more than likely saved me from having an unsatisfied customer and a lot of hours of work only to be disappointed in my results in the end, especially since I was going to do the job mostly to get referrals which wouldn’t pan out too well with this type of task at hand! Thanks for all of the suggestions.

p.s. I did add my signature earlier today but it just hasn't taken effect yet.

Keith

[clean kentucky 14]

As Scott implied use the search button a lot!!! There is a wealth of knowledge here. Don't be afraid to ask questions, the guys here can and will help you out.

[StainlessDeal 16]

p.s. I did add my signature earlier today but it just hasn't taken effect yet.

Actually, it has, I'm just blind or crazy or a combination of the above. I remember seeing it now, but didn't when I posted earlier: My bad! Sorry Keith!:lgangel:

[seymore 90]

10x10 or 12x12 patio deck i'm guessing ??

IF you are working around neighbors stained wood you have to be able to pre wet their deks,cover with plastic.You find out what kind of stain they used if they don't have any left over?? Also if you need to touch it up it's not the end of the world.As long as both your customer and the neighbor agree to this.I think just covering the prewetted deck will be ok.

Does the fence also have a solid on it? Cleaning the fence can leak thru the knots if you have to strip real strong strippers and use pressure.The back side of the fence would probally need to touched up.

Behr SILLYcone stain maby Acrylic probally was used if they bought it from the Depot.It's a tough to stain to strip but not impossible if they are willing to pay the extensive labor to chem strip.Now there is always sanding but very labor extensive deck only of course.Now the WCRLA would strongly disagree with me and would want you to sand the cedar fence.Now why would you sand rough sawn cedar? You might as well replace the fence if it comes to that.

feel free to call me if you have any questions..:cool:

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Evening everyone, tomorrow I have my first townhouse deck and fence job. I have done residential house decks & fences before but never a townhouse. First, the stain that was previously used on the decks was Behr Redwood solid stain I believe. Is there anything that would be able to completely strip this deck or would I be better off cleaning the decks as well as possible and reapplying the same stain. The last stain job was done last year but the owner said the stain was applied before the wood was dry enough and it did not last through the summer. Also, how should I go about cleaning and staining the fence? Since the fence is also the neighbors, will the cleaning affect the stain the neighbor have on theirs, and can I still use a sprayer to do the fence or would the fence need to be brushed?

Thanks for any information you can provide this newbie! :confused:

Keith

The strip is do-able.

You could use HD-80, F-18, or Timber Strip Pro to do it. Then neutralize it.

Wet the surrounding areas as you go.

Seal with a semitransparent in the same family of colors as you may have some remaining hue.

Mask the other side of the fence by clamping a tarp to it and letting it drape down.

We have been doing these types of strips for years. Once you get used to it, it's not hard.

Give us a call if we can help further.

Beth

[SPW Clean 14]

Thanks for the pointers! This is very helpful information. I'm going to go take a look at the house now. I'll let you know how everything looks.

Keith

[RPetry 564]

Keith,

Getting your hands dirty is one way to learn. 5 - 6 years ago, there was no TGS and internet communication / information was hard to find to non- existent. Many here, learned by doing. We also took our lumps in $10 an hour jobs as we underbid or underestimated effort. Part of the natural learning process.

Being a member, you have a lot of backup on TGS. If you have problems, post along with pictures. This will make it much easier for others to help you.

Think, "even though I walk through the valley of my first strip job, I will fear no stain!". Get an idea here on the "how" and then just do it! You know where to turn for help.