Please watch the short videos below to give you and idea of the correct way to pressure wash a deck. This deck had many coats of a solid stain and was over bleached. We treated the deck with a stripper and let it work in. We then washed the deck on low pressure, doing board by board. After your pressure wash any wood surface the grain will be raised. We always apply a wood conditioner to counter act the raised grain. We also apply the conditioner to balance out the PH in the wood. When then follow up with plenty of rinsing to to ensure a clean deck. Then we apply by hand never a sprayer high quality decking stain for a great and lasting finish.
Frequently Asked Question about Deck & Fence Staining
Answers to some Frequently asked questions about Deck & Fence Staining. 1. What is the cost to stain my deck? Pricing varies from location and condition of the deck, the product used and labor needed. On average to wash a deck properly cost around .50¢ per foot and to stain it runs about $1.35 per foot by a pro. 2.Can you stain a weathered wood deck or fence without pressure washing? Wood grays naturally over time. The black that you may see is most likely mold/mildew. In order to protect the wood and have good absorption the surface must be cleaned. New wood may not need to be washed, and sometimes you will shorten the life of the wood if your pressure wash it. In the hands of a pro you should be ok. Never use bleach, as this is harmful to the wood. 3.Why do some people say it’s better to sand my deck rather the pressure wash it? Sanding should be done only as a last resort and left to a flooring professional. When you sand you are removing a layer of the wood, and possible releasing harmful poisons into the air. Pressure treated wood is injected with insect replant and rot repellant. Pressure washing if not handled correctly can damage the wood. Even after a Pro washes your deck the grain of the wood is raised and needs to be conditioned. 4.Should I spray or hand apply stain to my deck? Opinion differs greatly on this subject, being a Pro for over 15 years I prefer hand application. When you hand apply stain you build up friction and there is a transfer of energy that equates to a lasting finish. Spraying can get messy it uses a lot more product but is quicker then hand application. Also, the over spray will travel far, and it is not good for the environment to have these chemicals floating around.
Advice for Painting Your House Have you been thinking about repainting your home’s exterior? Here are seven tips that will make your work easier, safer, and more likely to produce pride-inspiring results.
1) Evaluate doing it yourself Painting is one of those jobs that requires only a moderate level of skill and a few basic tools. But should you do the work yourself? That depends on a number of factors, including your experience, fitness, available time, and the difficulty of working on your home’s exterior walls.
2) Buy quality paint Choosing high-quality paint is critical to a long-lasting paint job and can make the work far easier. Not only will quality paint weather the years durably, but it is also easier to maintain, and it covers the walls more quickly and easily in the process. Just think about the effort and expense of painting your house—this should make it clear that you don’t want to have to do the job again in four or five years.
3) Repair and prepare Even high-quality paint won’t guarantee a lasting paint job if you don’t prepare the surfaces properly. Start by repairing damaged siding. Peeling, blistering, wrinkling, and flaking paint must be removed from wood siding by scraping and sanding, ideally with a power sander. Be advised that this is difficult, tiring work, and you must do it carefully so as not to gouge the wood. Always wear a dust mask, gloves, and protective goggles.
4) Mask off Avoid painting roofing and other surfaces by masking with plastic sheeting and 3-inch masking tape. Use dropcloths to protect walkways, shrubs, and other surfaces from dripping paint. You’ll be painting the siding first and then the trim; after the siding is painted, mask the siding around the trim. Be sure to remove the masking tape immediately after painting, before it forms a stubborn bond. 5) Paint surfaces from the top down. Begin with the gutters, fascia, and eaves and work your way down the main surfaces, painting in 3- to 4-foot-square sections. Use a high-quality 4-inch brush. If your home has lap siding, first draw the bristles along the bottom edges of three or four boards and then paint the surfaces in line with the boards. Regularly check for and correct drips and streaks; they are much more difficult to clean up after the paint dries. 6) Paint trim in the proper order Use a 2-inch angled trim brush to paint trim, always working in line with the wood’s grain. With a window, begin with the muntins and then paint the stiles, rails, head casing, side casings, and the sill. Sometimes it’s easiest to paint a door on sawhorses, after removing it. Otherwise just paint it in place, over a dropcloth. Start with the inset panels, panel moldings and recesses, horizontal rails, and then vertical stiles and mullion. When painting along glass, don’t bother to mask it if you have a steady hand. Just let the paint lap onto the glass by about 1/16 inch and then remove the wet paint from the glass with a rag wrapped around the end of a putty knife. Use a razor blade to remove any residual paint after it dries.
7) Clean up properly.Use soap and water for latex paints or paint thinner for alkyd paints to thoroughly clean your brushes and gear right after painting. Don’t pour paint thinner or excess paint down the drain or onto the ground—this is a serious source of ground water pollution. Keep it in an old sealed paint can and dispose of it at a toxic waste collection site. Tags: adviceexteriorprimertrimrottenreplacementsidingoilfreepainterestimatehouseforsythprofessional
Our Ultimate Goal,Satisfied Customers When you entrust your property to Mannion Custom Painting, we go out of our way to create a positive experience. We offer free estimates, consultation for coating and color selection, detailed proposals, excellent craftsmanship, and a written warranty and guarantee on every project. Here we discuss our deck treatments: A deck is an extension of your living space. It needs to be taken care of for long lasting use. That's why we at Mannion Custom Painting, LLC go to great lengths to do a top quality job. From start to finish we do it right the first time. With our years of experience we have perfected a process that covers most decks.It consists of Preparation, Product and Application! These three steps done correctly will Result in the best finish for your deck. Short changing any of these steps will only make for a poor quality job. 1) Prep-Deck got to be clean! I don’t care how old or new it is, it needs to be washed. In the hands of a pro the pressure washer is the ideal tool. In the hands of a novice it will damage your deck and shorten it’s life. Never I mean Never use bleach!!! Bleach only damages the wood’s fiber and does not I repeat does not kill mold. Bleach only makes mold look like it is gone, but it’s not. Bleach actually spreads mold. Bleach can also void your terminate contact around your home if you have one. Got mold use a mold killer. There are other means of cleaning your deck, but if you pressure washed it you have raised the grain. The deck needs to be conditioned, check for a product in the home improvement stores. 2) Product- Can’t say enough here, but I will say you get what you pay for! I prefer oil semi transparent for most applications. Oil feeds the wood, draws out moisture and tends not to scuff off like latex. It’s water repellent and mold/mildew repellent as well. The semi allows the grain of the wood to show through too! 3) Application- Hands down got to brush and roll. Spray just don’t cut it! Spaying does not allow for energy transfer, it kind of just sits there. Hand brush and roll really presses the coating into the fiber for better protection and a long lasting finish. Roswell,Alpharetta.John's Creek,Dunwoody,Sandy Springs,Gainesville,Painter, Paint Contractor,Fulton,Forsyth, Atlanta, Pressure Wash, Deck Stain Seal House Painter, Free Estimates, Pressure Wash, Wood Rot, Exterior Painter, Painting Contractor, Cumming, Forsyth,Fulton
One of the most important steps in prep work needed for an exterior house painting is pressure washing your home before applying the new home painting. Pressure washing will help clear your home's exterior of any debris and anything else that can negatively affect the exterior house painting. Any mildew and loose paint will also need to be taken care of before the painting is completed. Stay away from using bleach to clean as this can lead to problems.
A home is a major investment and you probably don't want to do anything that would damage that investment. If you have been putting off a badly needed paint job however, you may be unknowingly risking damage to your home's exterior that could be easily avoided. So, when you notice that your exterior house painting is looking faded and weathered, it is probably a good idea to call your contracted painter to schedule that home painting.
Color and Contractor Choice for Interior Exterior Painting
Painting your home is not just something you can check off a list. It is something you’ll live with everyday. It is a lifestyle choice. Working with a contractor who understands this can make all the difference. Mannion Custom Painting.LLC is one of those contractors. “Remember, painting your home, whether interior or exterior, is a statement about who you are and your personality. Choose colors wisely. Take the surroundings into consideration, but do not be scared to try new things. Remember, it is only paint and it is not permanent. One last thing, choose better quality paints and your project will always come out the way you want it.”
If you select earth tones, the overall feel is warmth, tranquility, peace, and quiet. “In my opinion, bringing these qualities into your living environment, lowers stress and gives a lived-in feeling to the home,” Peter says. “It makes others feel invited and comfortable to be at your home.”
Do You Give Free Estimates? Yes We still Do!!! Don't get Upset!!
With the economic conditions today a lot of contractors are starting to charge for estimates. Though we understand being a professional paint contractor firm the Expense involved chasing down leads; we have decided to maintain our long standing Practice of FREE estimates. Being in the painting business for as long as we have, we have made provisions and instituted certain guidelines to enable us to keep estimates FREE. So, no matter if you live in Alpharetta, Roswell, and Johns Creeks Sandy Springs. Gainesville, Duluth, Dunwoody, Sugarhill the city of Atlanta or Buckhead when you need a professional Interior or Exterior Painter, or are in need of expert deck staining or sealing, you can count on us. We will give you a detailed estimate for FREE.
Hi There- Discussed here is the before and after of a quality deck refinishing job. This deck you see was neglected. It was let to weather without any coating. The before Picture you see is after a pressure wash, cleaner and conditioner. The deck should look somewhat like this before you stain it. The after shot speaks for it’s self; we used a semi transparent oil stain by Cabot. You need to ensure the stain you use on your deck floor is walk able.
Some decks require extra prep work to achieve a quality finish. I will discuss how to finish a deck that has multiple problems. Use this link to go to my Youtube page. "http://www.youtube.com/user/MannionCustomPaintin"
Here you will see a deck that has about three coats on it two of stain and one with a clear sealer. Also present was mold and mildew. What we did was to use a chemical stripper and allow it to sit for about thirty minutes, we then pressure washed it off using as little pressure as possible and a wide tip. After the wash we soaked deck cleaner on all areas, let it sit for about five minutes and then followed up with a wood conditioner. The conditioner is needed as the grain is raised during the pressure wash. As you can see the Deck came out great.
Deck Preparation.. The Key Ingredient to a Beautiful Deck!
Deck Preparation.. The Key Ingredient to a Beautiful Deck!
Above you will see two pictures of a deck we did recently. The one to the left shows the Deck after we pressured washed it and conditioned it. Notice the bright color with darker grain show through? We do not use bleach. This oicture shows how the deck should look prior to staining. The after picture shows is almost done. Please notice how we brush between each board, an important step to ensure a good quality job. Yes, there is a lot of labor involved, but the fruit is well worth it.
We thought it important to blog about using a local painting contractor. It’s important for you the potential customer to feel good about who will be in your home or on your property. We are a local company and that serves the local area only. We never sub-contract or use day labor. We stand behind all of our work and offer written gurantees. Local professionals live and work in your area, our kids go to local schools and we are known in the local paint stores.
Deck Surface Preparation The beauty and durability of any stain job depends on both the quality of the stain and the proper surface prep. Customers often spend hours trying to pick the right color and brand, yet give little attention to prep. Proper preparation ensures a beautiful finish that will last. The fewdollars saved wears off as the agony of a poor job lingers on. Want a professional deck stain job, call a pro better yet contact us. Peace John Tags: advicefreedeckstainsealbleachpressurewashgeorgialambpainterexterioralpharettawoolprofessionalgrainwoodpaintingcontractor
We call it the three step for the best deck finish.
It consists of Preparation, Product and Application. These three steps done correctly will result in the best finish for your deck. Short changing any of these steps will only make for a bad job. 1) Prep- Deck got to be clean! I don’t care how old or new it is, it needs to be washed. In the hands of a pro the pressure washer is the ideal tool. In the hands of a novice it will damage your deck and shorten it’s life. Never I mean Never use bleach!!! Bleach only damages the wood’s fiber and does not I repeat does not kill mold. Bleach only make mold look like it is gone, but it’s not. Bleach actually spreads mold. Bleach can also void your terminate contact around your home if you have one. Got mold use a mold killer. There are other means of cleaning your deck, but if you pressure washed it you have raised the grain. The deck needs to be conditioned, check for a product in the home improvement stores. 2) Product- Can’t say enough here, but I will say you get what you pay for! I prefer oil semi transparent for most applications. Oil feeds the wood, draws out moisture and tends not to scuff off like latex. It’s water repellant and mold/mildew repellant as well. The semi allows the grain of the wood to show through too! 3) Application- Hands down got to brush and roll. Spray just don’t cut it! Spaying does not allow for frication/energy transfer, it kind of just sits there. Hand brush and roll really presses the coating into the fiber for better protection.
If your deck is gray and black and the local bees are hanging around, it's time to give your deck some attention. The black you see most probably is mold, which needs treatment and not with bleach as bleach does not kill mold. Besides bleach may void your Termite contract. Those bees you see are most likely carpenter bees. They love boring holes and laying eggs in you dry unprotected deck. Once hatched the bee problem gets worse. Proper preparation is the key to a long lasting protective finish on your deck. We will wash your deck, treat it with green friendly products and then apply by hand a stain that will last years. Want to fill up those bee holes; you can try putty, caulk or wood filler all of which will not work. Drop me an e-mail and I tell you how to remedy the problem.
We highly recommend pressure washing the exterior of your home before you paint. Pressure washing on the average home uses approximately 150 to 200 gallons of water, not much when you consider the average homes uses about 75 gallons per day. Washing the home removes dirt, loose paint and mold and mildew stains. It also gives the paint a good surface to bond to .The most effective way to remove mold/mildew is to use a cleaner as the second step in the washing process. The cleaner can be applied via garden sprayer or a chemical cleaner injection feature that comes on most washers. Follow the instructions on the cleaner you choose. Most importantly do not use bleach. Bleach does not kill mold, it only makes it appear as if it has been killed. Actually bleach spreads mold. Bleach also is caustic to the environment and can void your termite contract. Remember to keep six to eights inches distance from the wand and the surface being cleaned. Also, start by using the widest tip possible to avoid damage as well. Start by cleaning/sopaing from the bottom up and rinsing from the top down. This way you always have clean water running off cleaned areas.Lastly remember, let the machine and chemicals do the work!
About our deck service. Most times decks need to be pressure washed prior to coating them. Unfortunately pressure washing lifts the grain of the wood. This is evidenced when the deck dries, as it will seem rough. To counter act this we always use a wood conditioner after washing, this eliminates that rough feeling. The we apply via brush and roller or sometimes lamb wool applicator top quality stain/sealer, with our service you can typically expect three to five years of protection. If you h ave any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.
Mannion Custom Painting
Cumming, Georgia USA
Our blog features advice for residential and commercial interior and exterior painting, and related home improvement services including pressure washing.
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