Cracks, dirt and mold and mildew are clear signs that it is time to refinish your deck. But signs of an unsafe deck are often less obvious. If yours was built before 2004 it was most likely made of chromate copper arsenate (CCA) lumber. These chemicals need to be sealed as to be effective and non-hazardous to people and pets. There have been cases of people getting a splinter in their hand or foot and having an allergic reaction, some needing hospitalization. CCA lumber is no longer used due to these hazards. In order to keep you and yours safe, your deck needs to be properly sealed. Not all sheens of stain or stain themselves will seal in CCA. If you are unsure please contact a professional or better yet drop us a line.

Tags: advice quality deck stain seal bleach pressurewash oil wood-conditioner painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood finish contractor

Labels: advice, mildew, mold, semi-transparent, stain seal

                     

The problem with the deck was that it had been pressure washed with bleach

and left for about a year without any coating. It had the usual problems

associated with such neglect. It had very dry and cracked boards, boards

where all holding water and had mold and mildew.

We decided a pressure wash was not the best option seeing the condition of

the wood. so we elected to do a chemical wash instead. We the hand brushed

and rolled semi-solid oil base stain. The deck came out great and the client

was highly satisfied.

Tags: advice quality deck stain seal bleach pressurewash oil wood-conditioner painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood finish contractor

Labels: deck, mildew, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, stain seal, wood

                     

What to do with a problem deck.

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.

Peace
John

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Labels: advice, green friendly paint, home, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, wood

                     

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.

Peace

John


Tags: advice free deck stain seal bleach pressurewash georgia lamb painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood painting contractor

Labels: advice, conditioner, deck, mildew, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, wood

                     

Why you should not use bleach on your deck.

We never recommend using household bleach, because it only kills mildew and does not clean other contaminates on the deck that lead to pre-mature coating failure. Fact is that labotory tests have shown that decks cleaned with bleach suffer from a coating breakdown 60% sooner then that deck that has not bleach. Think about it, do you wash your cloths with bleach only? Of course not! Bleach also can damage the celouse fiber in the wood especially if a pressure washer is used. There are plenty of good deck cleaners on the market and we recommend using one of them.

Peace
John (2011)

Tags: advice free deck stain seal bleach pressurewash georgia lamb painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood painting contractor

Labels: advice, conditioner, deck, semi-transparent, solid color, wood

                     

Labels: advice, clear finish, deck, semi-transparent, solid color, stain seal, wood