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June 22, 2009

Oil, Oil Everywhere

Hello, Mark.

I'm once again turning to you for some DIY advice and guidance. Looking to re-stain my deck. What are the key elements (product choice, technique, process) to consider with this process? The last thing I want to do is screw this up and have to do it 3 times!

I've already used a wood-prep product to strip the deck of the old stain, so I am back down to the wood. The deck is made of pressure treated wood. Not sure of the wood type. Our preference is for a darker stain. Do you like oil based stains over latex?

Any commentary is appreciated – for two reasons. 1) It is useful information to help me do the job correctly. 2) For my reading pleasure.

Thank you,
CamO' from tip-top Topsfield

(Note: See deck designs and learn more about wood care on HGTVPro.com.)

Hey Mr. "Cam-Do"

1. Great to hear from you.
2. Here are my thoughts:

While I want most things to be environmentally friendly, there are some that I want to be environmentally UN-friendly, at least in a manner of speaking. Those items include oil-based deck stains because I want to the oil to repel the environment, not wear out, or more accurately, wear off. See, generally speaking, oil-based products soak into the wood becoming part of it below the surface while water-based products tend to encapsulate the wood. Over time, as the wood moves and the encapsulation doesn't, the bond breaks down.

Also, be warned. I've seen an oil-based stain in at least one big box store that "cleans up with water." Uh... what?

Oil and water don't mix, my home improvement friend. What I always use is a truly solvent-based product, aka OIL. What I've used on my own projects really works, even below grade. It's called DeckScapes by Sherwin Williams, which I buy at my local Sherwin Williams store. Benjamin Moore has an oil option too. If you can't find that, hit a pro paint store near where you live inquire about "solvent-based" stain, which you can get in various colors, including the deeper tones you mention above. Double-check the meat-headenedness of the counter guy by investigating what to clean-up the stuff with. (Right answer: mineral spirits. Wrong answer: water.) Also, get some mineral spirits to clean your stuff/yourself with.

One more thing: the darker the tint, according to the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, the more UV inhibitors the material has. In other words, darker tints hold up better to sunlight (or photo-degradation) than light or clear tints.

Use a high-quality, natural-bristle brush (ask at the store for the right brush; expect to pay a few bucks for it) to really massage the material into the wood. Use two coats, minimum.

Work bottom-up on vertical surfaces to prevent streaks (total chafe on guardrails; you can investigate spraying them but it's probably best to bite the bullet and brush them, at least the first time.) I'd stain the deck framing/surface first, then do the guard rails. This way when there are runs and drips from doing the rails, the horizontal surfaces already have a sheen on them and you can either brush the drip in or wipe it off. See what I'm sayin'? Work clean!

Unlike a water-based product that basically dries by evaporation, oil's drying process is more a chemical reaction so there's no hurrying the dry time, which is around 24 hours (maybe more). Really, really soak end grains of the wood where you can see them.

Trivia: You said your deck is pressure-treated lumber. I get the sense you're on the East Coast, so the species is almost surely Southern Pine -- check out a fence project I built for them. If you're on the West Coast, they treat another species out there. Any ideas what it is, anybody?

Posted by Mark Clement at 4:55 PM | Comments (10)

June 8, 2009

Profanity (and More) on the Jobsite

Here's a newsflash: Carpenters swear like... well... carpenters.

Some of the smartest and yes, most eloquent, people I know drop the "F-bomb" about every third word -- and that's before they really get going.

Dean O' from Nantucket was a master. He could tell you to nail off the plywood deck on the building we were framing out there without using the words "nail," "plywood" or "deck." Then there's California Cal. He's the Zen Master of the F-bomb and also the Zen Master of our trade too. He's Einstein smart.

See, you have to be someone with thick skin and a developed adrenal gland to climb all over a roof, haul framing, burn a wormdrive through splinter spewing OSB all day and do all the things we do. Things that not only require a massively elevated blood pressure compared to what I'm doing now for example (which is hacking this out on my MacBook) but that would utterly terrify most people. I freely admit I'm not immune to colorful language on the jobsite, including but extraordinarily not limited to George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV .

But those guys primarily worked new construction with nary a homeowner in sight. Remodelers, on the other hand, work where people live. I've had guys working for me that I've had to reign in on the facacta lingo. Then there's the radio. What with amped jobsite radios (which I like by the way), I've heard guys blaring Howard Stern. It's not the point if you think the guy is funny, his job is to offend people. See where this is going?

Whether or not swearing is something you do or don't do, Stern is someone you like or don't like (and you can include hyper-political radio from either side of the aisle in the Stern category) this is an honor thing -- Scout's Honor.

You don't swear, you don't listen to polarizing stuff -- and you shut down your guys who do it in a homeowner situation -- or at least when the homeowners are around, right? The reason is, you might offend your customer -- you know, the one with the money. I can't say it enough: Your customers have every dollar you'll ever earn, and just about all your referrals too. Why take the chance on torquing them off?

So whether you're passionately political, think the shock jock du jour is just a guy telling stories, or you swear like a carpenter, it's a free country. But don't kid yourself: no one cares about your personal desire to do stuff. It's about the business and the right thing. Take a step back and think about how you come off to others. It's a worthwhile exercise. It's our job to do the honorable thing because it's the right thing to do. Isn't it?

Or are you going to tell me to go screw... nevermind.

Posted by Mark Clement at 3:22 PM | Comments (27)