A Professionals Guide To Wood Restoration $19.99

Transcription

1 A Professionals Guide To Wood Restoration $19.99

2 How To Clean And Seal A Deck Like A Professional The two most important things to having a beautiful deck year round is preparation and regular maintenance. From the day the trees were cut down and turned into lumber to build your deck, the wood started weathering and breaking down. A properly maintained deck will last for 20 years if it is properly taken care of and it s a commitment that any deck owner needs to make when their deck is built from standard lumber. Wood is effected by the environment in many ways as shown in this photo. The Suns UV rays dry out the woods natural oils and cause it to turn gray. Airborne contaminants, mildew spores and dirt fall on the surface and ground in by foot traffic. Hot and cold climate changes cause the wood to expand and contract. Fasteners open wounds in the surface that allow water and soil to penetrate inside. Cleaning Methods Proper wood restoration procedures that professional contractors follow are quite different from what you may hear at the local hardware store and a lot of companies that offer deck cleaning and sealing services usually follow the old guidelines for deck cleaning. Properly restoring wood and maintaining it is an involved process and if the right steps are not taken your wasting you re time and money. Thorough cleaning of the wood is essential to remove mildew spores and other airborne contaminants from the surface to ensure that you get good results. If the deck was previously sealed, you must strip off the old sealer rather than just clean the wood. If any old sealer remains, it may prevent your sealer from penetrating into the surface to replenish the oils that have evaporated from the Suns UV rays, and prevent the sealer from bonding with the woods fibers. If you are not sure if the deck or fence must be stripped, a simple splash test is all you need to find out. Sprinkle a little water from your fingertips on to the dry wood. If the droplets soak into the wood right away, you don t need to remove an existing sealer. If they form little droplets on the surface, you will have to remove it before you can finish the job.

3 Proper Wood Restoration Steps Common Misconceptions About Deck Cleaning One of the biggest misconceptions about cleaning decks is that you need high pressured water at 3,000 PSI to clean the wood. This is the method that most deck cleaning companies and DIY enthusiasts use when cleaning decks and the result are splotchy abrasions of the wood that blasts off dirt, break down the wood fibers while marring the surface of the lumber, this method can also cut down the life expectancy of the wood. Once a deck has been blasted clean in this method, the only way to repair the marred surface is to sand it down using 60 grit sandpaper. Surprisingly enough, even 3,000 PSI won t kill mildew spores on the wood or completely remove them, which leaves mildew spores behind that will cause the sealer to fail. Some contractors believe the most effective method of killing mildew is by using Chlorine Bleach. Bleach will kill the mildew spores but it will also damage the lignin fibers of the wood and discolor the lumber and ruining its natural color. To properly clean the wood without damaging it, professional wood restoration contractors use low pressure water (800 PSI) or a scrub brush, with a cleaner that is designed to kill mildew, remove stains and lift dirt from the surface so it can be gently rinsed away. Now that you understand the basics of wood restoration and why there is more involved than simply cleaning and sealing decks, lets go over the best deck cleaners, neutralizers and sealers you will need. Knowing how to properly restore decks is almost as important as what products to use to get optimum results! No matter how much you learn from this guide, these wood restoration procedures are meaningless if you can t find the right products to do the job! With over 20 years of experience performing wood restoration services on over 50,000 decks, I have tested LOTS of deck cleaners, strippers and sealers on the market. So far the best wood restoration products I have ever found are made by Sun Brite Supply. The store we purchase products from is in Gaithersburg Maryland but they also have other stores around the country and they sell products online through their website if there isn t a Sun Brite Supply store near you. Sun Brite Supply in Maryland Oakmont Avenue Gaithersburg, Maryland

4 The Truth About Deck Sealers Most sealers have some UV protection, various oils to moisturize the wood and mildew prevention to fight the growth of mildew and mold. The best UV protection can be found in penetrating sealers that contain a pigment that won t form a film on the woods surface. Most sealers found in hardware stores will create a film that will wear off with foot traffic or pets that are nearly impossible to blend in during future maintenance cycles. As you learned in the beginning of this guide, most sealers and stains must be stripped from the wood before they can be sealed again. Especially if they contain linseed oil or alkyds, as they are film-forming sealers that must be stripped off every time. Now that I ve explained the important features of sealers that you need to be aware of, lets talk about professional grade deck sealers that wood restoration contractors use. Contractors look for the highest level of UV protection, mildew prevention, longevity, chemical composition, ease of maintenance and richness in color. Over the last 8 years a product called Ready Seal has been consistently voted #1 by wood restoration contractors in online polls. Ready Seal is a preservative-based deck sealer that penetrates deeply into the wood. It comes in 7 different stain colors that can also be combined to create custom tints. By penetrating deeply into the wood, the sealer can replenish the oils in the wood and it also prevents it from being scratched off the surface of the wood like other surface coating products. This preservative sealer is an oil-based sealer made with paraffinic oils (not paraffin wax). With Ready Seal s unique properties it will usually hold up longer than film forming agents that regular deck cleaning and sealing companies use, and with its unique properties it won t need to be stripped each year for regular maintenance!

5 Sealing The Deck When preparing to seal decks with Ready Seal, allow the wood to dry for at least hours of warm, dry weather without furniture or anything resting on the deck before you seal it. A wood restoration contractor would use a moisture meter to make sure the wood is dry, or you can let it sit in the sun for a few days. Be sure to test the areas that do not get much sun, such as close to the house. Take a little time to protect the yard plants and lawn around the deck with tarps just like you did when you were cleaning it. If there are any fuzzies on the wood, use a sanding sponge with medium grit (or a brass wire brush, an Osborne brush, or a de-felting pad) to go over the entire area. This step will help assure professional looking results. Remember that Ready Seal is made with inert oil that contains no sugars or starches. We caution you to avoid any sealer that contains linseed oil (even in small amounts, linseed oil supports the growth of mildew with its natural sugars and starches). We also caution you about using any sealer without superior UV protection. That includes all clear sealers. Generally speaking, darker sealant colors contain more UV protection. Ready Seal contains some of the finest pigments available today, combined with exclusive resins that help the stain be absorbed completely into the wood very quickly. Ready Seal is permeable, which means it allows the wood to breathe naturally but will not allow moisture drops to enter the wood. Using a good brush with white china bristles, apply the sealer along the edge of the deck nearest the house. Cover about 12 to 18 out from the house, being very careful to feather the edges so that you avoid a straight, visible line where the brushing stops and the spraying will begin. Cutting-in the edge like this allows you to begin spraying away from the house, minimizing your clean-up at the end of the job. Many contractors spray the entire deck, avoiding the extra labor needed for cutting-in by using sheet plastic or a flexible painter s shield to protect the house from spray. You may also use a brush or roll it, but those methods are more labor-intensive and usually don t get the sealer on to the sides of the boards like a sprayer does. Take time to protect any patio under the deck. Sealer that drips onto concrete is extremely difficult to remove later on. If you spray the sealer, also protect plants and house surfaces. If you must clean up spilled sealer or overspray, use mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. Mineral spirits is the best all-around cleaner, while denatured alcohol works very well for cleaning it off glass. Two light coats (applied wet-on-wet) are much better than one heavy one. Once the first coat of

6 sealer has been on the wood for at least minutes, it will accept a moderate second coat. Once the second coat of sealer has been on the wood for about 20 minutes, the wood has absorbed all it will take. If there are any wet or shiny spots visible, they can be wiped with a clean rag or back-brushed with a flat stain pad to remove them. Ready Seal is extremely user friendly also and that s another reason so many contractors prefer it. You won t get lap marks or runs, and it means that rainy weather can t mess it up. The sealed wood is ready to stand up to rain within about 15 minutes after applying Ready Seal. The deck is ready to use immediately, while the sealer continues to dry beneath the surface of the wood for about 2-3 weeks. Expect the color of the newly-sealed wood to be somewhat darker that the color sample indicated. The wood may also have a slightly splotchy appearance. The color will lighten considerably and even out over the next two weeks or so. The color will continue to lighten gradually, depending on use and exposure to sun. Typically, this process should be repeated every two years or so to maintain optimal appearance and protection. NOTE: This guide is copyrighted by Henry s Housework Inc. and all rights are reserved. REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS GUIDE (OR ANY PART THEREOF) WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF HENRY S HOUSEWORK INC IS FORBIDDEN UNDER PENALTY OF LAW. This guide is intended to help contractors avoid many common business and technical mistakes as contractors involved in pressure washing. It is not intended to replace the counsel of professional advisors. It is not intended to replace the instructions written by the manufacturer of your choice of any equipment, supplies, or materials. This guide is solely intended to give a contractors-eye view of the subject. Henry s Housework Inc is not liable for your use of any of the information in this manual.