Cabot Ato Problem

[steven shires]

Hi everyone,
I am having a problem on one of my decks made of ipe. after washing a new deck with Cabot allclean in the normal way i applied 1coat of the new low voc Cabot Nat ATO. the deck size is approx 185 sq mtrs amount used was3.5 gallons so the coverage was fine. The weather was great for the application and the client was happy with the job when i left site. my problem is that the oil is not drying and is still tacky and has a very distinct shine which in all the years of using this product is a first withany of the decks i have done. The client is upset to say the least, im due back to inspect the deck next week and i am wonderiring if any of you guys can help ? Has anyone else seen this problem ? is it a bad batch any advice onthisone would be greatly appreciated.
regards to all
steven shires

[Beth n Rod]

You could try wiping down the deck with mineral spirits to see if that will help. It takes a bit of elbow grease. Try it on a test spot first. If that doesn't work, you may need to wash it again, then reapply but add a drier to it first.

If you have a photo post it. It might help us help you more.
Beth

[steven shires]

Thanks for that beth i will give it a try. Have Cabot got it wrong with the lower voc i wonder. When do the newrules come in for voc content anyone know?.

[PressurePros]

When they changed to the VOC compliant version of ATO here in the NE US I had nothing but problems with it as well. I did not have curing issues but everything from flash drying, rapid color shift and mold to it just not holding up for longer than three months.

[Beth n Rod]

Thanks for that beth i will give it a try. Have Cabot got it wrong with the lower voc i wonder. When do the newrules come in for voc content anyone know?.

Nothing out there is tried and true anymore. All products that had to reduce VOC's are basically new, even though the brand has been on shelves for years. We are still less than two years on the market with the new VOC compliant formulas. This is a huge issue. We have seen problems with multiple lines, including Cabot's among them. All of the oil lines we have regularly used in the past have had some issue or another. Make your customer aware of it, and to cover yourself, make sure to do your due diligence and tell any future prospective clients the effect the VOC changes have had on the coatings industry. If the product fails, they need to know in advance, it's not necessarily due to you.

Beth

[plainpainter]

It honestly sounds to me like you overapplied the product - if it's a VOC reduced version, that it may be thicker, and you aren't spreading it out as far? Well if it's true that you quoted 185 sq. meters - then it sounds like you are getting 475 sq. feet per gallon - which seems on the opposite end of - you are spreading it way beyond what is designed to do. So I don't understand what is going on.

[Beth n Rod]

We had one deck this year we did with ATO that had the same problem, it was not over applied, but it did not dry right. We stripped it, and put Wood Tux on it.
That did the trick. If you can't get Wood Tux there, adding the drier should get you the same result. Remember, you don't want to apply to the point of having a film. If you do, it's too much. When you apply it, rub in into the wood, you are looking for a matte finish.
Beth

[steven shires]

I was worried that i could of over applied the product but two days later i had another ipe deck of similar size and applied the ato as normal only using the ato that we used to have here in the uk and the results were perfect. i have used cabot for nearly 15 years without any problems which is why i just cant get my head around this one. I have opened the two ato naturals and compared them. There is a definate colour difference and odour. I will post pics of both asap. As far as coverage goes i think its about right for a new deck,3.5 gall for 185 sq mtr on new smooth ipe. I have to speak to our distributor over here to see what he thinks , I must add that the deck was brushed and each board backbrushed as are all my decks as i have found in the past this gives me the flat finish the clients like. I value all your comments its good to know that we can all share our knowledge with each other which is ultimately good for our business and more importantly our clients. Do we have anyone from cabot as members?.
regards
steve shires

[PressurePros]

One thing to understand with large manufacturers is that they have "X" amount of dollars to spend on raw materials for a forumulation. They have price points and margins that really dictate how much manufacturing cost they can incur. Now take an oil based product. Mineral spirits ares cheap (well they used to be). If you remove a percentage of that spirits the missing volume has to be made up with something. Adding oil drives up costs so maybe they drop the amount of mildewcide or use less pigmentation. The problem is also that mineral spirits is a good carrier. Less mineral spirits means less penetration and probably slower drying. Its a cycle that takes awhile to get right. I agree with BNR, it has affected ALL manufacturers of oil based sealers. They all suck, imho. Deckscapes/Sherwin Williams just abandoned the fight altogether and now sell nothing but water borne here... want to talk bad product?

[plainpainter]

Well California Paints' Storm Stain still makes an exceptional product. Go to this website. STORM STAIN. But it's expensive stuff - their hardwood oil deck finish stain cost me, as a contractor, $36/gallon. But lots of colors - and their natural is dead on what people want.

[jimbo970]

I am reading the complaint about the cabots - could you just add mineral spirits to the can to get the ATO to the consitantcy it once was? curious I dont know but am planning to do an ipe deck with this stuff in 2 weeks and I live in PA with the voc regs