2008 Sealer Poll

[Beth n Rod]

Which sealer(s) are you using this year?

[plainpainter]

Well, Russell has raised the price so much on his product, and if Scott doesn't keep the price down on his site - I will abandon woodtux on price. California storm stain, Muralo, Defy - are some of the things I will be experimenting with.

[Beth n Rod]

Please vote
Beth

[Mike W]

I am going to stick with wood tux and thinking about adding TWP. I have been very happy with the overall performance of wood tux and think it is a great product. it saves me a lot of time. Time is money.

[Beth n Rod]

I am going to stick with wood tux and thinking about adding TWP.

Ditto. We are adding it. It never hurts to have options.

Beth

[Colorado ProWash]

I've used Bakers Gray Away and Wood-Tux last year. I've done several decks with Wood Tux: Warm Honey Gold and don't think I will be using that color anymore. Especially since the Denver Broncos aren't doing very well.

I think Russel has a very good product. I love the spread rate of Wood-Tux and the fact that it's a one coat stain although I may try some WoodRich stuff this year and see how well I like it, I may change? I don't think I will order anymore Warm Honey Gold color. I will probably only use Western Cedar and Brown Sugar this year.

I think it would be a good year for Russel to keep his product on the shelves and keep his fellow contractors happy. Especially before raising prices. If something happens again with Wood-Tux this year in addition to raising his prices I think many contractors will say bye bye... including myself.

[plainpainter]

I did a deck a year ago this coming May - it was '06 formula wtw warm honey gold - the deck was a year old - that I used a bleach/TSP/surfactant formula through a downstreamer - barely strong enough to kill mold with lots of scrubbing - then neutralized with 9 0zs per gallon of oxalic acid - too white in retrospect. But the condition of that deck when I go to tak a look at in the next few weeks will dictate whether I continue with woodtux or not. If I am going to start paying $55/gallon of deck stain - it better be tough as nails and look close to perfect on horizontals after 2 years - otherwise, why not just go with something better priced and sell yearly service. like a parafinnic or bakers' which is pretty. If it ain't gonna last - then I am going with 'pretty' for a reasonable price.

[jon chapman]

Wow, I havnt seen the price increase yet. Makes me wish i had ordered a bunch at the end of the year!
I'll stick with WT because of ease of use and tintability. I like not having a bunch of different colors around just waiting for the next guy who I talk into Warm Honey Gold anyway.
Im selling Sikkens but havnt had any bites as I price it almost double.
The only way I'll use Flood is when the deck has the spa n deck on it already and customer doesnt want to pay extra to strip it and put a decent product on it. I cant believe the way the wood looks after a couple years of not keeping it maintained, which is the typical customer of course. I think the acrylic actually promotes rot, splintering, cracking and all the other problems you see on a never finished deck.

[bigchaz]

Wood-tux almost exclusively. Brown sugar will be main color this year

May use some olympic max for the occasional few who dont like the tux colors

[Scott Paul]

Sorry for the price increases. My margins are the same as last year.

[RPetry]

Originally Posted by jon chapman

I think the acrylic actually promotes rot, splintering, cracking and all the other problems you see on a never finished deck.

Jon,

Agree. Have seen a few decks over the years that even some vertical wood was rotted. Either latex or acrylic stains were the suspected culprit. One a few years ago was an ~ 2600 sq. ft. western red cedar deck that was literally rotting from the inside out. Really felt sorry for the owners, their deck was close to rotting through and had to be replaced. At near $3.00 a linear ft. for 5/4 x 6 WRC, just material costs would be close to $30K, in addition to labor for tear down and rebuild.

We will continue to use Ready Seal stain for nearly all our exterior wood jobs this year. Cabot's oil for the few solid stain jobs we service.

[Beth n Rod]

Rot requires 3 things, they are:

1. Oxygen
2. moisture above 20%
3. food (wood - cellulose & Lignin)

Without any one of these rot can't happen. This is why wood at the bottom of a lake is in pristine shape, and can be salvaged for lumber. No oxygen.

If wood is sealed when it is too wet, and the product applied will not allow moisture to escape, then yes rot can happen. For example this is a problem frequently with builders, who build in many conditions very rapidly, and have painters who paint wet wood, not checking the WMC before doing their work. Then rot sets in....and it's no wonder.

Beth

[Russell Cissell]

I'm not exactly thrilled about price increases myself. Like Scott says, our margins haven't changed (for the better anyway). Unfortunately the cost of everything related to the petroleum industry is up this year. It is amazing how quickly an increase in the price of a barrel of crude will translate to an increase in the cost of even a plastic pail.

Please note that if you visit Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes the first thing you will see is our Retail Pricing. The site requires you to register as a contractor in order to get the contractor pricing list. In addition, bulk order discounts are available. Any time we can save money processing an order, we pass those savings on to our contractor customers.

Russell Cissell
Extreme Solutions, Inc.
Wood Deck Cleaning & Sealing Products - ideal for wood siding and log homes
636-288-8512

[Chris S]

I am probably sticking with DeckScapes oil again this year. I have been using it for several years, and have come up with a few custom colors that my customers have really like. For me, it has held up pretty well. I regularly drive by a fence that I did in the Spring of 03 that still looks really good.

On the other hand, I feel like I'm missing out a bit by not trying some other products. I like that fact that products like Ready Seal and Wood Tux aren't readily available to the homeowner. It is probably comforting to some that their contractor uses a "contractor only" product. Also, with the Wood Tux, the same day application would be really nice. Does anyone have a problem selling the customer on the fact that you can stain a "wet" deck?

[Beth n Rod]

We have been using WT for years, and rarely apply it to wet wood. There is some finishing you can't do to wet wood. If you want to do any sanding, or buff off any fuzzies after stripping a deck, you can't do that to wet wood. Also, think about a wet sponge holding water. A full sponge will reject fluids. If you wash and seal right behind it, you limit the amount of penetration you will get. We have done decks both ways, and the product holds up better in our experience on dry wood. It's your reputation. The customer will count on your professional knowledge to give them the best result for the dollar they spend with you. Apply dry.

Beth