Solid nightmare of the week.

[RPetry]

Still get sucked into these things.

Estimate done last year. Call comes in this spring, "can you restore my deck?". Well yeah, I'll put you on the list but its going to be awhile.

Quoted as a quick strip and solid oil stain redo. Hey, we were a bit slow late in the season last year. Hate solid stains unless the book is bad.

So Monday we strip it. Comes out OK. Replace 4 2x6 boards per the original estimate. Looks better. Build 2 stinger steps. Strip it again.

Now it looks even better. Maybe RS on the top rail, bench tops, and floor? I am a real sucker. Sanded the bejesus out of the wood as there were 2 separate solid apps on the wood. Hate solid stains. Made my helper paint every last bit of Cabot oil on the vertical wood. Bless him, he is still at it. The radio helps, with Sirius he hoots at Howard Stern all morning and keeps at it.

Seems that every season, one comes along that you cannot help yourself. This job is worth than more than twice the estimated original price, but you know what? I do not care.

This 2 tone is gonna' shine when we are done.

[Beth n Rod]

Can't wait to see the afters!!!
Beth

[RPetry]

Beth,

You and me both. Payroll on this job is now half of the labor, and we still have the floor, top rail, and steps wood to go! 'Course I've avoided doing most of the work!

[bigchaz]

So you agreed to do work based off a year old proposal? Do your estimates not have an expiration on them? I do 14 days and after that the price might go up. Especially a year later. With new expenses I wouldn't want to do a job on a year old price.

Looks great though btw

[RPetry]

Charlie,

If I quote a labor price, yes it is good even a year later. Materials are market and adjusted accordingly.

Read again. This job was a redo of solid. My choice to do it better. Just kicking myself again, have done this before.

Ya' know what? This job will pay itself in spades. Pictures, referrals, and just doing your best. It pays in the long term. 'Course I don't have that many years left!

[bigchaz]

..nm..

[RPetry]

Charlie,

Please read my first post.

[James]

Rick ,just almost completed a deck that I started two weeks ago. Have not been able to stay more than 3 hours at the darn deck until today. Though it rain a bit all day to day! ( screw moisture meter'S). A piece of art! I took off 90 percent of 3 coats solid on the floor and 70% on the spindles. Martha Stewart would be proud of this one. It looks like an antique deck . Leaving some paint on the spindles mixed with RS looks Kool. This is my fourth one with this trend intended. The deck was damp and took a load of oil........

[RPetry]

Diamond Jim,

( screw moisture meter'S) ... The deck was damp and took a load of oil........

Sacriledge! How dare you?

For solid oil strip jobs with normal PT spindles, we are now trashing them, dipping new ones into RS, and attaching with decent screws. We still wait for 12% but our weather has been fine.

BTW, get the cedar shake house pics?

[MMI Enterprises]

Besides the labor adding up don't forget ya may have to reimburse the HO for all that power that big momba beat box if using

[RPetry]

Kevin,

That "big momba beat box" is one of the perks of the job. Teamed up with Sirius, it is unbeatable in doing a job more easily. Only used when the owners are not home.

It is also a very good way to keep excellent help. Chris, my helper, is in his 2nd season and does about 75% of the actual grunt work. A wonderful young man.

[Greg R]

We're on about our 12th solid job this year already... and my guys truly hate them

Bid em' high and let em fly ya know.

Rick - are you getting the grain clean enough to actually use Ready Seal on them? Majority of our painted decks have so much gunk in the grain Ready Seal would pretty much highlight any imperfections. We typically use TimberStain UV Semi Trans on those for the added pigment.

[RPetry]

Originally Posted by Greg R

... Rick - are you getting the grain clean enough to actually use Ready Seal on them? Majority of our painted decks have so much gunk in the grain Ready Seal would pretty much highlight any imperfections. We typically use TimberStain UV Semi Trans on those for the added pigment.

Hey Greg,

With a ton of prep work, yes. Nearly always takes 2 separate, harsh strippings. Especially with very old beat up old PT with all the cracks in the wood. Most jobs also need a lot of sanding. Some residual old solid stain always remains, but though not perfect, certainly presentable. And much easier to maintain in the future.

Have 2 very large 5K jobs booked later this summer that are a solid oil to Ready Seal restoration. They both have a conventional balustrade, so we will be replacing all the 2 x 2 spindles with new wood. Once the old ones are removed and the vertical wood stripped, we will be able to sand the remaining balustrade easily.

The job in this thread is much worse, as it is a 2 tone staining. Talk about a lot of time consuming, detailed brush work! Solid Cabot oils go on like thick paint, whereas the paraffinic stains go on fast and easy.

[Greg R]

Ahh the fun......

We always turn the solids into two tones. I dont even present the offer to strip the rails anymore cause they are such a PITA and so time consuming. I'm finding more and more that I would rather say to heck with the houses and nasty strip jobs and keep rolling through typical decks

[RPetry]

Originally Posted by Greg R

Ahh the fun......

We always turn the solids into two tones. I dont even present the offer to strip the rails anymore cause they are such a PITA and so time consuming. I'm finding more and more that I would rather say to heck with the houses and nasty strip jobs and keep rolling through typical decks

Greg,

I hear ya' but want to avoid doing 2 tones for 2 reasons. First, the actual solid staining is a PITA. Either you spend a ton of time and material masking for the airless, or you wind up "painting" by hand. Then there is the never ending "cut in" work with RS around the solid oil vertical wood. Friggin' end grain on the deck floor boards takes a bunch of time being over the solid oil fascia.

2nd main reason is maintenance. In 2 yrs. we are going to have to do all the RS cut in again. 2 yrs. later, refresh the solid oil on the verticals and again cut in with RS. Just too much labor for too long.

The job in this thread is the first 2 tone we have done in a few years. I had forgotten just how difficult they can be.

Attached are a few pics of the next big solid oil strip job. Can't imagine doing this as a 2 tone. This deck has 357 spindles. As you can see from the 2nd pic, once the old spindles are removed, stripping and sanding will be relatively easy and certainly complete in removal of the old solid stain from the vertical wood.

2 x 2 PT new wood is cheap, a lot cheaper than labor. Banging off the old spindles is easy. Getting a production line going with miter saws and screw hole drilling should not be too bad. Dip the fabricated new spindles in RS, let dry for a day, then attach with drills.

Should be much more efficient both in the first restoration and certainly in maintenance in the future.