Heeeeeeelp!!

[beastud]

I washed a cedar deck that had Olympic WaterRepellant stain on it. Strictly light cleaning to kill mold and mildew. Used 12% cut down to 2%, with Dawn soap like we always have. I have done hundreds of these on decks that we put the stain on as part of our maintenance programs. We did not stain this deck. It was pouring rain when we did this. As we applied the cleaner...the deck stain appeared soft...I was leaving footprints in the stain. I gently flushed with a chem nozzle and half the stain washed off the decking...the spindles were ok. Customer is pissed! They stained it 2 years ago, shady area, and they think it looked good until I washed it and it is now all my fault. Stain is so thick on this cedar that you can hardly see the grain. I know that stain too thick will absorb water and get soft. What do I tell these people....I do not want to give them a freebie as I suspect they will want. I want to edjucate them and make them realize I did nothing wrong.....or did I? I am meeting with them tomorrow so....HEEEELP, PLEASE!

[Isaac B]

You are a professional (as implied by you signature) so do the professional thing.

[beastud]

You are a professional (as implied by you signature) so do the professional thing.

I hear you but I have the feeling I am being played by these people.
I know...so what! This started out as a house strip and restain of cedar siding. I suggested I would clean it 1st as the mold and mildew were thick....now this crops up. I thought I was taking care of them by saving them $$$.

[bigchaz]

No doubt it sucks but you said you already did the cedar siding, don't risk losing a customer by arguing over the deck. If the stain was visibly that thick then maybe washing it wasn't the best idea.

[All Clean PCS]

Hey Russ, I recently had the same prob but mine happened with A/C semi. I was lucky because it was on my parents deck. I'm just wondering why this is happening. I had 1 guy tell me the bleach is too strong for these stains that are being produced nowadays. I don't know. Sounds like you are probably gonna have to fix it for them. Hate that it happen to you.

[Beth n Rod]

Stained two years ago!? It was time for it to fail anyway.
Shady, probably retaining too much water from rain, adds to the failure potential.
Cedar needs to be done every two years anyway.

Rod!~

[James]

You can tell them the only good Finish out there is in Scandinavia. Ready for the my cup of Jo and a Danish. When I have candy treats, got to go with a Swedish. Love Swedishes !!

[Beth n Rod]

You should have known it was time for a re-do at the two year mark on the floors. Should they pay? Well, did you have any discussion with them about the last time the deck was done, it's history, etc? You may end up eating this if you didn't have the discussion about the stain being at the end of its life. If you told them you could wash it and not hurt the finish, man up and redo it.

Beth

[beastud]

You should have known it was time for a re-do at the two year mark on the floors. Should they pay? Well, did you have any discussion with them about the last time the deck was done, it's history, etc? You may end up eating this if you didn't have the discussion about the stain being at the end of its life. If you told them you could wash it and not hurt the finish, man up and redo it.

Beth

Actually, from my initial conversations, they told me it was Cabotts and it sounded like they did it right. I never saw Cabotts do this. Olympic? Several times. They said all the right things. But then I always said, I can walk anyone thru the deck refinish process step by step and very few would get it done right.
Put yourself in their shoes, whether it was 2 years and ready for a redo.....they think it looked great before I arrived. How do you convince someone it was on borrowed time.
I pointed out about how this stain is very waxy when too thick and will retain water and soften. Her response was "you are reaching!" I will keep you apprised of how this turns out. If they will supply the stain...I will prep and install. Problem is, the manufacturer does not have any of this stain in any of their US warehouses and they will not mix more this year....complicates this as I do not want to strip off their mess and start over....may have to anyways!

[beastud]

No doubt it sucks but you said you already did the cedar siding, don't risk losing a customer by arguing over the deck. If the stain was visibly that thick then maybe washing it wasn't the best idea.

They are already badmouthing us to the neighbors before we can get together and work this out as I lost a small job next door. This may be a no win situation!
As for washing it or not....it was already soft from the rain. This was not noticed until after we had done most of the house....bad deal.

[beastud]

Hey Russ, I recently had the same prob but mine happened with A/C semi. I was lucky because it was on my parents deck. I'm just wondering why this is happening. I had 1 guy tell me the bleach is too strong for these stains that are being produced nowadays. I don't know. Sounds like you are probably gonna have to fix it for them. Hate that it happen to you.

Thanks for the thoughts. I have some of this stain. I did some samples and properly applied.....chlorine is not a problem. One of the problems with this is I am sure they stained unseasoned cedar and as we know that means short term success then quick failure!

[beastud]

You can tell them the only good Finish out there is in Scandinavia. Ready for the my cup of Jo and a Danish. When I have candy treats, got to go with a Swedish. Love Swedishes !!

Lol! You are killing me and making me hungry. I am a kringle fan myself!

[Beth n Rod]

It is unfortunate that you are a victim of contractor abuse.
People like these know better and yet they take advantage of unsuspecting contractors who are not mindful of the conditions and get caught off guard.

Looks like the best thing is to order the product from someone online and get it done. If they want a different product, they will have to pay for the product. That is fair.

Next time, don't be so ignorant and overconfident of what should have been an obvious situation where the sealer was concerned.

Never propose a wash without sealing it as a requirement afterwards.

Rod!~

[beastud]

It is unfortunate that you are a victim of contractor abuse.
People like these know better and yet they take advantage of unsuspecting contractors who are not mindful of the conditions and get caught off guard.

Looks like the best thing is to order the product from someone online and get it done. If they want a different product, they will have to pay for the product. That is fair.

Next time, don't be so ignorant and overconfident of what should have been an obvious situation where the sealer was concerned.

Never propose a wash without sealing it as a requirement afterwards.

Rod!~

I agree with you Rod. If not requiring a sealing afterwards, at least forewarn of the likely need for a reseal. Being stupid (and trusting) should hurt. I always test the finish to make sure what I am getting in to. But I could not and cannot recreate the wet conditions we had. Even soaking test pieces in water, stained with the same stuff, does not do anything but then why would it until it weathers for 2 years...... I went back to try to get the remainder of this deck's stain to lift again. My 12% deck wash does not touch it. Heck straight 12% does not touch it. We had an extended period of humid/wet weather prior to the deck wash with .21" of rain the day before and 1.15" the day of. Looks like it was a classic case of some of the stain was about to fail and where it was not failing....you cannot easily get it off. So even if I tested but did not pick the right area, I would not have caught this beforehand. I should have stopped before applying the wash, the second I saw footprints in the stain and brought out the homeowner to see.
Live and learn. In the future,if I have not installed the stain, I will handle this differently before quoting.

[Littlefield]

Russ, no good deed goes unpunished. Been there and done that. It stinks, but depending on the situation and the customer, you will either strip it the right way without complaining, or horse trade with them and use the 10 step Crystal Ball conflict resolution argument with them and spend as long talking to them as it would take to strip it. BTW, how much of an area are we talking about? I always carry a pail of *-*** with me just in case, I can shoot it on a deck surface and strip to bare wood in 10 minutes or less, and never even bother the homeowner, until after when I show them the freebie.