Old failed solid stain on large deck

[Mike Smith]

I have a deck I bid last week and was awarded the bid. It has a nasty old solid stain kind of red that needs to be stripped down the best it can and recoated with another color. I will be using Cuprinol Solid stain and the rep says they can choose a lighter color and the stain will cover any remaining stain left after the stripping.
Questions:

1 should I nuetralize stripper afterward or just rinse since Im doing solid stain?

2 Have any of you ever applied solid stains with airless equipment, airless will spray paint so I think it will spray solid deck stain?

It is such a large deck I would hate to fathom brushing all the railing. I may use a roller on deck flooring. Let me know your thoughts. and how you would proceed.

Deck is 550 square feet with approx. 75 feet of railing including upper portion( it has a step leading up to a 14 x 11 deck with just sand underneath) my bid was $775.00 1.25 on deck + 1.00 per foot of railing. steps are included in square footage.

[Beth n Rod]

Do you know what product is on thw wood now? Or, do you have a photo you could post? HD-80 will remove just about anything you can put on wood. Any time you strip you do need to neutralize the deck. You may be able to get back to a uniform look and not have to go over it with another solid. We have been able to get these results with HD-80. I would suggest that you have the homeowner hold off until after the deck is stripped in this case, then make their decision on the product. In the event there is a little stain left in spots, you'll need to sand it. When you strip a deck you will typically have to do a little sanding here and there.

Hope this helps. Fire away with more questions.

Beth

[John T]

Why would you have to Strip off the old solid stain when your just going to recoat the Deck again with a solid stain???

Most solid stains are made to be able to go over previous stains. Why waste the time and MONEY to strip the old stain off when it sounds like all you have to do is Powerwash the Deck Clean then put the new stain on it.

Solid stain not only covers the wood grain(Why most people don't like solids) but also covers other stains(The beauty of solid stain).

Strip when you have to but no need to when you are putting down a solid stain.

[Paul B.]

The need to strip would depend on the old stains condition. If it was peeling aimlessly for example and it did not have a primer.
I believe Cabot solid deck stains call for a primer to be applied for a long lasting application. Even though Solids are OK to be applied over Solids, I believe you will obtain longer lasting results with stripping, priming, then adding a top coat.

Seeing the actual condition of the deck would help make the final decision.

[Everett Abrams]

Mike,

To answer your first question , antime you use a base it should be neutralized with an acid. So if you use a stripper , yes you need to neutralize. Another item is that if a deck is not properly neutralized and you apply an oil base solid you can cause a gas reaction and cause bubbling of the stain.

The answer to you second question is yes you can use an airless sprayer for solid stains. In comparison to paint a solid stain is a "thinned down' version of a paint. A stain is made to grab more into the wood. I NEVER use a roller.

Further, your prices are way too low for this type of work. There are many contractors who charge $1.25/sq.ft. for a simple clean/strip and sealer application. When you start using solids your price should go up significantly. As Paul stated , if you use a primer ( to create a "new" surface) then you have added an extra day to the job. The primer should dry for 24hours.

On a personal note , I believe that whatever coating you put on you should try to get the surface as "clean" as possible ,first.
I hope that I have helped you.

[Beth n Rod]

I'm sorry, did I misunderstand?

I thought Mike said that he thought at best it could be recoated with another solid stain. If the customer wants another solid then yes, wash gently with a percarb like EFC-38, and then prime & restain. If you have a failing, peeling stain on your hands, then you'll need to address the failing areas. If the customer is sick of the solid color, then you would strip the deck as prescribed and neutralize, prep and then seal.

It really boils down to this:

What is the look the customer wants when the job is done? That's the first question we ask, then propose work from there. Some people want a solid, some are tired of it, and very often we find someone just bought the home and is trying to get the deck redone to suit their taste.

Is the customer choosing a solid because they are under the impression that since there is a solid stain on there now that it is the only option they have?

Beth

[Everett Abrams]

I don't think you misunderstood at all. I think your answer was perfect. I just wanted to make sure all his questions were answered. Guess I should have said "In addition to what Beth stated..." Anytime you can goet it back to natural , I'm all for it.

[Beth n Rod]

lol.... I was referring to John T.'s post.
OK. Beth needs more coffee... lol...

Everett, your post was great! All of them are very helpful. I just wanted to add a little more clarity to mine because I reread it and saw a place to add more meat to the bones.

Beth

p.s. check out the thread on applying stalers and stains for some cool application tips.

[reed]

I agree with Everette,

I think your prices are way too low also. A deck of this size should have brought in a bid closer 1100.00 plus. Especially if you plan on stripping it. If not strip, somewhere in the 900.00 range is not unrealistic. But the bottom line is, what does your market let you charge?

Sometimes I wonder if those who charge by the linear foot for railings aren't in some way short changing themselves. I have often wondered how you determine how much sealer will be used if you don't figure entire sf'd? I am not bringing this up to be argumentative, but just to understand better.

I charge by the total sf'd. My bid calculator is set up to determin sf'd based on lengths of 2x6's, 6x6 posts, and dimensions of spindles, band boards, deck surface area, stringers, risers and steps.


Reed