Staining a deck in Wyndham, Richmond, VA, Southern Home hand-staining with Cedar

Southern Home Wood Deck Cleaning. We cleaned it first, then stained it by hand. 

Southern Home Wood Deck Cleaning and Sealing/Staining in Richmond, VA used Cabot Solid Stain painted by hand on a deck

Southern Home Wood Deck Cleaning and Sealing, in Richmond, VA, 804-585-8016,  just finished a solid stain deck cleaning job in the Duncroft sub-division in Richmond, VA near Springfield Road. Theresa Bowles Cox has used our services for fifteen years. One of our favorite customers. This is a solid stain on her deck by Cabot stain products. The wood was needing a bit of a touch up. We did it the right way and painted it by hand.

How to Clean a Wooden Deck and The Ugliest Deck On The Planet.

www.southernhomedeck.com in Richmond, Virginia and How to Clean and Repair a Wood Deck.
                                         

                                                               www.southernhomedeck.com

                                                                          (804)585-8016

I want you to take a look at the transformation that we made take place at Southern Home when we laboriously refinished a deck that had not been loved for fifteen years. Boards had to be replaced, mold and mildew had to be removed, old finish had to be stripped and removed. Broken pickets beneath the hand-rails needed to be repaired. What a job!

I am going to start with what the deck ended up looking like. But, you need to go back and see the previous pics where I show how Southern Home Wood Decks in Richmond, VA refinished one of the ugliest decks we have ever refinished. It was a crew of three men, "T-Roy", "Calvin Sallie" and myself, Todd Sowell. 

Nobody, and I mean nobody, has talent like these guys, just look!

After the deck was cleaned and all of the rotten boards were replaced, Southern Home's crew stained the surface and rails to bring the customer the beautiful picture at the top of the page. We used a solid stain by Behr (available exclusively at Home Depot) and you can imagine how happy the customer was with these fantastic results!

(804) 585-8016, 

#www.southernhomedeck.com 

#www.powerwash5000.com in Richmond, VA

Deck Cleaning, Deck Staining, Power-washing, Deck Finishes, Southern Home, 804-585-8016

Southern Home: Richmond, VA 804-585-8016

Linseed Oil is an essential ingredient to look for in a water-sealant when you put one down on your deck. The best companies use Linseed Oil or a new component that is scientifically engineered to contain a mixture of Linseed Oil with an acrylic polymer. These products are safer to use, are more environmentally safe and the Oil is essential for protecting the wood and strengthening the wood deck fibers. Look at this luxurious finish on this wood deck. The product is a Sherwin Williams product, and absolutely looks fabulous. 

                                                         

Cleaning and Staining a really dirty deck with stain on it in Walton Park

Yesterday, April 6, 2016 was a brutal affair! I tangled with the roughest, ugliest, nastiest deck I have cleaned in many a year. I used a stain-stripper made by Sherwin Williams and it was a bit more expensive than the product I typically use by Wolman's. I tried to get my service representative to work with me, since I buy at least a hundred gallons of this product in one year. But, I am still waiting for that sales-reps telephone call.

Anyhow, stain was last put on the deck in 2002. It was that battleship grey color also covered by a lay of black sap from a pine-tree next to the deck. Now, I had to have a plan of attack. This is not an easy conversion. To make something this ugly look beautiful is something of a science project. I have grey stain, I have black mold, I have sap. Also, cigarette butts are scattered all about the deck. The gentleman who owns the property decided to use it as an ashtray since the deck was going to get pressure-washed anyways. No big deal- I thought.

Then, I come to learn that the handrails are painted with house paint. House paint is not something that you use on treated wood. You don't do it! You absolutely have to use a wood deck stain! A stain has special chemicals that make it adhere and penetrate into the wood in a proper manner.

Then, I learn that some of the wooden boards are rotten and need to be replaced. There is no getting around it. So, I remove one of the boards that seemed down-right dangerous. With that board out of the way, I coated the deck with the stain remover. The stuff began to do what acid does and ate into the stain. Just afterwards, I used bleach on all of the white handrails that were now soiled and black looking. I coated those with bleach and detergent and let them do their work.

It took some time, but the work paid off. The darkness on all of the white handrails lightened over the course of a few hours.  I really didn't have to pressure-wash much on the handrails, I just wanted to let the bleach do its magic. Now, the deck was a different story. I cleaned the wood and it was very slow going. After several hours the would looked much cleaner. I coated the cleaned wood with bleach and allowed it to set for a bit. After it sat, I washed it off and now it is ready for some dry time. We will stain the deck next week and I will show future pictures afterwards.

Wow, that is some ugly wood. You can't see it but moss is growing on it. Nasty!

WOW! LOOK AT THAT WOOD, NOW! Ready for stain. 

Gorgeous wood shines through. Only, Southern Home Wood Deck Cleaning can make it look like this. Don't even try, lol...leave the hard work for the master.

Only in Richmond, VA! Call, Southern Home at 

(804) 585-8016

2800 Garland Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222

Australian Timber Oil by Cabot, You Tube Video

I found this great video on YouTube. I have been telling my customers about Cabot brand, "Australian Timber Oil" Watch the connected video. This is a newer product to me, but I can tell you for sure that when this product is applied to wood, it is beautiful. It simply shines.

How long to wait before sealing a Wood Deck or Wooden Fence?

A beautifully sealed wood fence is a magnificent sight to behold. This fence is new and cost the homeowner a pretty-penny to have the structure erected. Did the wood look like this the day the fence-builder finished? No, the wood was blond in color; but cedar-colored stain with a strong, linseed-oil based protectant was the way to turn this wood into a work of art.

Each day, I hear about customer's concerns about new wood. The biggest concern is whether or not to wait six months to allow the chemicals infused in new wood to seep out of a wood deck before sealing it. It is a valid concern. Manufacturers of wood products infuse the wood with protectants to keep insects from eating the wood. In the early days, the chemical infused was a product that contained arsenic. It was poisonous and killed all insects. EPA regulations made the wood manufacturers stop using arsenic in wood products. See below:

From Wikepedia: "Wood that has been industrially pressure-treated with approved preservative products poses a limited risk to the public, and should be disposed of properly. On December 31, 2003, the U.S. wood treatment industry stopped treating residential lumber with arsenic and chromium (chromated copper arsenate, or CCA)." Wikipedia goes on to point out, 

"Dipping:

Dipping consists of simply immersing the wood in a bath of creosote or other preservative for a few seconds or minutes. Similar penetrations to that of brushing and spraying processes are achieved. It has the advantage of minimizing hand labor. It requires more equipment and larger quantities of preservative and is not adequate for treating small lots of timber. Usually the dipping process is useful in the treatment of window sashes and doors. Treatment with copper salt preservatives is no longer allowed with this method." 

Other methods that are important involve heating the wood to one hundred and eighty degrees to make the wood stronger and less attractive to insects. Creosote is used as a more natural preservative and does not have the dangerous properties that arsenic once had. 

It makes for very interesting reading if you are a nerd like me. Here is the link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_preservation#New_technologies

One last thing, do you have to wait six months for infused chemicals to evaporate from the wood? Six months is an arbitrary number. It is used by any know-it-all who is building a fence, because he or she does not want to do the dirty work of protecting a new fence. Once the fence is erected and the fence-building company is done, they just want to get on down the road. Figuring out when you can finally seal a wooden fence requires nothing but inspection. 

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and look at the new wood section and personally inspect their wood for decks. Many times, the wood is green in color, that is partially from the Creosote infused in the wood. But, apply some pressure with your fingertips and many times you will see the wood appear to release moisture onto the end of your fingertip. Do the same thing to the wood that was just erected around your home in the form of a fence or a wooden deck. You can visually see that the wood is still wet. On the east coast, in Richmond, VA where my business, Southern Home Wood Deck Cleaning and Water-sealing and Staining, between the months of March and November of any given year, wood does not take six months to become presentable for sealant and stain application. A simple, visible test is needed along with an understanding of how the chemical leaves the wood. It dries out with exposure to the elements. 

If the month of April produces continual showers, more time is needed before pressurized-wood can dry and stain or water-sealant can be applied. May, or during the hot summer, wood can condition in a number of days. Or, at the most a week or two. A common-sense approach is all that is needed. 

Lastly, some acrylic sealants and stains can be applied the day a wood deck or fence is built. Wolman's has a product-line of acrylic sealants that can be put on the wood surface immediately. 

Wood Deck Stripping and www.southernhomedeck.com in Richmond, VA also known as Southern Home Renovations

So, you are thinking about taking on a Wood Deck Cleaning project and you are looking at all of the various sealants available. It is mind-boggling to think what you have on the deck. Cleaning it will get the mold and mildew off, but then what?

Clear sealant offers protection, but it lacks in the beauty in which a water-sealant with a tint can offer your wood. We are always here to help you if you are going to do this yourself. But, truthfully, for a small amount of labor charge, you would really save yourself money in the long-run. Certain stains will not come off of the deck. Certain stains will come off, they might just not look right unless you use the perfect sealant on top of the wood. You want to make sure you use a proper stain-stripper. Then, choose the perfect sealant.

www southernhomedeck.com

https://www.clorox.com/cleaning-and-laundry-tips/cleaning/outdoor/how-to-clean-patio-furniture/

It is Sunday afternoon. I try to be up on new products. We are in Richmond, VA, therefore I try to find great water-sealant products available for masonry and wooden-decks. I love many of the improvements from all petroleum based products. This has been a major component for many years. Sealants are moving into Acrylic and specialized oil blends. It is a whole new world out there. Take a look at some of the companies I buy product from and I will tell you about my experiences with all.

I enjoy the beauty of wood decks around the world- around America. I am always admiring design elements and different types of wood and various types of water-sealants. Here are a few that I think look absolutely beautiful.