metal ballusters on a wood deck

[Doug Dahlke]

I am in the process of doing my first deck. Have it stripped and ready for sealer. So far it looks good. Looking at pics posted on several BBS I see decks that have ballusters made of metal, plastic, etc. How do you prevent damage to these surfaces when applying strippers, wood brightener, etc?

 

[Everett Abrams]

Doug,

There are many ways to protect these and other types of railing systems as well as other areas of the property. The quick and easy way to protect anything is to wet it down first. By wetting an area down combined the watered down product that may get on the surfaces it will be so diluted as to not harm the substrate in most cases. Now in instances where you need more protection so as not to cause damage you may want to first "cut in" your chemical. This term is used both when applying chemicals and also when sealing,staining, or painting. The term "cutting in" means you apply with a brush those sensitive areas where you do not want your chemical to be sprayed onto surfaces to cause damage. This is why you should also save your old brushes as this is when they come in handy. Then there are of course the use of tarps and plastic. I will give you two tricks I have learned along the way. The first is to buy plexiglass, it comes in 4x8 sheets and you can cut them down into 2x4 pieces and drill holes and put handles in them. These are heavy enough not to blow around and are very easy to keep clean. These shields have many uses in the field. The second idea is the use of the clamps that the kitchen exhaust guys use for securing the plastic to a hood. The use of these clamps with a tarp or plastic on a rail system work excellent! You can buy these clamps at any hardware store. I hope this helps you, remember that just because you use a spray applicator does not mean you do not have to do some work by hand to protect a customers property!

 

[Doug Dahlke]

Thanks for the advice. I used a plywood shield but the plexiglass is a much better idea. The clamps are a great tip also. Here are some pics of the deck and porch in progress. What methods would you use to apply the stain?

 

[Everett Abrams]

Doug,

Some interesting observations about the pictures. The first is why are composite decking planks being used to replace the wood decking? To me it looks worse and there seems to be an obvious height difference in the two. The other item is that when you work in sections it is important to use a pendulum or golf stroke motion to prevent scarring. In other words you do not want to start and stop the water directly on the wood surface. It is hard to tell be the picture because it has dried it just looks like a very definitive line between the washed and the weathered sides. In any event to answer your question I believe that the use of chinese bristle brushes or lambs wool applicators are best. In these applications the product is applied directly from bucket to surface with little to no drying. When using a sprayer your are atomizing the product thus partially drying it into small particles that will float through the air to the surface. The issue is what is labor productive for you and what type of service you are selling. Using a brush or lambs wool you could use as an upsell application. Airless sprayers used correctly can be very time saving, specially on larger projects.

 

[Doug Dahlke]

Everett,

After reading your post I will brush the stain on. This being my first deck I would rather use a slower method with better results. I can try other methods down the road. The areas you think have composite boards do not. Those are painted verticals on stairs. My wife thought that surface was flat when she looked at the pictures too. Thanks for the help. I'll post some pics of the finished deck later this week.

 

[Doug Dahlke]

Here are some pictures of the finished deck. For my first deck job I think it went fairly well. All of the stain was hand brushed. I am intersted in any feedback from people with more experience in wood restoration.

 

[EnviroClean]

Looks decent for a first run, but I think next time you should look into some better stripping/brightening products. Feel free to PM me as I know of a good restore system that works wonders on wood. There are also some great stains available as well, in fact EVERYTHING minus the labor and Pressure Washer can be found fairly easy.

 

[Ron Musgraves]

The Wood Guru always Helpful, thanks Everett

 

[Everett Abrams]

Thanks Ron, next trip is to a MAJOR coatings manufacturer's Research Facility. They contacted me about issues with their stains and others items regarding re-coating and future maintenance. Also, user friendly products for contractor's and homeowners. Nice thing is at least they pay me. Most of this stuff is done off the radar but am very glad to be a member of PWI and a member of the UAMCC and to share these events and happenings with those here.