The client did the taping, haha. I wasn’t going to use it. In all fairness to the client, it is a brand new gucci custom door, and behind the florescent tape is actually beautiful stained glass. Anyway, after the shingles had been restored, the client kindly asked if I would be interested in doing the door. A door that wasn’t set to arrive for another few weeks. Meanwhile, I was just a day or so from moving off her deck project and onto the next.
I asked if the door was expensive and she wanted to know what constituted expensive. I said $2500. She said it was expensive.
I do one front door every five years. When that one door is presented to me and I know darned well that I should be the guy that does it, it only takes seconds to begin remembering what it really takes to professionally stain a door like this one and why it is that I only do one “expensive enough” front door every five years or so.
Let’s take a front entrance door like this one. Typically, it’s finished off and protected with some form of lacquering. Am I wrong about that because maybe I am. Or perhaps it’s stained and then lacquered. The methodology suggests to protect the front door as if it were an indoor kitchen cabinet. That said, the misunderstood protocol is finishing this door off with some form of lacquer based material. Likely best if sprayed. One of two or three coats, I actually have very little clue, it’s not my area of expertise.
If the door gets any sun (and I mean any) OR gets wet when it rains, OR it gets both, that beautiful door won’t look so bossanova after some time. If the door is set back enough into a deep enough entranceway, that’s one thing. If however it is exposed to even the most minimum set of elemental circumstances, the only smart way to play this one out for the best short and long-term results, is to use a water based material and maintain accordingly.
This sharp client saw the light for sure. She also knew that a high glossy sheen lacquer door up against her matte finished shingles would look out of place. I accepted the job. I charged a premium. Chocolate Cream Country Beach Barn.
Santa Cruz Aptos Capitola Shingles Decks
It’s always a pleasure to be working near the Pasatiempo Golf Course. I’m out here at least once per year. Two of my clients in Pasatiempo have partial shingle homes that are in need of semi-regular maintenance. I’ve washed and stained a few dozen wood(and plastic) decks out there over the years too. Modern Day Paradise.
Doesn’t get sun in the winter months. Portions of the deck are very close in proximity to the earth’s surface. The bottoms of the many boards may actually be touching ground. The “ends” of many boards are butted up to, and in some cases completely buried underground. Over the years the deck has had many boards installed where the hot tub used to be, and many that were replaced that were rotted out. And lastly, this old deck off Larkin Valley in Santa Cruz CA is pretty shrouded in mature oak trees which are notorious mess-makers.
I pulled away some hillside that was crashing the party. I cleared all debris between every single board. An extra thorough professional wash followed up with the finest, highest quality, water based material on the market. Here are different looks during different stages of the process during different times of the day. Delicious as Always!
Santa Cruz Exterior Wood Deck Maintenance
The funky build-up of moss will typically feast on the North and West facing portions of any style/shape of roof. I almost feel as though I see it everywhere I go. Some is worse than others, that sort of thing. This is a property off Clubhouse in Aptos. It definitely gets sun, but only in the summer, and of course only when it’s sunny. This particular roof was very walkable, it was one story, AND I was already doing their decks. I felt compelled to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The deck(s) I have been maintaining for almost 20 years. The first half dozen years I probably washed and stained this deck about three times. Now that it’s under the maintenance spell, every three or so years is just fine. The deck gets medium daily sun and fairly light foot traffic. It is completely surrounded by all different types of tall trees that make a pretty good mess. I think they have landscapers that quickly give it a blow once a week and that likely helps the cause.
As you can see, even the boards that aren’t yet stained are still holding plenty of stain from the application three years prior. Love how nicely spaced these boards are too!
Cleaning Santa Cruz since 2001
Decks, Roofs, Houses, Fences, Bricks, Concrete, Shingle Homes
Wood Staining Professionals
Santa Cruz California
Evidence that this deck was jam packed with filthy grime. This was in May and the debris was still stinky wet in nature. Never a good thing! This lack of maintenance does real damage to the boards over time due to the deck’s inability to naturally drain. In doing so, it also strips all the overall beauty from its appearance. You would be very surprised how much more refreshing the deck becomes when you can see and feel the preferred gap between the boards. .
It’s also a deck that had a giant wood storage box on it that had seen wayyy better days. You can see the mark that was left. I convinced the homeowner to not only remove the thing off the deck but to keep it off as well. It certainly wasn’t doing the deck any favors, in fact it was eating away at the deck in places where it likely stayed wet for months at a time. Yep, perfect conditions for sow bugs, termites, those sorts of critters.
Deck Washing and Staining
San Lorenzo Valley
We last washed and stained this deck in 2015. Doesn’t battle too much ‘wear and tear’. Doesn’t receive a ton of sun either.
Deck Staining & Maintenance
**Shingle Restoration**
Capitola–Santa Cruz–Aptos–Los Gatos
Admittedly, we clean our share of solar panels these days, though it’s not an advertised service. In most cases the homeowner can pull off this basic stunt providing it doesn’t take a stuntman or woman. I usually get involved when it makes sense and cents to have me clean them. We still do quite a bit of gutter and downspout clearing in the winter time. And it seems like I am still pressure cleaning at least a half dozen roofs off each and every season. That is typically when the solar panel subject gets broached.
Anyway, I have my methods of properly getting them pretty perfect. If you want to know those methods, google has unlimited suggestions. There will surely be those common sense suggestions that resonate best with you. One thing is for sure, it’s worth keeping them clean. Some panels need more cleaning than others. The one thing they have going for them is that for the great most part they aren’t directly under trees and the like. So they aren’t getting littered with debris etc. Bird droppings are a different story…
Ipe in all its glory. The four or so boards on the bottom are washed but not yet stained. The rest of the boards are stained with Defy for Hardwoods. We used a mix of Butternut, Cedar, and a sprinkle of Redwood Tone. Interesting to see how each board is totally unique in color and grain. It had been four years since I last washed and stained this 15 year old deck off San Andreas Road in South County Santa Cruz. It obviously cleaned up nicely and the final look is better than new. Am I right or what?
More than I can ever remember, I am seeing so many shingled and wood sided homes in Santa Cruz County that are in desperate need of basic maintenance. I’m not sure what homeowners are thinking as they let the asset go. Like I remember not very long ago that most of the shingled or partially shingled homes all along Opal Cliffs looked pretty darned good. Not anymore they don’t. I recently gave a deck bid in the Jewel Box and I was blown away by how poorly these homes look now. Monster cliffside homes that have shingles that are black and curling OR areas of wood siding that “de-modernize” your empty desire to keep a modern style home. The same can be said about the abundance of shingled homes in the greater Santa Cruz Harbor area, especially on the west side of the harbor near Aldos Bakery. It’s too bad because with a some professional TLC, restoration is totally possible. Santa Cruz, Aptos, Saratoga, San Lorenzo Valley, Los Gatos, Scotts Valley, Truckee.
Deck Maintenance, Staining & Sealing, Shingle Restoration, Arbors, Fences, Privacy Walls
Santa Cruz, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Freedom, Truckee, Lake Tahoe
Emails only please: cleaningsantacruz at gmail dot com
This client got a brand new door and he wanted me to stain it. The old wood siding was stained a few years back after being neglected for who knows how long. We all found it to be a perfectly imperfect looking contrast. Happy New Year, 1/5/24, Boulder Creek, CA
Decks Siding Shingles Arbors Fences
Custom Wood Staining & Maintenance
Decks Siding Shingles Arbors F
Here’s a property that we maintain every couple years. This is a one story home in Aptos near the golf course. They have 900 s/f of redwood boards in back with a pretty extensive wood arbor above the hot tub. The deck gets a lot of sun in the summer(when it’s sunny in Aptos) and not so much sun in the winter. The lower portion can get slick as snot, especially after months of wet leaf and debris sitting there taking hold. Lots of big trees dropping big wet leaves all over. Some photos of things that get cleaned along the way sometimes .
Shingle Restoration Santa Cruz
Deck Staining & Maintenance
San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz, Aptos, Scotts Valley
Metal roofs should be washed every year. The dirty film you can see from the picture is what makes this roof almost too slippery to walk on when wet. After that slippery film is removed, albeit still potentially treacherous for the amateur roof walker, it is considerably safer.
Los Gatos Saratoga Aptos Soquel Santa Cruz Truckee
High-End Transparent Stain Work
Los Gatos California
Every three years like clockwork for this 500s/f Redwood Deck in Live Oak. Deck Maintenance intervals can vary throughout Santa Cruz County. This particular deck doesn’t get nearly the everyday sun exposure that perhaps an exposed deck in the hills of Soquel might. It doesn’t remain wet or damp for long periods of time like it might in Boulder Creek or the like. There aren’t a lot of tall trees dropping constant debris on this deck. There aren’t kids and dogs and barbecue parties happening on this beauty either. So yeah, every three years it is it’s been.
Deck Staining & Maintenance plans. Santa Cruz, Aptos, Scotts Valley, Capitola
This is common. Sometimes I am able to find out exactly why something like this has happened, and sometimes I am not. The remedies are numerous and it usually doesn’t involve doing too much about it immediately. The reason something like this happens are also numerous and usually involve some combination of improper application and/or over application of a transparent stain. Transparent stains can easily be built up over time. Building up the coats on a single application can easily encourage the stain to peel. A transparent stain that peels doesn’t make any homeowner happy. It’s just awful, and in many cases very orange. Double Awful. If this is your deck, let’s talk. Deck staining and maintenance in Santa Cruz County has been a specialty of ours since 2001.
We spend about six weeks every summer in the Truckee area. This home gets a couple weeks worth of attention within every stint. There are some problem areas that pay to stay ahead of, and those can range. This house is beautiful. It’s also giant. There are about a half dozen spots on the second story where snow build up has really done a number on the bottom portions of this beautiful cedar siding. In addition, there is one pitch of the house that gets heaps of hot sun made hotter by the metal roof. The deck is Ipe and there are some trouble spots from water run-off. So there are about six boards that lose all their stain every year, and I don’t like it. Therefore, annual staining and maintenance is needed to stay well ahead of any outdoor board needing to be replaced. And we mean any..
Deck Staining & Maintenance.
Santa Cruz, Truckee, Los Gatos, Scotts Valley, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley
Shingle and Siding Maintenance Professionals
This one got underway mid April. These beauties can be rare in Santa Cruz County. The only information Happy Homeowner should know is that it will always prove to be a smart decision to take the wood maintenance route, especially if the wood siding on the house is built with good old fashioned wood from the good old days. The alternatives can range from not doing anything about it(lame) to an extra costly, complete replacement job(stupid) to I would suppose a paint or solid stain job.(nightmare).
It just needs to be loved up. And it needs to be loved up right. In the case of this beautiful wood sided house on the upper westside of Santa Cruz CA, a proper cold water wash followed by a high end, water based material.
References furnished upon Request.
- Exterior Wood Staining
- Wood Siding Maintenance, Shingle Maintenance
- Santa Cruz, Aptos, Scotts Valley