when it just has to be clean..
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Shadows on transparent materials are magical. It is the reason why it’s important to stay transparent(pun) and not make or be persuaded into a decision to do otherwise. If you begin the deck journey with a solid stain, or even a low end semi-transparent, you’re going to be sorry. *Just a note about picture on right. The three boards on left side of picture are clean, but do not contain any stain.
These decks shown here in Ben Lomond CA were in serious need. Because it had been ten years since the last bit of maintenance, thankfully a solid stain had been used the last time. The color tone was a flaky pinkish-auburn, and it wasn’t pretty. After the deck was prepared for stain, it was determined that the both decks would easily absorb a fresh coat of transparent material. Transparent material demands a bit more attention and maintenance, and the client bought in after half the results were in. This is a mid morning photo from mid July. We used a high end water based product called Extreme. You be the judge!
Since 2001. Santa Cruz County Deck Maintenance serving all surrounding mountain towns including Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Bonny Doon.
Beautiful hard wood deck in Felton California
This is good pic for the tone-explanation end of things. Lower right is clean, wet wood. Upper right is clean, dry wood. Upper left is stained, dry wood. Lower left is stained, wet wood. You can’t dream this up!!
What about the retaining wall colors? Wow! Ask us How..
Here are some in progress pictures of a recent deck refinishing job in the Prospect Heights area of Santa Cruz. I find it helpful to show different stages of the project, different times of day, drying times etc..
Fifteen year old deck give or take. We were told five years since the last bit of maintenance. Dangerously slippery when wet. Awfully mustardy in color we all agreed. Deck gets medium to good amount of sun.
Cleaning Santa Cruz for Wood Deck Maintenance
Santa Cruz Deck Maintenance and Shingle Staining & Sealing
South Bay Area, San Francisco, Los Gatos, Lake Tahoe
Shingle Maintenance, Deck Staining
Since 2001
These shots are taken of a Cumaru deck. We washed and stained this particular deck in the summer of 2014. The homeowner had us back out again in 2015 to do what we do. These pictures show something that is very common with all wood decks. Horizontal boards take more heat the Vertical ones do. The flooring of this Cumaru deck easily took another coat of transparent stain, yet the boards that surrounded the raised patio wouldn’t take product whatsoever.
Twelve Year Old Hardwood deck in Boulder Creek California. Boy I wish I had remembered to take some before shots. The deck had been neglected for over 10 years. The spaces between the boards were packed with debris. It was a total mess. A 20 gallon project and basically a brand new deck.
We waited two years to wash and stain this new deck. Built in 2013, I was asked to look at it and submit a bid in July 2014. The suggestion was to wait until Spring 2015 to wash and stain. This home is close to UCSC with southern exposure to sun. In the second picture, the staining process has begun with the rails. Redwood Tone Transparent..
Deck Maintenance, Shingle Siding Maintenance, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Aptos
So Yeah…we don’t normally “Stain” lattice…but when we do…
Wood lattice is obviously very common. A wash by itself is usually more than sufficient. The labor cost to properly hand stain lattice doesn’t seem worth it. That is why it is typically discouraged. In most cases,(especially when used for just privacy) it’s less expensive to go buy a new 4×8 piece. OR, if there was ever something that you(Joe or Janet Homeowner) could do to save $$, this is that job.
This is a small deck that leads up to a jacuzzi. It’s about three years old now. Our second time applying stain. Annual Maintenance is the answer. Always has been.
Scheduling Decks and Wood Sided/Shingled homes for May 2015. Call Today..
It’s the age old question. There are so many factors that determine the wear and tear from wear and tear. Wear and tear that shouldn’t be compared to the Berber carpet in the off limits living room. That said, I could make an easy case for the deck owner to wash and stain their deck every few years or so. Minimum.
This Scotts Valley customer with her two highly active 100 lb Golden Retrievers waited 22 months for some additional TLC on her 20 year old backyard deck. Yeah, major wear and tear. Shedding, scratching, jacuzzi spillover, huge trees all around, that sort of thing. I advised a more routine maintenance schedule and I think everyone agreed. Down Boy!! Read the rest of this entry »
Aptos, CA Winter 2015
Biowash Natural Deck Oil
Redwood Tone
Test Swatch
One picture is in the morning sun. The other is after the sun has moved off the deck. Just a couple different looks from a couple different times of day. The beauty of transparent material. This five year old deck off of Western Avenue near UCSC campus. It does get direct sun for about four hours per day. This was our first time washing and staining this particular deck. This is about what can be expected in terms of color using Redwood Tone-Biowash Natural Deck Oil.
Over the years, the first topic of conversation from the homeowner that calls about their newly constructed ‘hardwood’ deck is that “their” builder said that you don’t need to do anything to it as far as maintenance, and it will last for 50 years. That is absolutely FALSE! It should last for 100 years without any maintenance! It just won’t bead water like this three y/o beauty.
Much has been made over the years regarding the most effective transparent material to use on various hard woods. Builders are quick to suggest products like Penofin and the like. Here we see Biowash Natural Deck Oil on an eight year old Ipe Deck in South Santa Cruz County. Does your hardwood deck look this good? It could.
Nice close up shot of five year old boards maintained annually with Biowash Natural Oil. Natural-Tone on top w/ Redwood-Tone on bottom.
2400 s/f deck on Kite Hill Rd. in Pasatiempo. 20 yr old deck.
