Replies

1. 
   rebuilder | Jul 08, 2003 08:19am | #1

   Don't mean to highjack, but I'll add to your post. I just finished a cedar deck and the stain stayed tacky to touch for a few weeks. Drove me nuts. Pro-Dek, what's up with that?

2. 
   Piffin | Jul 09, 2003 04:36am | #2

   The tannins in redwood and cedar can interfere with many stains and paints adhereing and curing.

   Using a product made for one type of wood to finish another is not a good idea - as a general rule. Ironwoods is not redwood.

   Another problem could have been that most redwood is pretty wet.

   .

   Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   Rog1 | Jul 09, 2003 08:17am | #4

   Thanks piffin. The product I used is called Wood Iron. It's a fairly heavy formula, made of three different oils, as well as lots of other stuff to resist UV, etc. It's typically tinted for the wood it is to be used on, such as redwood. As I said, it looks great in terms of color, but it has remained tacky in places three plus weeks after application. The advice I continue to get from my painter buddies is to rub a thinner all over the finish with rags or soft brush, much as you would use a paint compound on a vehicle. So far, that seems to be my best option. I must say, though, that most of the tackiness has disappeared, as the pro painters have predicted.

3. 
   AaronRosenthal | Jul 09, 2003 08:12am | #3

   Forgive me for asking the obvious ....

   Did you stain & wipe?

   I'm currently using Penofin marine sealant over Pedra (Mahogany substitute - Brazilian wood), and my guy is wiping it dry after 20 minutes. We did 80% of the wood today, stickered it for air flow and we will be re-coating tomorrow.

   It must be frustrating for you.

   Quality repairs for your home.

   Aaron the Handyman
   Vancouver, Canada

1. 
   Rog1 | Jul 09, 2003 08:27am | #5

   You are forgiven for asking. Vaid question. In fact, I did not wipe, and probably shoud have. I did not wipe because I really worked the finish into the wood with a brush after first rolling it. No excess appeared to be remaining. Therein lies at least part of my problem, though. The other part may have been the fact that the paint store gave me the solution recommended for old decks that really suck up the liquid. That solution contains 68 percent solids vs. 50 percent for the solution recommended for new wood (info. came from manufacturer's web site).

1. 
   AaronRosenthal | Jul 09, 2003 08:38am | #6

   Can you get ahold of the manufacturer's help line in the AM? They must have had this problem in the past.Quality repairs for your home.

   Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada

1. 
   Rog1 | Jul 09, 2003 10:31am | #7

   I talked to the manufacturer about two weeks ago. He recommended using a 1:1 solution of Nampthna and mineral spirits, brushed on the finish with a soft brush, to soften and spread the surface and help facilitate absorption. I tried that, but using laquer thinner on areas that did not penetrate seemed more effective. I then used a thinned solution of the original finish, recommended by the manufacturer to conservatively brush in over those spots to help blend. I've had limited success. With time, those spots of gummy excess seem to be drying and disappearing and the rest of the deck curing. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 09, 2003 03:16pm | #8

   I'm betting that true tung oil was one of those oils in the mix. That, combined with not wiping at first was the source of the problem. Having now used the laquer wipe to suck it up, all you can do is wait.

   I ran into one like this twenty years ago with tung oil on redwood. It took over two weeks before you could walk on it, but once hardeened, it was great - still is but that's an interior application..

   Excellence is its own reward!

4. 
   jc21 | Jul 09, 2003 05:45pm | #9

   Could mill glaze be the problem? If so, a gentle scuffing with a random orbit sander should take care of it. Just a thought.

1. 
   Rog1 | Jul 10, 2003 04:29am | #11

   Mill glaze should not have been a problem, since I used a solution specifically made to remove that prior to finish. I also used a deck wash and brightener, as recommended by the supplier, before applying the Wood Iron.

5. 
   Qtrmeg | Jul 10, 2003 12:05am | #10

   Ya, you bombed it, didn't you?

   To cut it you find lacquer thinner works, yep, but it flashed off to fast to work it.

   That is why you got the naptha/thinner recommendation.

   A little strange, I would do something like a 15% lacquer thinner per thinner wash, and tune the ratio until you got a working cut. You want to cut the excess off, and be able to work it in for an even coating. Just don't use a lacquer thinner with acetone in it, or you will get clouding.

1. 
   Rog1 | Jul 10, 2003 04:35am | #12

   Yea, in hindsight (always the clearest view), the laquer thinner and scraping probably was overkill. At this point, experimenting with different strengths of thinner probably is the best bet. As long as the client is unsatisfied, it behooves me to continue to try different things, if only to keep them feeling a bit hopeful. I'm hoping time will cure the deck as well as their anxiety.