I’ve been asked to provide an estimate on staining a home. Turns out the client’s late husband had annually stained their home with motor oil. Last application was two years ago. My inspection revealed sections that were still oily and golden in color, others black and oily, and other sections were black and dry. My guess is that not every wall received annual application and sometimes it was with used motor oil. Siding is locally milled rough cut white pine board on batten. Will a degreaser and a pressure washer have any affect on this situation? Or is the siding beyond hope?
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Replies
I don't know how you will ever get anything to work over top of it. Personally, I would run away. If you just can't do that, then get it in writing that they understand THEY have ruined the siding and anything you do is not guaranteed in any way shape or form. Everything you attempt is nothing more than a guess based on your experience and you cannot be responsible for the results or any failures in product, longevity or appearance. Perhaps suggest you do some spots in the back and then come around next spring to see what it looks like.
Or you could just change your oil and break out the brushes.
Careful with any "oil".
"degreaser and pressure washer"? In the name of evening out the substrate by removing oil?
Kind of sounds like "flushing oily crap onto the ground and into the local aquafir" to me.
We only have so much water on the planet. Can't afford to be adding contaninants to it.
Re oil
I would continue applying motor oil. Unless you are detecting rot, it appears that the oil works.
There is an old woman in our area that applys staight weight 40 wt oil to her yellow pine floors that are about 100 years old. They are real slick for about a week afterwards. Looks good.
Ummm... has anyone looked at an MDS sheet to see if there are any toxins, like heavy metals, in motor oil?
oil vs. the elements and nature...
Heavy metals in used oils are principally lead,cadmium, zinc and barium. Arsenic is in there too but I don't think that's a heavy metal.
And there is other stuff too like mysterious complex hydrocarbons......
I have wood siding on my structures up to 33 years in place with no coating or preservative what so ever and it is all sound.